Countries Celebrate the Arrival of 2011

The first settlement of the earth to receive the New Year was Christmas Island, located at 232 miles in the north of the equator line, in the Pacific Ocean. Then the 2011 arrived to other Pacific nations including New Zealand, Niue, Fiji, Tonga and Australia.

Despite being at the west of Christmas Island, Samoa will be the last point of the planet to say goodbye to 2010, because it is at the other side of the international date line.

In New Zealand, the New Year had been greeted with the largest firework display since the Millennium arrival.
In the Australian city of Sydney the 2011 was welcomed with the striking traditional firework display that had cost more than $5 million.

With Pacific countries celebrating the New Year, the countries of Southeast Asia are waiting their turn to join to the festivities.

The Vietnamese capital Hanoi for the first time, officially will add to the celebrations for the New Year with a countdown, a light show, and music in front of the emblematic opera building.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines about 245 people suffered injuries and burns caused by exploding firecrackers and pyrotechnics articles in hours before the New Year.

Source: El Universo