Photographs from U.S. Department of the Interior's Instagram account reveal the stunningly diverse landscapes

 

Photographs from U.S. Department of the Interior's Instagram account reveal the stunningly diverse landscapes The U.S. Department of the Interior has amassed a breathtaking collection of photography documenting the diverse landscapes of the United States and shared it in an Instagram account. The images come from photographers around the country who have captured moments in time in public lands, such as national parks, to dramatic effect. The account has also captured 30,000 followers with its depictions of U.S. natural beauty. The Department of the Interior is charged with managing America's vast natural and cultural resources, and employs about 70,000 people around the country to do just that. Under the umbrella of the Department are the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Below are 21 of the most beautiful shots to grace the Department's Instagram page since it was begun about a year ago. Follow the Department of the Interior for more amazing pictures from around the country. Nevada: The Red Rock National Conservation Area Alaska: The line between smoke and clouds blurs above the Toklat River East Fire Utah: The desert of eastern Utah in all its stark beauty seen from Skyline Rim near Factory Butte with the Henry Mountains in the distance Maine: The rugged coast of Maine is home to the Acadia National Park Michigan: A moose grazes at Daisy Farm Campground in Isle National Park in the early morning Exploring: A hiker (right) explores Buckskin Gulch in Utah, while (right) a climber scales the Shark's Fin in the Alabama Hills Recreating Area in California Arizona: A storm lights up Grand Canyon National Park in this photo taken from Lipan Point on the South Rim Utah: A tree's roots spread out over the Bryce Canyon National Park Michigan: Young bulls face off in the early morning at Isle Royale National Park Wonder: Avalanche Lake (left) in Glacier National Park, Montana, and (right) the June 2013 'supermoon' as seen from Arches National Park, Utah New Mexico: Birds take flight in the steamy wetlands of the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge Montana: Inside a snow cave high on the Swiftcurrent Pass at Glacier National Park Colorado: It's rare to see the Northern Lights so far south, seen here from Great Sand Dunes National Park Dusk til dawn: A fisherman (left) on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina at sunset and (right) the early morning fog at the Colorado National Monument   This is a new airport runway set to open in China next month. Chinese architects levelled several mountain tops to build the spectacular £80m development in Hechi, a city in China's southern Guangxi province. Engineers managed to slice off the mountain tops to create a 1.4-mile runway that will provide a spectacular if nail-biting panorama for arriving passengers. +2 Let's hope the brakes work! The mountaintop 1.4-mile runway in Hechi in southern Guangxi, is set to open next month It sits amid several mountain ranges, including Jiuwangda to the north, the Phoenix Mountains in the north-west, Fengling to the east, and Duyang to the west. The Green Dragon Mountains sit to the south-west. The airport, which is 2,200ft above sea level and has only one terminal and one runway, is so narrow that it can only accommodate three flights an hour - compared to the number that the mainland's busiest airports handle on an hourly basis which is 20 times that. Hechi is located in north-western Guangxi on the southern end of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, which is home to about four million people. +2 Runway with a view: The £80m landing strip is one of the narrowest in the world, only accommodating three flights an hour In the past, getting to Hechi required flying to the Liangjiang International Airport in Guilin and then travelling by road for more than 200km. Work on the airport began at the end of 2008 and was completed at the end of last year. When it goes into operation next month it will be a transit stop on the sole air route between the cities Chongqing and Haikou in Hainan province. If plans for extending the operation business work out, it might also add a flight from Guangzhou in the future.           American Samoa: The white sand and tropical waters of the National Park of American Samoa Alaska: Aurora Borealis as seen over the Nowitna River in the Nowitna National Refuge Love birds: Layson Albatross in Hawaii mate for life Colorado: The Milky Way as seen over the Great Sand Dunes National Park