"The Big Picture" over at Boston.com is one of my favorite places on the Internet, because some of the best pictures shot around the world are posted there. Like always, the site has published a "The Year in Pictures", this year spanning three sections. It's worth looking through if you want to recap the entire year in just a few minutes - but warning, this really has been a depressing year :-/
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/12/the_year_in_pictures_part.html
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/12/the_year_in_pictures_part_ii.html
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/12/the_year_in_pictures_part_iii.html
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/12/the_year_in_pictures_part.html
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/12/the_year_in_pictures_part_ii.html
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/12/the_year_in_pictures_part_iii.html