Of course, it is nothing more than the expiry date of a calendar. But the last day of the year will make everybody nostalgic and say it has been an "eventful year."

There was no dearth of earth-shaking events in 2011. The Arab Spring, the London riots, the killer earthquake and tsunami in Japan and many other happenings around the world will ensure a significant place for the year in the pages of history.

It's pointless to give treatises on all these happenings at a time when the whole world is getting ready to welcome the New Year. And the only apt thing to do at the eleventh hour is nothing but to recall the events through the dramatic images of the year.

Check out some of them here:

On January 2, 2011, Egyptian Christians laid hand on the blood-splattered pictures of Jesus Chris, inside the Coptic Orthodox church in Alexandria, as bomb was triggered outside the church on 1 January, 2011, killing at least 21 people. Interior Ministry held foreign-backed suicide bomber responsible for the blast.

Incoming House Speaker John Boehner (R) broke into tears as outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (L) urges him to head the gavel and the podium after Boehner was elected speaker on the opening day of the 112th US Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, on January 5, 2011.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy wipes the forehead of her husband, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, during their visit to a market in Fort-de-France, on the Martinique Island on January 8, 2011. Sarkozy and his wife went to Martinique and Guadeloupe to address French overseas territories before a meeting with the US President in Washington.

A man speaks on his mobile during his participation in the 10th Annual No Pants Subway Ride in New York City on January 9, 2011. The event, launched by Improv Everywhere, constitutes participants who strip down to their underwear as they go about their usual routine.

A Tunisian soldier shouts in a bid to calm the rioters during a clash with the police in the capital Tunis on January 14, 2011. Tunisian President Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali pronounced a state of emergency and warned that protesters would be shot to suppress the worst unrest in his two decades in power.

According to Reuters, “Two Copts fight with man (C), who onlookers say was a Muslim, prior to clashes between Coptic youths and riot police, who later opened fire with rubber bullets and tear gas, along the streets outside a Coptic Orthodox church in Alexandria, 230 km (140 miles) north of Cairo, on January 1, 2011."

A Palestinian woman pelts a stone at Israeli troops during a protest against the controversial Israeli barrier in the village of Bilin close to Ramallah, on January 7, 2011, after a Palestinian woman, Jawaher Abu Rahme, died following a protest in Bilin.

According to Reuters, "A frame grab released January 10, 2011 shows the video declaration of three members of Spain's Basque Separatist Group ETA declaring a permanent ceasefire. The ETA called for a permanent truce on Monday, Basque-language newspaper Gara said on its website, three months after the weakened group announced a halt to armed attacks."