We take a look at some of the photographs that had you taking a second glance.
Footie fantasy: World Cup fever reached its zenith at the Grand Parade fan park in Cape Town. South Africa played host to the Fifa World Cup in July and for one month threw off the shackles of its ugly history and unified the continent. (David Harrison, M&G)
Life goes on: Two years after the xenophobic riots, Ebrahim Ali holds his daughter Fardowsa (5) in his shop in Mayfair, Johannesburg. Ali’s brother was killed during the riots. (Lisa Skinner, M&G)
Not forgotten: Mourners commemorate International Day of the Disappeared in Polje, Kosovo. Thousands of ethnic Albanians went missing during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war. (Reuters)
Contrite: In September Pope Benedict XVI visited the United Kingdom for four days. His visit was overshadowed by sex-abuse scandals that rocked the church across Europe and the United States. He apologised to victims. (Stefan Wermuth, Reuters)
Summertime: Carefree children swinging in a park in Pimville, Soweto. (Oupa Nkosi, M&G)
No sweat: A Mozambican gold miner climbs down a mine shaft in Manica province, near the Zimbabwean border. (Reuters)
View more highlights of the year that was in our special report here: