New Zealand has welcomed in 2015 by a blazing fireworks display from Auckland's iconic Sky Tower.
Eastern Australia, including big cities such as Sydney, Brisbane and capital Canberra, will also welcome in the New Year in just 15 minutes' time (at 1pm GMT).
As usual, Sydney's New Year fireworks display will probably set the benchmark impossibly high for all the subsequent fireworks display that will celebrate the arrival of the new year - although London always puts up a good fight.
An early light show gave people a taster of what was to come in Sydney, with more than 10,000 fireworks, 25,000 shooting comets and 100,000 pyrotechnic effects expected to be used during the main event.
In China, 2015 will be the Year of the Sheep.
Samoa and Kiribati were the first countries to see the arrival of 2015 - at 10am GMT - along with the Australian territory of Christmas Island.
In just over 11 hours from now, London will once again see in the New Year as it has done since 2003, with a huge fireworks display from the London Eye on the South Bank of the Thames, making the large ferris wheel look like a giant Catherine wheel.
Global new year celebrations begin
BBC News
31 December 2014
Revellers across the globe are gathering to welcome in the new year, with New Zealand and Australia leading the celebrations.
A giant clock in Auckland's Sky Tower counted down the minutes until midnight (11:00 GMT), when fireworks erupted.
Up to 1.5m people have lined the shores of Sydney harbour in preparation for the city's famous firework display.
Celebration plans have been muted in Indonesia, however, in the wake of the AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crash.
In Brazil, more than one million people will join the crowds on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach, while New Yorkers will watch the city lower its trademark crystal ball over Times Square.
Some of the easternmost corners of earth, including Samoa, Kiribati and the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, were the first places to herald the new year.
New Zealand's biggest city, Auckland, was the first major city to welcome in 2015 with a huge firework display and music blasting from its iconic Sky Tower
Watch Auckland welcoming in 2015:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7rRJ-Yo9EtA
An early light show gave people a taster of what was to come in Sydney, with more than 10,000 fireworks, 25,000 shooting comets and 100,000 pyrotechnic effects expected to be used during the main event
Sydney residents pitched up early on Wednesday to try to get the best view of the huge light display
Some of the revellers brought along their own musical entertainment
Shinto priests conduct an end of year ritual ahead of the new year at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. Over the coming days, more than 3m people are expected to visit the shrine to pray for health and prosperity in 2015
Students at China's Shenyang Agriculture University found their own way of marking the start of 2015
It was a similar picture from students in Ahmadabad, India
2015 is the "Year of the Sheep" in China, as illustrated by this student in eastern Shandong province
Grandfather Frost - the Russian equivalent of Father Christmas - and his granddaughter joined Kyrgyzstan's new year parade in capital Bishkek
A wishing wall is on display in the Philippines capital, Manila. Around 50,000 posted wishes will be used as confetti alongside fireworks to herald in the new year
Britain is gearing up to welcome in the New Year, with the London Eye on the South Bank of the Thames once again being a focus for the country's new year celebrations
BBC News - Global new year celebrations begin
Eastern Australia, including big cities such as Sydney, Brisbane and capital Canberra, will also welcome in the New Year in just 15 minutes' time (at 1pm GMT).
As usual, Sydney's New Year fireworks display will probably set the benchmark impossibly high for all the subsequent fireworks display that will celebrate the arrival of the new year - although London always puts up a good fight.
An early light show gave people a taster of what was to come in Sydney, with more than 10,000 fireworks, 25,000 shooting comets and 100,000 pyrotechnic effects expected to be used during the main event.
In China, 2015 will be the Year of the Sheep.
Samoa and Kiribati were the first countries to see the arrival of 2015 - at 10am GMT - along with the Australian territory of Christmas Island.
In just over 11 hours from now, London will once again see in the New Year as it has done since 2003, with a huge fireworks display from the London Eye on the South Bank of the Thames, making the large ferris wheel look like a giant Catherine wheel.
Global new year celebrations begin
BBC News
31 December 2014
Revellers across the globe are gathering to welcome in the new year, with New Zealand and Australia leading the celebrations.
A giant clock in Auckland's Sky Tower counted down the minutes until midnight (11:00 GMT), when fireworks erupted.
Up to 1.5m people have lined the shores of Sydney harbour in preparation for the city's famous firework display.
Celebration plans have been muted in Indonesia, however, in the wake of the AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crash.
In Brazil, more than one million people will join the crowds on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach, while New Yorkers will watch the city lower its trademark crystal ball over Times Square.
Some of the easternmost corners of earth, including Samoa, Kiribati and the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, were the first places to herald the new year.
Watch Auckland welcoming in 2015:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7rRJ-Yo9EtA
Britain is gearing up to welcome in the New Year, with the London Eye on the South Bank of the Thames once again being a focus for the country's new year celebrations
BBC News - Global new year celebrations begin
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