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31 stunning real-world photos that might be your next phone wallpaper.

Beauty is in the eye of the phone holder.

It's a fact: Every year, we're spending more and more time looking at our phones.

Estimates indicate that on average Americans spend anywhere from three to five hours on their smartphones every day. That's an astoundingly high number — and the perfect excuse for a little perspective.

There's an extraordinary world buzzing all around us, and we miss so much of it staring endlessly at our tiny screens. You say your busy life won't let you escape to some of our planet's most remarkable places? Not to worry. You can bring those places back home to your phone.

Here are 31 marvelous world wonders we think would look perfect as your lock screen.

1. Iceland's northern lights are a stunning sight, in person or online.

Who knew geomagnetic storms could be so stunning? Image by iStock.

2. Find peace in this photo of a storm-swept lighthouse.

Image by iStock.

3. The arch at Palau's Rock Islands is beautiful above water and below.

Image by iStock.

4. Milford Sound on New Zealand's South Island is an Instagram filter-lover's dream.

Image by iStock.

5. A huge statue of the Hindu god Lord Murugan greets visitors to the Batu Caves in Malaysia.

Image by iStock.

6. Watch sunlight break over the peaks in the Himalayas.

Image by iStock.

7. About 45 million gallons of water rush over North America's largest waterfall, Niagara Falls, every minute.

Image by iStock.

8. This ginormous "Christ the Redeemer" statue watches over Rio de Janeiro's six million residents.

Image by iStock.

9. Live vicariously through these thrill-seeking spelunkers.

Image by iStock.

10. Looking at Haystack Rock near Cannon Beach, Oregon, might inspire you to head to your nearest beach.

Image by iStock

11. Soothe your muggle heart with this image of the IRL Hogwarts Express chugging across Scotland.

Image by iStock

12. These towering redwoods are some of the largest trees in North America.

Image by iStock

13. This tiny sandbar in the Pacific didn't think it'd end up a helicopter perch. But sometimes life — and conspicuous wealth — finds a way.

Image by iStock

14. Mossy green wonderlands — like this one near Oregon's Punch Bowl Falls — are unique to the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest.

Image by iStock

15. Follow the stepping stones of Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway straight into the North Atlantic.

Image by iStock

16. Decades of pounding surf carved a perfect alcove in the rocks at Lands End in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Image by iStock

17. Mother Nature really shows off her sculpting skills in Utah's Paria Canyon.

Image by iStock

18. The Matterhorn is more than a ride I got stuck on for 45 minutes at Disneyland. It's a breath-catchingly stunning peak in the Alps.

Image by iStock

19. The Grand Canyon is so incredible, it really deserves a better adjective. "Astoundageous" maybe?

Image by iStock

20. The narrow, rocky green peaks of the Wulingyuan scenic area in China's Hunan province are both a Unesco World Heritage site, and the inspiration for Pandora, the world in "Avatar."

Image by iStock

21. Creeping tree roots reclaiming this temple in Angkor, Cambodia, are a reminder that, eventually, no matter how hard we work, nature always wins.

Image by iStock

22. Find your most flattering light in Arizona's Antelope Canyon.

Image by iStock

23. The Colorado River's Horseshoe Bend in Arizona will keep you coming around for more.

Image by iStock

24. This Norwegian waterfall is stunning and proud, naturally.

Image by iStock

25. This icy blue Icelandic cave is guaranteed free of abominable snowmen.

Image by iStock

26. Gold dunes and golden skies are everywhere in Morocco's eastern desert.

Image by iStock

27. This solitary tree in New Zealand's Lake Wanaka isn't content to live on land.

Image by iStock

28. This secluded beach at Knysna Heads in South Africa's Western Cape Province is #goals.

Image by iStock

29. Baobab trees beat the thirst by storing water away in their thick trunks. Just like your phone's text message archive.

Image by iStock

30. Nobody knows for sure where the Sphinx's nose is, but she's a towering beauty nonetheless.

Image by iStock

31. Find peace — however you define it — in the stark cold beauty of the Himalayan mountains.

Image by iStock

Did we miss your favorite spot in our wallpaper roundup? Let us know!

Heroes

Only 4% of the world's oceans are protected — and a lot of that's in a country you haven't heard of.

True

For something that makes up 71% of the surface of the planet, it's kind of crazy to think that we only protect 4% of our ocean water.

It goes without saying that water is important. It comprises 55% to 78% percent of our bodies and about 19% of the electricity in the world. tl;dr — it's pretty crucial to our survival.

But while water can do some amazing things, it can't stand up and protect itself from things like massive oil spills or other man-made damages to its regulatory systems. Mostly it just lays there, passively sloshing back and forth, and oh yeah, cultivating an incredible ecosystem for millions of amazing creatures.

And yet, for all the time that we've spent fighting over land, there's still 140 million square miles of the Earth's surface that no one's looking out for. Does that seem odd to you?

Water, water everywhere... Photo by NASA/Wikimedia Commons.

But now an island nation that's smaller than New York City has created a new ocean reserve the size of California.

Located in the western Pacific Ocean just north of New Guinea and east of the Philippines, Palau is a tiny presidential republic of 21,000 people spread across 250 separate islands.

But the country's legal property extends an additional twelve nautical miles around each island, bringing Palau's overall size up to nearly 193,000 square miles. These waters are home to some of the most diverse and remarkable aquatic ecosystems on the planet, with more than 700 different kinds of coral and 1,300 unique species of fish.

And as of Oct. 22, 2015, 80% of Palau's aquatic area has been designated as protected ocean territory. The remaining 20% will remain open to local fisherman and a limited number of other small-scale commercial activities.

An Indo-Pacific coral reef, like what might be found in the waters around Palau. Photo via Fascinating Universe/Wikimedia Commons.

Despite its limited landmass, Palau's new ocean reserve is one of the largest on the planet — and makes up the largest percentage of protected waters.

New Zealand's own, recently-announced ocean reserve will be 620,000 square miles but only 15% of their total exclusive economic zone (the UN-recognized open water borders).

The United States currently protects less than 4% of its waters, compared to 18% of its total landmass; of course, that's still 490,000 square miles of ocean.

Chile has also committed to protecting a total of 350,000 square miles of ocean between their coasts and the waters around Easter Island.

While the U.K.'s Pitcairn Islands reserve only measures 322,000 square miles, it does have the distinction of being the largest single and uninterrupted marine protected area on the planet so far.

Rock Island, Palau. Photo by Matt Kieffer/Flickr.

This kind of action is particularly important in places like Palau that face the brunt of our ecological problems.

While some of us can more easily go about our lives oblivious to the environmental damage being done to the planet by the human race, people in places like Palau are not so lucky. They still rely on local fishing and other natural resources to survive, and even as we speak, the rising sea levels threaten to swallow up the shores beneath their feet.

"Island communities have been among the hardest hit by the threats facing the ocean," said Palau president Tommy E. Remengesau Jr. in the press release announcing this new ocean protection initiative. "Creating this sanctuary is a bold move that the people of Palau recognize as essential to our survival. We want to lead the way in restoring the health of the ocean for future generations."

A lake with jellyfish in Palau. Photo by Onyo/Wikimedia Commons.

So let's stand together and tell our world leaders to protect the rest of our precious waters.

We can start just south of Palau with Australia's Great Bight, the longest east-west ice-free coastline in the southern hemisphere. The Bight is currently being threatened by oil drillers like BP, risking the lives and livelihood of countless animals and people alike.

After you're done with that, come back here and have a look for yourself at just how amazing these underwater habitats can be: