New York, 1 January 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The Americas have started their journey into the new year.

New York City took the United States into 2025 with the traditional "ball drop" in Times Square as thick confetti, and rain, fell on hundreds of thousands in the crowd.

Huge crowds welcomed the New Year with fireworks and music in the Brazilian metropolis of Rio de Janeiro as the clock struck midnight.

A traditional 12-minute fireworks display began at midnight, fired from 10 rafts in front of the world-famous Copacabana beach.

Earlier, Europe, Asia and parts of the Pacific entered 2025 with spectacular shows and outdoor gatherings.

Some 60,000 revellers gathered in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, as fireworks lit the sky with colour.

In Paris, a large fireworks display at the Champs-Élysées drew an estimated crowd of about 1 million people.

The United Arab Emirates welcomed the year with fireworks from the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

In Beijing, celebrations were held at a former steelworks on the city's western outskirts, while in Shanghai, crowds gathered to admire light displays along the world-renowned river promenade and other locations.

The Chinese special administrative region of Hong Kong hosted a grand fireworks display over Victoria Harbour.

New Year's Eve is not as widely celebrated in China as elsewhere, with the Chinese New Year, based on the lunar calendar, seen as far more significant. In 2025, it will fall on January 29.

In Taiwan, a six-minute fireworks show was performed for thousands of spectators at the country's landmark Taipei 101 building, which is 509 metres tall. For the first time, the display also included a light show, organizers said.

Kiritimati, a Pacific Ocean atoll home to about 5,000 people, was the first inhabited place to welcome the New Year - as it does every year.

Auckland was the first major international centre to welcome in the New Year, with the landmarks of New Zealand's largest city lighting up at midnight.

Seven songs made up a "midnight moment" soundtrack, synchronized with the lights, lasers and fireworks.

Two hours later, Sydney rang in the New Year with its world-famous fireworks show above the harbour, watched by millions at home and abroad.

The Australian city's fireworks display was set against the backdrop of the Harbour Bridge and the iconic Opera House.

Fireworks also exploded over other major Australian cities, including Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide at midnight.

In Bangkok, one of the best ways to take in the show was from a party boat on the Chao Phraya River. Thailand, which follows the Buddhist calendar, began the year 2568.

In Singapore, crowds of onlookers gathered to watch the fireworks at Marina Bay, with a view of the skyline.

American Samoa and Niue will be the last countries to ring in 2025, a full 24-hours after New Zealand.