On the shores of the Black Sea, on Ukraine's Crimea peninsula, lies a shallow saltwater lagoon named Sasyk-Sivash Lake. For centuries, traders have collected and sold the pink-tinted salt that the lake produces. The pink color is the result of microalgae that thrive in salty conditions and produce high levels of beta-carotene, a reddish pigment that protects it from the region's intense sunlight. In autumn, seasonal workers harvest thousands of tons of pink salt for export to Russia, the European Union, and Japan. (Photos by Aleksei Pavlishak, ITAR-TASS)