Schoolgirls pose in traditional dress for celebrations at the Zocalo, a plaza at the heart of Mexico City where people have gathered since the days of the Aztecs. This 16 September, Mexico will celebrate 203 years since the legendary priest Dolores Hidalgo sounded "El Grito de la Independencia" - a cry for freedom that set in motion the Mexican War of Independence from Spain.

The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence on 17 August 1945 catapulted the country into four years of war with the Netherlands, which Indonesia won in 1949. Celebratory customs include the release of hundreds of green turtles into the ocean from Bali's Kuta Beach, and panjat pinang, a game in which a pole is erected, greased with oily clay and hung with bicycles, televisions and other prizes. Whoever climbs all the way to the top wins, though people often collaborate to split the loot.

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Rather than celebrating their 1991 deliverance from 70 years of Soviet rule, Belarusians instead memorialise the liberation of their capital, Minsk, from Nazi occupation on 3 July 1944. Pictured here, soldiers wearing World War II-era uniforms ride military vehicles in an Independence Day parade