Pink, green, purple: check out the world's most colorful beaches -

From extreme white to deep black and everything in between

There's nothing better than taking a beach vacation. The idea of sitting back on fine white sand with a drink in hand comes as close to paradise as it gets. But what if you could be sitting on pink or green sand? Colorful beaches are scattered all across the globe, and they are as stunning as your imagination can muster.

Browse the gallery and check it out for yourself.

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Papakōlea Beach, USA - Located near South Point, in the Kaʻū district of the Island of Hawaii, this beach is one of four in the world to feature green sand.

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Papakōlea Beach, USA - The sand gets its color thanks to olivine, a mineral containing iron and magnesium.

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Papakōlea Beach, USA - The mineral is present in the local volcanic landscape, which ends up in the beach's sand thanks to the wind and erosion.

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Vík í Mýrdal, Iceland - Located near the country's southernmost village, this black sand beach is one of the wettest places in Iceland.

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Vík í Mýrdal, Iceland - The sand gets its color thanks to the surrounding offshore stacks of basalt rock.

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Vík í Mýrdal, Iceland - The nearby cliffs are home to a number of seabirds, most notably puffins that burrow into the shallow soils during nesting season.

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Komodo Island, Indonesia - Famous for being the rugged habitat of the Komodo dragon, the island is also well-known for its pink sand beach.

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Komodo Island, Indonesia - Microscopic animals with red shells called Foraminifera are behind the color of this stunning beach.

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Komodo Island, Indonesia - The pink of the sand is even more striking contrasted with the surrounding turquoise seas, green rolling hills, and blue skies.

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Glass Beach, USA - This Hawaiian beach doesn't take its name lightly. The sand is actually made up of broken glass.

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Glass Beach, USA - Located in Eleele, an industrial area in Kauai, the beach's sea glass formed after years of discarded glass piled up.

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Glass Beach, USA - Moving ocean water and time has broken up and smoothed glass from bottles, windshields, and windows to create a frosted, jelly-bean-like pebble. It takes the ocean from 10 to 30 years to create it!

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Pfeiffer Beach, USA - Located in the Big Sur area of California, the north end of the beach has unique purple sand.

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Pfeiffer Beach, USA -

Its color derives from the manganese garnet rocks in the cliffs of the surrounding area.

Pfeiffer Beach is located off the beaten path and requires you to drive on winding and narrow roads.

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Xi Beach, Greece - Located in the southern part of the Paliki peninsula of Kefalonia, this beach is famous for its orange sand.

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Xi Beach, Greece - The beach's warm, shallow waters and amenities, like bars and restaurants, make it popular with tourists.

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Xi Beach, Greece - The beach's orange sand is even more impactful in contrast with the surrounding white cliffs.

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Porto Ferro, Sardinia - Located on the Italian island of Sardinia, this stunning beach features striking bright yellow-hued sand.

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Porto Ferro, Sardinia - The sand is very fine, with a touch of yellowish red. This hue is caused by the iron in the sand, which gives the beach its name ("ferro" is Italian for "iron").

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Porto Ferro, Sardinia - Located between Capo Argentiera and Parco Naturale Regionale Di Porto Conte, the whole geography surrounding this beach is stunning.

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Crete, Greece - The island of Crete has at least two pink beaches on its coasts.

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Crete, Greece - Two of them have been listed among the most beautiful pink beaches in the world, according to Greek Reporter.

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Crete, Greece - One is called Elafonisi, and the other is Balos.

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Punaluʻu Beach, USA - Appropriately dubbed Black Sand Beach, Punalu'u is located on the Big Island of the state of Hawaii.

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Punaluʻu Beach, USA - The sand gets its color from lava and basalt.

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Punaluʻu Beach, USA - The beach is visited by the endangered hawksbill and green turtles, which can often be seen soaking up the sun on the black sand.

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Piha Beach, New Zealand - Located on the western coast of the Auckland Region, this beach is famous for its black sand.

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Piha Beach, New Zealand - The beach is divided between North and South Piha by a natural formation called Lion Rock.

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Piha Beach, New Zealand - The color is a result of volcanic sand mixed with iron oxide.

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Harbour Island, Bahamas - The Bahamian island is famous for its pink sand beaches, which can be found all along its east coast.

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Harbour Island, Bahamas - The sand's light pink hue comes from foraminifera, tiny marine creatures that have a reddish-pink shell.

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Harbour Island, Bahamas - Foraminifera live in the coral reefs that surround the beach.

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Hyams Beach, Australia - Located in New South Wales, this beach is famous for its turquoise-colored waters and fine, squeaky, bright-white sand.

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Hyams Beach, Australia - The sand is incredibly white in color because its made of pure quartz.

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Hyams Beach, Australia - The beach certainly has one of the whitest sands in Australia, but despite popular belief, it doesn't have the whitest sand in the world.

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Prince Edward Island, Canada - This Canadian province is well-known for its bloody red sands. They get their color from an abundance of iron present in their composition.

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Prince Edward Island, Canada - The area's soft red sandstone has eroded over time, producing about 500 miles (more than 800 km) of rusty red beaches.

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Kaihalulu, USA - Located on the island of Maui in Hawaii, the beach is famous for its deep red-black sands.

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Kaihalulu, USA - The stunning beach is located in a hidden cove washed by electric blue waters.

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Kaihalulu, USA - The red sand comes from the Ka'uiki Head, a cinder cone whose red lava cinder cliffs provide the beach its color.

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Ramla Bay, Malta - Located at the foot of a fertile valley on the northern side of the island of Gozo, this beach is remarkable thanks to its bright golden-reddish sand.

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Ramla Bay, Malta - The beach is originally called Ramla l-Hamra Bay, which means Red Beach in Maltese.

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Ramla Bay, Malta -

The surrounding area offers beautiful views of the beach as well as the valley.

See also: Why Malta should be your next idyllic destination

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