PIX: From UP to Ankara, world welcomes '7 billionth' babies

The United Nations on Monday marked the world population reaching seven billion. And nations across the globe welcomed with lavish ceremonies newborns that symobolised the milestone. Meet the 'seven billionth' babies, which are already a part of the swelling tide of history.

Vinita Yadav, a 23-year-old Indian, holds her newborn baby girl Nargis, who was born at 7.20 am, inside a community health centre in Mall on the outskirts of the  Lucknow on Monday.

"Nargis is the first child of Vinita and 25-year-old farmer Ajay and has been welcomed as the symbolic seven billionth baby," Bhagyashree Dengle, executive director of child rights group Plan India said.

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United Nations Population Fund staff gives a cake to the family of newborn baby girl named Danica Camacho, the Philippines' symbolic "seven billionth baby" who is part of the United Nations' seven billion global population projection, in Fabella Maternity hospital in Manila.

Along with the cake marked "7B Philippines", the baby was gifted a certificate for free shoes.

The world's population reached seven billion on 31 October, according to projections by the United Nations, which says this global milestone presents both an opportunity and a challenge for the planet. While more people are living longer and healthier lives, says the UN, gaps between rich and poor are widening and more people than ever are vulnerable to food insecurity and water shortages.

British born Kay Davies, 36, who has two other children poses with her newborn son Isaac who was born at 12.46am in the James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough, northern England.

Yuleixi Sequera from Venezuela, 20, carries her first child and daughter Emili Victoria Sequera minutes after she was born in the childbirth unit at the Santa Ana public maternity hospital in Caracas.

A nurse wraps Linda Abigail, the third child of Lourdes Suyapa Rodriguez, 35, after she was born at 00:20 in the childbirth unit of the Escuela hospital in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Marina Nikolaeva holds her newborn son Pyotr during a certificate-giving ceremony at a regional perinatal centre in Russia's enclave of Kaliningrad.

Aleksandr Mordovin, the United Nations Population Fund Programme Advisor in Russia, presented a certificate to Nikolaeva, who gave birth to newborn Pyotr at 00:02, symbolically considered the seven-billionth inhabitant on Earth from Russia by the UNFPA, in Kaliningrad.

Baby Cin gets a kiss from his mother Miran shortly after being born at Avista Adventist hospital in Louisville, Colorado near Denver at 2:41 a.m. local time. Born to 38-year-old Miran, originally from South Korea, the new born boy, yet to get a first name is Cin's third child.

A mother holds her newborn baby at a maternity hospital in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Newborn Russian girl Serafima sleeps on her mother Aigul Grekova shortly after being born at a perinatal centre of Moscow City Hospital Number 8 at 11:55 a.m. local time. Serafima is the seventh child in the family.

A newborn infant boy lies on his mother Alla Baturina at a perinatal centre of Moscow City Hospital Number 8 in Moscow. 

Newborn infant Wattalage Muthumani, who was born at the Castel Street Maternity Hospital, is seen with her mother and nurses, in Colombo.

A new born girl sleeps with her mother in Muslim Free Hospital and Medical Relief Society in Yangon.

Babies are seen at a perinatal centre at a hospital in Ankara, Turkey.

With countries across the world were staking claim to being home to the seven billionth baby, United Nations Chief Ban Ki Moon said his office would not be able to pin-point who the world's seven billionth inhabitant is and where the baby was born. "I am not in a position to make a firm clarification on who is the seven billionth baby," Moon said in response to a question by PTI at a press conference here to mark the 'day of seven billion.'