▲Barcelona's Plaça d'Espanya is one of the city's most important squares. Traffic, however, follows a circular pattern around the fountain at the center of the square, designed by Josep Maria Jujol (1879–1949).

▲Not really a roundabout, but this Mexico City traffic junction allows vehicles to join the highway by way of a slingshot lane design.

▲One of the great monuments of Paris, the Arc de Triomphe stands at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. Several avenues radiate from its broad traffic circle.

▲The quiet village of Gniewino in northern Poland is distinctly rural in character.

▲The cleverly designed Pearl Ring roundabout in the dynamic Chinese city of Shanghai serves traffic and pedestrians.

▲Traffic passes through Bangkok's Odeon Circle, where the Chinese gate stands on a roundabout junction.

▲Lisbon's Praça Marquês de Pombal is landmarked by a prominent column dedicated to the 1st Marquis of Pombal. This is the city's principal roundabout.

▲The swordfish statue roundabout in Kota Kinabalu, the state capital of Sabah, is a familiar sight to passing motorists.

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A traffic circle, or roundabout, can induce fear and apprehension in even the most experienced motorist. But seen from a different point of view, these circular intersections are urban planning masterpieces designed to ease traffic flow and promote a safer drive. Some are modest in appearance. Others are singular in their size and grandeur.

Browse this gallery and find your round some of the most impressive traffic circles in the world.

▲The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in Indianapolis, Indiana looms over the city's twilight skyline.

▲This roundabout set on the outskirts of the country's capital, Sofia, looks like a wristwatch.

▲This traffic circle at Appleton, the county seat of Outagamie County in Wisconsin, is almost toy-like in its appearance.

▲A roundabout near Katowice, host city of the 2018 Climate Change Conference. Again, taken from this angle, the transport interchange resembles a giant wristwatch.

▲The roundabout in the picturesque village of Otford in Kent encloses a scenic duck pond.

▲Did you know France has an estimated 32,000 roundabouts? In fact, the roundabout was pioneered by town planner Eugène Hénard in the early 1900s.

▲Tehran's Azadi Square is known for its centerpiece Azadi Tower, surrounded by an expansive oval-shaped highway of several lanes.

▲In the dead of winter in the middle of nowhere, this roundabout in Bavaria appears as if etched out of the snow.

▲A remarkable bird's-eye view of Mexico City's Angel of Independence, a victory column on a roundabout on the major thoroughfare of Paseo de la Reforma.

▲The ornate Alexander Nevski Cathedral in Sofia sits within a traffic circle. Vehicle movement, however, is restricted.

▲Resembling a sprig of broccoli, this modest roundabout is affording swifter traffic flow in a verdant corner of the United Kingdom.

▲Seen here is the Royal Park Rajapruek roundabout at Chiang Mai, replete with a carefully manicured garden.

▲The Piazza di Villa Fiorelli in Rome is a pedestrian roundabout.

▲The Selamat Datang Monument, also known as Monumen Bunderan HI (for "Hotel Indonesia roundabout") is located in central Jakarta.

▲A patchwork quilt of greenery distinguishes this traffic circle in Valencia.

▲A beloved landmark, Christ Church in Windhoek stands rather incongruously on a traffic island.

▲A roundabout in a residential area of Toulouse blends effortlessly into the environment.

▲The Circus, which dates back to the 18th century, is an outstanding example of Georgian architecture. It's located in the historic city of Bath. In Latin, 'circus' means a ring, oval, or circle.

▲Cape Town's Green Point traffic circle bathed in sodium light.

▲The impressive 19th-century Victory Column in Berlin is surrounded by a street circle.

▲The enormous Gwadar roundabout under construction. Gwadar, a small fishing port, is being marketed as a new Dubai.

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This extraordinary view of Bangkok's Wongwian Yai roundabout resembles an alien spaceship.