(July 6) - Survival groups around the world are gearing up and counting down to a mysterious date that has been anticipated for thousands of years: Dec. 21, 2012.

Across the United States, Canada and throughout Europe, apocalyptic sects and individuals say that is the day that the world as we know it will end, ABCnews.com reports.
 

Signs of the Apocalypse

    Gregory Bull, AP
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Those who claim the apocalypse will occur on Dec. 21, 2012, base their beliefs on a calendar devised by the Mayans, whose ruins are shown in Mexico above. The ancient civilization is known for its prowess in mathematics and astronomy.
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Topical Press Agency / Getty Images
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A Mayan calendar column rests in Quirigua, Mexico. The Mayan "long count" calendar consisted of 5,126 years, ending on Dec. 21, 2012.
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    NASA / JPL-Caltech / AP
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On Dec. 21, 2012, the center of Milky Way, above, will be aligned with the sun for the first time in about 26,000 years. Apocalyptic believers say that will disturb the energy flowing toward Earth.
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    NASA / AP
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A NASA satellite captures a photo of a solar flare in 2002. A higher prevalence of these eruptions from the sun in 2012 could affect magnetic fields on Earth.
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    Matt Dunham, AP
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Pagan worshipers celebrate winter solstice on Dec. 21, 2006, at Stonehenge. Many ancient cultures and new age groups put significance on the annual date, the shortest day of the year.
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    Carlos Lopez, AP
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Mayan priests dance around an alter in Guatemala in 1996. "These prophecies of doom really don't have any basis in what we know about the Maya," said anthropology professor Stephen Houston. "The Maya descriptions barely talk about this event."
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    Binsar Bakkara, AP
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The 2004 tsumani that hit Indonesia completely devastated the area. Sociology professor John Hall, who is writing a book of apocalyptic ideas, said groups predicting the end of the world reflect a high anxiety about the state of society. "Terrorism, 9/11, ecological disasters, floods, and earthquakes...(There is) a sense that modern civilization has had its run."   Sources: abcnews.com, usatoday.com