Ceremonies have been held across the globe to mark the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I.
At a service in Verdun, north-east France, President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday paid tribute to the millions who died during the four-year conflict.
French and German troops fought for eight months at Verdun in the longest battle of a war that reshaped Europe.
In the United States, politicians attended the annual Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington cemetery, near Washington.
Vice-President Dick Cheney and Defence Secretary Robert Gates were among those participating in a wreath-laying ceremony to honour those who have died in service to the US.
In London, three of the four surviving British World War I veterans attended a ceremony at the Cenotaph. Henry Allingham, aged 112, Harry Patch, 110, and Bill Stone, 108, represented the Royal Air Force, Army and Royal Navy respectively.
At 11am local time, a two-minute silence was observed, marking the time - at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - when the Armistice Treaty came into effect to end the war.
Earlier on Tuesday, President Sarkozy took part in an Armistice Day service in Verdun, and paid tribute to those who had died. "France will never forget the children who have fought for her," he said.
He paid respect to the soldiers from Europe, North America, Africa and Australasia "who died far away from their countries to defend our liberty".
Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, and the Duchess of Cornwall were guests of honour at the event.
But no French or German veterans were in attendance, the BBC reports. Not one member of the two huge armies that clashed on the fields of Verdun survives.
Only the dead were left to be remembered, and the backdrop of the service was a huge stone ossuary, containing the remains of tens of thousands of men from both sides who died in the fighting.
Mr Sarkozy, Prince Charles, Australia's Governor-General Quentin Bryce and Peter Mueller, president of the German Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament, laid wreaths in a field of 15,000 graves in front of the building.
A respectful silence was held and the bell tolled inside the ossuary, where Mr Sarkozy lit a memorial flame and a male choir sang the French national anthem.
Since the war, Verdun has become a symbol of Franco-German reconciliation. But its hillside has come to symbolise World War I's awful savagery, says our correspondent.
During the fighting, more than 60 million shells fell on the land, transforming it into a pitted piece of hell on earth.
NZ marks Armistice Day
New Zealand's defence forces held a day-long vigil at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior to mark the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day.
The tomb was established four years ago when the Government repatriated the remains of a New Zealand soldier to the front of the National War Memorial in Wellington.
Services were held in 50 cities and towns throughout New Zealand on Tuesday morning to mark the end of World War I in 1918.
About 100,000 men left New Zealand to fight in the conflict.
Paul Riley, curator of the National War Memorial, says soldiers kept watch from dawn to show their respect for those who never returned.
Mr Riley says the commemoration had succeeded in involving many more members of the public than previous Armistice Days.
A 25-member guard of honour and guards comprised of personnel from the navy, army and air force were on parade during a service attended by Governor-General Anand Satyanand which began at 11am.
Rear Admiral Jack Steer, the Vice-Chief of the Defence Force, laid a wreath on behalf of the men and women in the New Zealand Defence forces.
He said it was a chance to remember those who gave their lives so New Zealanders could live their lives the way they do now.
Hundreds of children and other onlookers lined the road below the memorial as the wreaths were laid.
Inside the Hall of Memories there were readings of letters sent by World World I soldiers to their families in New Zealand.
The Returned and Services Association says the continuing support for Armistice Day is heartening.
