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figure

Synopsis:

\begin{figure}[placement]
  figure body
  \caption[loftitle]{title}  % optional
  \label{label}              % optional
\end{figure}

or:

\begin{figure*}[placement]
  figure body
  \caption[loftitle]{title}  % optional
  \label{label}              % optional  
\end{figure*}

Figures are for material that is not part of the normal text. An example is material that you cannot have split between two pages, such as a graphic. Because of this, LaTeX does not typeset figures in sequence with normal text but instead “floats” them to a convenient place, such as the top of a following page (see Floats).

The figure body can consist of imported graphics (see Graphics), or text, LaTeX commands, etc. It is typeset in a parbox of width \textwidth.

The possible values of placement are h for ‘here’, t for ‘top’, b for ‘bottom’, and p for ‘on a separate page of floats’. For the effect of these options on the float placement algorithm, see Floats.

The starred form figure* is used when a document is in double-column mode (see \twocolumn). It produces a figure that spans both columns, at the top of the page. To add the possibility of placing at a page bottom see the discussion of placement b in Floats.

The label is optional; it is used for cross references (see Cross references). The optional \caption command specifies caption text for the figure. By default it is numbered. If loftitle is present, it is used in the list of figures instead of title (see Table of contents etc.).

This example makes a figure out of a graphic. LaTeX will place that graphic and its caption at the top of a page or, if it is pushed to the end of the document, on a page of floats.

\usepackage{graphicx}  % in preamble
  ...
\begin{figure}[t]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{CTANlion.png}
  \caption{The CTAN lion, by Duane Bibby}
\end{figure}