Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue 2012 features Kate Upton on cover

The sizzling Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is out and generating a lot of excitement.

The magazine publishes the Swimsuit Issue once a year. It features fashion models wearing swimwear in exotic locales. According to some, the magazine is the arbiter of supermodel succession.

A lot of money is made from the sales of the issue. It was first published in 1964 and is credited with making the bikini, which was invented in 1946.

This year’s Swimsuit Edition brings together photos of 18 of the world's most beautiful models as well as cameos by various athletes. Swimsuit 2012 will not only showcase world’s top models, but will also feature works of renowned photographers who have made this issue possible.

Along with Swimsuit 2012 cover girl Kate Upton, Bar Refaeli returns to SI in 2012. The Israeli beauty graces a feature dubbed "Bar & the Boys" that includes photographs of her with U.S. Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps, Lob City point guard Chris Paul and tennis superstar Rafael Nadal.

Kate Upton is one of the most successful models to date and her sensational shoot for this year’s SI Swimsuit Issue has made headlines. A lot of websites have posted Upton's sensuous pictures that are circulating all over social media and fans.

Kate Upton first modeled for Garage, then Dooney & Bourke. She is the 2010–11 face of Guess. Upton appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2011 for the first time and her success landed the cover of another edition. She was featured in the body paint section and named Rookie of the Year for the issue in 2011. She has since modeled for Beach Bunny swimwear and Victoria's Secret, and has appeared in Complex and Esquire as "The Woman of the Summer".

Upton played in the 2011 Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, in July 2011. She has also appeared in movies, her most notable work being "Tower Heist", in which she plays Mr. Hightower’s Mistress.

Upton’s 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue was first unveiled on "The Late Show with David Letterman".