Loango National Park, Gabon, Africa, 2003
Photograph by Michael Nichols
A days-old Nile crocodile (Crocodylus Niloticus) takes his first swim through the tannin-stained Louri Creek, deep in the heart of the 380,000-acre (153,781-hectare) Loango National Park.

(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "In the Land of the Surfing Hippos," August 2004, National Geographic magazine)

Celle là est magnifique

Inishmore Island, Aran Islands, Ireland, 1993
Photograph by Sam Abell
A cow and two calves amble toward a village on the island of Inishmore. Forbearers of the islanders appeared in the 1934 documentary film Man of Aran, which is also the name of a cologne made of aromas redolent of the islands' traditional boat—leather, tar, wood, and the sea.

(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Ireland on Fast-Forward," September 1994, National Geographic magazine)

Long Island, Bahama Islands, 1986
Photograph by James L. Stanfield
A flock of black-necked stilts glides over the waters surrounding Long Island in the Bahamas. Considered to be the third island that Columbus charted during his first voyage to the New World in 1492, he named it La Fernandina, perhaps after his illegitimate 4-year-old son or after the Spanish monarch who helped finance his voyage.

(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Where Columbus Found the New World," November 1986, National Geographic magazine)

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Yosemite National Park, California, 1978
Photograph by Joseph H. Bailey
A ladybug walks along a wild lupine leaf in California's Yosemite National Park. These colorful plants were brought to North America from the Mediterranean as ornamental flora and quickly spread into the wild. The Yosemite varieties usually flower blue and white and grow abundantly in the park's sandy soil.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, the National Geographic book America's Majestic Canyons, 1979)

Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge, Tennessee, 1975
Photograph by Bates Littlehales
Tennessee's Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge. Duckweed, the world's smallest flowering plant, grows on the surface of still or slow-moving water. It grows rapidly—sometimes too rapidly, occasionally covering whole lakes or drought-slowed rivers—and provides protection for water creatures, control of excess minerals, and a barrier against evaporation.

(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, the National Geographic book Wildlands for Wildlife, 1976)

Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, 1970
Photograph by James L. Stanfield
Hawthorne bushes ascend upon the remains of a split-rail fence on Massachusetts' Nantucket Island. The tiny island, a horseshoe-shaped chip of land located 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Cape Cod, is home to about 10,000 permanent residents. That number blooms to about 50,000 in the warmer months when tourists and summer residents descend.

(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Life's Tempo on Nantucket," June 1970, National Geographic magazine)

Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington, U.S.A., 1989
Photograph by James P. Blair
Charred wood litters a partially cleared area in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest along Washington state's Cascade Range. The fires are set deliberately to clear the land of debris after logging and to facilitate new growth. Gifford Pinchot is home to Mount St. Helens, and was ground zero of the battle between logging interests and those seeking to protect the northern spotted owl.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Old Growth Forests," September 1990, National Geographic magazine)

Arctic Ocean, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1983
Photograph by Emory Kristof
Celestial skies stream light onto a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker as it cuts a trail through a frozen expanse of Arctic Ocean in Canada’s Northwest Territories.

The Canadian Coast Guard was part of a mission to explore the sunken wreckage of the H.M.S. Breadalbane, a British ship that went down in the 1850s while on a mission to find survivors of the ill-fated Franklin expedition to map the Northwest Passage.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “Exploring a 140-Year-Old Ship Under Arctic Ice,” July 1983, National Geographic magazine)

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 1984
Photograph by James L. Amos
A shimmering travertine deposit forms a limestone terrace around a mineral spring at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park.

This formation, called Minerva Terrace, formed as mineral-laden water bubbled over and evaporated, leaving a sparkling white calcium-carbonate crust. These deposits, which can accumulate at up to a foot (30 centimeters) per year, create a spectacular and constantly changing landscape.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “The Planets: Between Fire and Ice,” January 1985, National Geographic magazine)

Pakistan, 1985
Photograph by George F. Mobley
Mountain polo players take part in a practice match at Chitral Polo Field in northwestern Pakistan. This game, arguably Pakistan's favorite sport, differs dramatically from the European version. In mountain polo, six players instead of four compete on a longer, narrower field. And the near absence of rules encourages a rowdy, fast-paced, frequently violent clash.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, the National Geographic book Mountain Worlds, 1988)

Europe, 1995
Photograph by Jodi Cobb
The Orient Express stretches elegantly along a length of track somewhere in Europe. This famously luxurious train line had its first run in 1883 traveling from Paris to Giurgiu, Romania. The line was extended to Constantinople (later Istanbul) in 1889. The route ran until 1977, and several short-run trains have since used parts of the original route under the name Orient Express. The last of these is the Paris-Vienna route, which will shut down for good when a high-speed line opens in June of 2007.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, the National Geographic book Great Journeys of the World, 1996)

Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 1991
Photograph by James L. Stanfield
A free-standing arch and crescent-shaped gate frame a mosque in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. This Southeast Asian country, the largest archipelago in the world, is the most populous Muslim nation on Earth, with more than 245 million people, 88 percent of whom follow Islam.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Ibn Battuta, Prince of Travelers," December 1991, National Geographic magazine)

Galápagos Islands, 1986
Photograph by Sam Abell
Great frigatebirds, silhouetted against a gray-blue sky, feed in the waters around Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos. Frigatebirds use their long, hooked bills to scoop their favorite food, flying fish, from above or just below the water's surface.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, the National Geographic book Majestic Island Worlds, 1987

Loango National Park, Gabon, 2003
Photograph by Michael Nichols
An aerial photograph of a Gabonese delta highlights the rich wilderness of the Loango coastal area. Just a century ago, this land was the northern outpost of the Loango Kingdom, whose throne was near the Congo River some 250 miles (402 kilometers) to the south.

(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Gabon's Loango National Park: In the Land of the Surfing Hippos," August 2004, National Geographic magazine)

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 1999
Photograph by Jodi Cobb
A cluster of ornate umbrellas enlivens a dreary day in Addis Ababa as a crowd of people lines up outside a church.

At 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) above sea level, Ethiopia’s capital city is the highest in Africa. The population is almost evenly split between Christians, living in the highlands, and Muslims inhabiting the lowlands.

Honduras, 1993
Photograph by David Alan Harvey
The lush rain forests of northern Honduras are home to over 700 species of birds. Between 800 and 1,200 years ago, the great Mesoamerican Olmec civilization claimed this stretch of rain forest. At its height, the "mother culture" of the New World spanned as far north as Mexico City and as far south as Honduras.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "New Light on the Olmec," November 1993, National Geographic magazine)

Olympic National Park, Washington, 1984
Photograph by Sam Abell
A mist-strewn landscape and a lone rustic cabin give this scene in Washington’s Olympic National Park a storybook appearance. The park covers 1,442 square miles (3,735 square kilometers) and includes glaciers, mountains, lakes, meadows, and the lush Hoh Rain Forest, known for its gargantuan conifers, dense mosses, and mythical-size fungi.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “The Olympic Peninsula,” May 1984, National Geographic magazine)

Beijing, China, 1982
Photograph by Dean Conger
A setting sun silhouettes two pedestrians as they descend Kunming Lake’s Seventeen Arch Bridge. The footbridge leads from the Pavilion of Broad View, visible at left, to South Lake Isle. All are part of the opulent Summer Palace in western Beijing, a summer retreat built in the mid-1700s for Qing Dynasty imperial rulers.

(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, the National Geographic book Journey Into China, 1982)

Tutayev, Russia, 1994
Photograph by James P. Blair
Onion-shaped domes gleam atop Voskresenskiy Cathedral in Tutayev, Russia. Built in 1652, this Russian Orthodox Church is said to have been in continuous use, even during the premiership of Joseph Stalin.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "A Russian Voyage," June 1994, National Geographic magazine)

Ilan, Taiwan, 1993
Photograph by Jodi Cobb
A stretch of open road in Taiwan lies empty due to heavy rains that canceled that year’s Dragon Boat Festival. This festival, held in the small northeast village of Ilan, features dragon boat races, firecrackers, and throngs of cheering spectators. Even as it forges forward with booming industries and soaring skyscrapers, Taiwan struggles to preserve fleeting tokens of its ancient heritage.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Taiwan," November 1993, National Geographic magazine)

Alaska, 1987
Photograph by George F. Mobley
The Porcupine caribou herd grazes near Beaufort Lagoon in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Every spring, this 165,000-member herd, named for the Porcupine River which runs through its winter grounds, migrates 400 miles (644 kilometers) over the Brooks Range to calving grounds on the coastal plain.

(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, the National Geographic book America’s Hidden Wilderness; Lands of Seclusion, 1988)

Arizona, 1997
Photograph by Vincent J. Musi
Framed by overgrowth, a fractured mirror clinging to an abandoned car reflects the Arizona countryside along historic Route 66. Now mostly abandoned, Route 66 was the primary route between Chicago and Los Angeles in the mid-twentieth century, a route especially popular with Dust Bowl migrants.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Route 66: Romancing the Road," September 1997, National Geographic magazine)

Sebrov, Czechoslovakia, 1968
Photograph by James P. Blair
Chimney brushes rest against a house in Sebrov, Czechoslovakia, while maintenance workers take their 10:00 a.m. beer break. In 1968, chimney sweeps working for the State Ministry of Public Services were required to clean 15 chimneys per hour.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “Czechoslovakia: The Dream and the Reality,” February 1968, National Geographic magazine)

Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1967
Photograph by Winfield Parks
People frolic in the shining waters of the Rio de la Plata in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Rio de la Plata is an estuary of the Paraná and Uruguay Rivers that forms the border between Argentina and Uruguay.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “Buenos Aires, Argentina’s Melting Pot Metropolis,” November 1967, National Geographic magazine)

London, England, 1985
Photograph by Jodi Cobb
A merchant displays wares for sale—including old paintings, a guitar, a mirror, and appliances—at London’s Camden Lock Market. The Market operates from a former timber wharf near Regent’s Canal, where entrepreneurs and artists have been selling books, crafts, jewelry, and food since 1973.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, the National Geographic book Discovering Britain and Ireland, 1985)

Afghanistan, 1968
Photograph by Thomas J. Abercrombie
Camels cast shadows across the Qala-e-Bost arch in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province. The 11th century arch, which appears on the 100 Afghani note, marks the principal approach to the ancient fortress citadel of Bost, later renamed Lashkar Gah.
Over the centuries, the city bore multiple assaults by the Ghorids, Genghis Khan, and Tamerlane. Today it is the capital of the Helmand province.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “Afghanistan: Crossroad of Conquerors,” September 1968, National Geographic magazine)

Queensland, Australia, 1996
Photograph by Sam Abell
Despite the region's inhospitable climate—five months of torrential rains followed by seven months of drought, plus infertile soil and frequent lightning-sparked bush blazes—Cape York Peninsula is home to 379 rare or endangered plant species. The region is one of Australia's most complex ecosystems, with rain forest, grassland, wetland, and scrub coexisting in close quarters.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Uneasy Magic of Australia's Cape York Peninsula," June, 1996, National Geographic magazine)

Alaska, 1994
Photograph by default default default
The spectacular landscape of Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve is the result of a 1980 congressional act that set the 13.2 million acres (5.3 million hectares) of land aside to remain undisturbed. One of the United States' biggest national parks, Wrangell-Saint Elias is home to grizzly bears, wolves, caribou, moose, mountain goats, and Dall sheep.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Wrangell-St. Elias: Alaska's Sky-High Wilderness," May, 1994, National Geographic magazine)

Svalbard Archipelago, Norway, 1997
Photograph by Flip Nicklin
A bearded seal relaxes near the edge of an ice floe in the Arctic Ocean near Norway’s Svalbard Archipelago. These seals, which are rarely found in groups, spend most of their time in the water. Even at one week old, bearded seal pups can dive for five full minutes to depths of 250 feet (76 meters).

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “Bearded Seals: Going with the Floe,” March 1997, National Geographic magazine)

Czechoslovakia, 1967
Photograph by James P. Blair
Children dance around a maypole in a centuries-old tradition that is still thriving in eastern Europe. Maypoles are erected in villages across the region on the first of May in celebration of youth and the arrival of spring.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Czechoslovakia: The Dream and the Reality," February 1968, National Geographic magazine)

Near Kairouan, Tunisia, 1979
Photograph by David Alan Harvey

"A farm boy in no particular hurry allows his donkey to browse on wild poppies as they shamble along toward field work near Kairouan, a city holy to Muslims."

(Text from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Tunisia: Sea, Sand, Success," February 1980, National Geographic magazine)

Sydney, Australia, 1978
Photograph by Robert W. Madden

A duck leaves a clear trail as it swims through algae-covered waters in Sydney—but the duck isn’t the only "green" lover in this bustling city. Laborers working on Sydney's famed opera house refused to build an underground parking garage next door for fear of killing three historic fig trees in the Botanic Gardens.

(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Sydney," February 1979, National Geographic magazine)

Gabon, 2000
Photograph by Michael Nichols
Viewed from a mountain summit, the canopy of Minkebe Forest in Northern Gabon lies shrouded in mist.

Photographer Mike Nichols took this shot while accompanying explorer Michael Fay on his grueling 15-month, 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) trek across Africa to catalog the region’s pristine forests and promote their protection. As a result of Fay’s efforts, President El Hadj Omar Bongo of Gabon set aside more than 10,000 square miles (26,000 square kilometers) of land to form a national park system protecting 13 separate parks.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “Megatransect,” October 2000, National Geographic magazine)

Broome, Australia, 1997
Photograph by R. Ian Lloyd
Famous for its pearl-filled waters, Broome anchors the Dampier Peninsula, part of the famous Kimberley region in northwest Australian. This region was one of the earliest settled areas of the continent, receiving settlers from Indonesian islands some tens of thousands of years ago.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Australia by Bike," December 1997, National Geographic magazine)

Celle d'i'm purlpe date d'hier

Voilà celle d'aujourd'hui



Thailand, 1996

Photograph by Jodi Cobb

Members of a refugee Burmese tribe in Thailand, a Padaung family bathes in a stream. Padaung women are often fitted with brass neck rings. These rings help elongate their necks—a look prized among this group—albeit at the expense of crushed collarbones and rib cages.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Many Faces of Thailand," February 1996, National Geographic magazine)

Qingdao, China, 1981
Photograph by Emory Kristof
Three sparse oriental pines give some early morning shade to people looking out at the Yellow Sea in Qingdao, China. The city in northeast China is home to the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Oceanology, a respected research center where scientists have worked to develop strains of kelp used for food and as stabilizers in medications and cosmetics.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “New World of the Ocean,” December 1981, National Geographic magazine)

Afghanistan, 1968
Photograph by Thomas J. Abercrombie
A man passes one of the lakes of central Afghanistan’s Band-e-Amir, a series of five mineral-enriched, sapphire lakes that punctuate the dusty, travertine peaks near central Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush.

Legend has it the lakes were formed by Caliph Ali who miraculously raised the retaining walls to dam a dangerous river, thereby impressing a local pagan king who converted to Islam.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “Afghanistan: Crossroad of Conquerors,” September 1968, National Geographic magazine)

Route 66, Arizona, 1997
Photograph by Vincent J. Musi
Vestiges of Americana linger in an ice cream shop's sign along Arizona's historic Route 66. Memorialized in many ways—in writing (Grapes of Wrath, On the Road), in song ("Get Your Kicks on Route 66"), and on screen (Route Sixty-Six)—the road still echoes mid-twentieth-century American culture.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Route 66: Romancing the Road," September 1997, National Geographic magazine)

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Route 66: Romancing the Road," September 1997, National Geographic magazine)

Velada, Spain, 1982
Photograph by James P. Blair
A farmer in Velada, Spain, displays a traditional toboggan-like device that is used to crush straw and open garbanzo bean pods during harvest. This area, near Toledo, was made famous by the works of El Greco, who journeyed to the region in 1577.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “The Genius of El Greco,” June 1982, National Geographic magazine)

Galápagos Islands, 2000
Photograph by Emory Kristof
Foraging crabs and hungry fish feed on bacteria from giant tube worms near a deep sea vent in the Pacific Ocean.

The vents are actually springs of super-heated water about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) below the ocean’s surface. They are one of the last frontiers biologists and photographers are working to record.

(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Deep Sea Vents: Science at the Extreme," October 2000, National Geographic magazine)

Norton Sound, Alaska, 1998
Photograph by Jay Dickman
A rainbow over the horizon transfixes an Alaskan fisherman hunting in Norton Sound, Alaska, part of the mouth of the Yukon River. The 2,000-mile-long (3,200-kilometer-long) river empties into a delta bigger than Texas that teems with wildlife including crab, seal, and salmon.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Untamed Yukon River," July 1998, National Geographic magazine)

South Georgia Island, Falkland Islands, 1998
Photograph by Maria Stenzel
Crowned by snowy fog, a nunatuk, or mountain peak rising from a plane of ice, looms over South Georgia Island in the Falklands. This icy crest was first crossed in 1916 by Ernest Shackleton and his Antarctic crew—and was soon crossed again by a team sent to rescue them.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Shackleton: Epic of Survival" November 1998, National Geographic magazine)

Jutland Peninsula, Denmark, 1998
Photograph by Bob Krist
A wooden bridge leads the way to a Danish castle surrounded by water. It was common for Danish lords to build their castles on small islands surrounded by lakes as a security measure. If no lake existed, an artificial body of water might have been created in its place.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “Danish Light,” July 1998, National Geographic Traveler magazine)

Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Nepal, 1999
Photograph by Steve McCurry
A Nepalese woman sits in the doorway of a traditional building in a Himalayan hill town found along the Annapurna Circuit. The mountainous trail casts a 200-mile (320-kilometer) loop through a mosaic of scenic landscapes—including farmland, forest, desert, and tundra—around Nepal’s 26,000-foot (8,000-meter) Annapurna Range.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “On Foot Across the Roof of the World,” May/June 1999, National Geographic Traveler magazine)

Red Rock Beach, Dominica, 1996
Photograph by Michael Melford
Vacationers barely catch a glimpse of the sea through rocks on Red Rock Beach on Pointe Baptiste in Dominica. Mountainous, densely forested, and populated by waterfalls and exotic birds, much of Dominica is protected as national wilderness.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “Dominica: The Caribbean’s Nature Island,” November/December 1996, National Geographic Traveler magazine)

Big Sur Coast, California, 2000
Photograph by Frans Lanting
Wildflowers thrive amid twisted tree limbs along California's Big Sur Coast. Stretching 42 miles (67.6 kilometers) along the Pacific from Carmel to San Simeon, the Big Sur Coast dazzles visitors with its craggy cliffs and dramatic ocean drop-offs.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Big Sur: California's Elemental Coast," August 2000, National Geographic magazine)

Route 66, Arizona, 1997
Photograph by Vincent J. Musi
A mountain range provides dramatic backdrop for a cluster of mailboxes along a stretch of Arizona’s Route 66. Once known as "America's Main Street," it was the primary road from Chicago to Los Angeles before the Interstate Highway System was developed.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Route 66: Romancing the Road," September 1997, National Geographic magazine)

Great Skellig Island, Ireland, 1977
Photograph by James P. Blair
A thousand-year-old headstone stands next to the ruins of an ancient church on Great Skellig Island, off the southwest coast of Ireland. Between the sixth and ninth centuries, the Celtic Christian church spread through Ireland, and the remains of the original monasteries have been preserved on islands like these of Kerry County.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “The Celts,” May 1977, National Geographic magazine)

Border Village, Australia, 1997

Photograph by R. Ian Lloyd

The Rooey II statue welcomes visitors to Border Village, a town between Western and Southern Australia. This cheerful marsupial is the gateway to the nearby Great Australian Bight, the famous 328-foot-high (100-meter-high) cliffs soaring over the Indian Ocean.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Australia by Bike," December 1997, National Geographic magazine)