National Geographic Magazine

Amazing discoveries and experiences await you in every issue of National Geographic magazine. The latest news in science, exploration, and culture will open your eyes to the world’s many wonders.

FROM THE EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORERS • These contributors have received funding from the National Geographic Society, which is committed to illuminating and protecting the wonder of our world.

INTO THE WOODS • With a camera-mounted microscope, this photographer reveals the cellular world inside a forest.

THE BACKSTORY • AS A CHILD, THIS PHOTOGRAPHER GOT A CLOSE-UP LOOK AT THE NATURAL WORLD. HE’S BEEN ENTHRALLED EVER SINCE.

Exposing Hidden Marvels • WITH ITS ABILITY TO CAPTURE SIGHTS INDISCERNIBLE TO THE HUMAN EYE, PHOTOGRAPHY CAN ‘TEACH US TO SEE THE WORLD ANEW.’

Where Science and Photography Join Forces

Canary Islands: Eight paradises, and the legend of a ninth • Each of the Canaries is a world unto itself, with its own distinct landscape, wildlife, and culture. And there are even whispers of one more undiscovered island…

The perfect revenge • DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT LINES OF SCIENCE AND INNOVATION

NEW ANGLE ON MANNERS • WHEN THE GOING GETS TIGHT, THE SEFISH HAVE AN UNUSUAL ABILITY TO SLOW DOWN AND QUEUE.

Pizza in Pompeii? Sort of

RISKY RETAIL • Wild plants go into many everyday products, often with human and ecological costs, but consumers can help.

RANGES OF CONCERN • In recent years the global trade in wild plants has skyrocketed. As species are exploited, dangers to biodiversity and local workers have also risen.

CIRCLING THE GLOBE IN SEARCH OF THE PAST

WHAT’S NEW AND NOTEWORTHY AROUND THE WORLD • From luminous craftsmanship in Britain to conservation in Cameroon.

BIG CATS GET A REPRIEVE • A GRUELING FORAY INTO THE UNDERBELLY OF AMERICA’S CAPTIVE-TIGER INDUSTRY ENDS WITH A RAY OF HOPE.

FEATURES

PICTURES OF THE YEAR • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHERS TRAVEL THE GLOBE TO CAPTURE THE WONDER OF OUR WORLD AND THE SPIRIT OF OUR TIMES. HERE WE PRESENT OUR ANNUAL SELECTION OF THEIR BEST WORK.

FORTRESS OF FAITH • AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE FABLED ALHAMBRA, WHERE SPAIN’S LAST MUSLIM KINGDOM RULED FOR NEARLY 300 YEARS

SPAIN’S MUSLIM ERA • In the eighth century, an army of Arab Muslims crossed into the Iberian Peninsula, ousting Germanic Visigoths. Known as Al Andalus, their new land faced constant pressures yet became a hub of arts, education, and science for centuries.

THE PALACES • The Nasrid dynasty’s seat of power, the Alhambra was the last holdout of Muslim rule in western Europe until 1492. It’s shown here in its 15th-century glory, encoded with religious symbolism and designed to dazzle visitors and project power.

VISITING GRANADA • The city’s rich heritage offers unique experiences for visitors.

Where Have All the Caribou Gone? • For millennia giant herds of caribou have migrated across North America. But today they are dwindling, and no one knows why.

Caribou on the Move • Dozens of tundra caribou herds have long roamed across the upper reaches of North America. Some of these herds make the lengthiest migratory circuit of any land mammal—more than 800 miles when measured in a straight line. But recently, caribou numbers have declined dramatically, for reasons scientists are trying to unravel.

BEVERLY JOUBERT • FROM OUR PHOTOGRAPHERS