National Geographic Society

Can you picture National Geographic magazine without an iconic cover photo?  When the magazine launched in 1888, it looked vastly different — more like a scientific journal. But within a decade, National Geographic began to fill its pages with images that sparked curiosity and transported readers to new worlds. Today, evocative and captivating cover photos are synonymous with National Geographic, and it’s particularly meaningful when those photos are taken by a #NatGeoExplorer.  Photography isn’t just part of our history, it’s central to who we are. Storytelling is a pillar of our mission at the National Geographic Society. We’re proud to be among the largest funders of independent storytellers, including world-class photographers who illuminate the beauty and complexity of our planet. They compel us to take notice and, often, take action. On World Photography Day, we honor photography’s power to inform, inspire, astonish and unite us. We celebrate the Explorers behind the lens, and all photographers who impact the world one unforgettable image at a time. #WorldPhotographyDay #ExploreWithUs  The first edition of National Geographic magazine, published October 1888, stands in stark contrast to the July 2023 edition, capturing the sheer awe of the longest single cave drop in the lower 48 states. Photo by Explorer Stephen Alvarez.

When the Taliban recaptured Kabul in 2021 and made it illegal for girls to attend school in Afghanistan, National Geographic Explorer Shabana Basij-Rasikh helped over 100 female students flee the country. These School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA) students were able to continue their studies abroad with Basij-Rasikh's help. In the Pashto language, the word "sola" means "peace," and represents the school's vision for the future of their home country. However, countless girls remain in Afghanistan and in refugee camps worldwide with little to no access to education. This short film was produced by the National Geographic Society's Impact Story Lab, with the goal of raising global awareness of the challenges faced by Afghan girls and women while also helping SOLA students reach other Afghan girls with their stories of hope (in English, Dari and Pashto languages). Watch the full film and learn more on how Basij-Rasikh champions education for girls: https://lnkd.in/dtUYtK92. Learn about our award-winning storytelling team: https://lnkd.in/d8mP3njX.

2892 Miles to Go, an educational program founded by #NatGeoExplorer Ashley Lamb-Sinclair, offers youth the opportunity to collaborate with local leaders, educators, advocates and change-makers to reclaim community histories and stories together. The program is supported by the National Geographic Society and focuses on illuminating unknown or unacknowledged stories around the environmental, social and cultural issues impacting local communities across the United States. Explore more: https://lnkd.in/g2WBDuPe. 📷 High school students hike a nature trail in Sequoia National Park. Photo by Explorer Tailyr Irvine

How do we create lasting impact? Together — with audacious goals and steadfast support from our community. Thanks to your invaluable support, the National Geographic Society achieved significant milestones in protecting the health of our planet in 2023. Led by our team of intrepid #NatGeoExplorers, we expanded marine protected areas to restore the ocean, preserved precious landscapes and cultural heritage sites, safeguarded vulnerable species and inspired people across the globe to care for the world we share. With the strength of our community behind us, and so much at stake, how are we measuring and accelerating our impact? Explore our annual report to find out: https://lnkd.in/ex9grYyj.

What if we could solve the endangered elephant crisis with cutting-edge, robotic technology? #NatGeoExplorer Sangita Iyer is on a groundbreaking mission to protect these majestic species by introducing robotic elephants as a humane alternative to captive ones used in religious spaces and festivals. She hopes their use will revolutionize temple ceremonies and protect endangered Asian elephants from exploitation. Discover more about her important work to transform elephant conservation: https://lnkd.in/eJNWKxxG  This #WorldElephantDay, join us to help fund critical elephant conservation efforts, led by National Geographic Explorers working on the front lines: https://lnkd.in/eb37yViV Photo courtesy of Voices for Asian Elephants

The Santa Cruz long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum) is the 16,000th addition to the National Geographic Photo Ark, now celebrating its 18th anniversary! Photographed by #PhotoArk founder and #NatGeoExplorer Joel Sartore at the University of California, Santa Cruz, this salamander represents one of the first species listed under the Endangered Species Preservation Act. “The Santa Cruz long-toed salamander is emblematic not only of the plight of the world’s amphibian species which are facing rapid decline, but also because it represents a species, like so many others, that we can take action to change its future,” Sartore says. Join us in honoring Sartore’s nearly two decades of dedication to the Photo Ark, using the power of storytelling and science to highlight and protect our planet’s incredible biodiversity. https://lnkd.in/emznXdet Photos of juvenile and adult Santa Cruz long-toed salamander by Joel Sartore

Palau maintains some of the most protected and biodiverse waters in the world thanks to the steadfast efforts of Hotsarihie’s traditional stewards, the Hatohobei people. Hotsarihie, also known as Helen Reef, is a protected reef in southwestern Palau. Traditional Hatohobei stewardship has safeguarded Helen Reef and guided the creation of Palau’s national marine sanctuary, which protects 80% of Palau’s waters from exploitative mining and fishing. Photographer and #NatGeoExplorer Kiliii Yuyan documents Palau’s vibrant reef environment and the people who keep it flourishing. Read of the Hatohobei people’s innovative protections — and more stories that highlight Indigenous contributions to conservation and cultures — in National Geographic magazine’s July 2024 special issue “Indigenous Futures.” https://lnkd.in/e_uAxFbb Photo of blacktip reef sharks swimming in Palau’s Rock Islands Southern Lagoon by Kiliii Yüyan

“Wild Shaale is a testament to how imagination, creativity and empathy can create ‘magic’ and foster environmental stewardship in children,” shares #NatGeoExplorer Dr. Krithi K. Karanth, co-founder of the conservation education program along with fellow Explorer Gabby Salazar. In collaboration with the Centre for Wildlife Studies — of which Karanth is the chief executive officer — and with support from the National Geographic Society, Wild Shaale develops an interactive curriculum designed to inspire students to learn about local wildlife and provide them with practical coexistence strategies and ways to take action to protect wildlife and wild spaces. Explore more about the program — now celebrating its sixth anniversary — that has reached over 1,000 schools and more than 50,000 students across India’s Western Ghats: https://lnkd.in/eDUWbcvf Photo by Explorer Alisha Vasudev

🎉 Congratulations to the 2024 Fulbright-National Geographic Award recipients: 🎉 • Artis Henderson; conservation journalist; Australia • Chelsea McMaster; ceramic artist; Antigua and Barbuda • Jamil Wilson; marine biology educator and researcher; Papua New Guinea • Konstantine Vlasis; environmental composer and audio storyteller; Iceland • Sateesh Venkatesh; conservation behaviorist; Sri Lanka These newly-named #NatGeoExplorers are carrying out projects around the world that support the conservation of our planet’s land and oceans to build a more sustainable future, and engage local communities to foster cross-cultural dialogue. Explore more about their inspiring work: https://lnkd.in/dacXBp56 Photos: Artis Henderson courtesy of Artis Henderson (1); Chelsea McMaster by Daeun Lim (2); Jamil Wilson by Karl Huggins (3); Konstantine Vlasis by Marcus Neudigate (4); Sateesh Venkatesh by Sriyantha Janaka (5) The Fulbright Program 

What was the universe like before the Big Bang? 🌌 For starters, it was darker, quieter and filled mainly with hydrogen. Cosmologist and #NatGeoExplorer Cynthia Chiang (pictured) has spent the last few years listening for sounds from these “cosmic dark ages,” and the journey has taken her to the ends of the earth. “If we want to study any part of the universe’s history, we can tune into the right wavelength,” Chiang says. She engineers radio telescopes that tune into wavelengths emitted by hydrogen from the distant past, far from Earth. Chiang and her team at McGill University haul these telescopes to the most remote and quiet corners of the world to avoid the noise of humanity, from a remote island in the Southern Indian Ocean to the Canadian High Arctic. Explore more at: https://lnkd.in/ewt2gTdw. Photo by Nivek Ghazi