Abkhazia This mighty river courses through a troubled historyNational Geographic - Kristin RomeyAs the Enguri flows from the mountains to the sea, it follows a trajectory from Georgia’s traditional past into its forward-thinking future To most people in the Caucasus, the Enguri River is a border,
Shaanxi Province Asia’s live-streaming industry promises intimacy. So why are users so lonely?National Geographic - Claire WoltersInternet celebrities stream themselves singing, talking, eating, and sleeping—for money. Meet the stars and their fans. As darkness falls over Taipei City, an image of a woman named Lala illuminates the
Culture The forgotten ‘wolf children’ of World War IINational Geographic - Gail FletcherFollowing the end of the devastating conflict, children of East Prussia went to great lengths in order to survive. In the aftermath of World War II, children were often left without parents to help them
Transgender spiritual order finally finds acceptance at Hindu pilgrimageNational Geographic - Priti Salian“I certainly must have done something good in my past life to have seen this day,” says one of the group’s leaders. Pavitra Nimbhorakar says that in all her 43 years, she had never received the kind of
In Yemen’s war, a photographer finds points of light in the darknessNational Geographic - Erin BlakemoreAmira Al-Sharif trains her lens on the hope that stubbornly persists in her homeland amid shadows of conflict. Amira Al-Sharif has been displaced by Yemen’s civil war. Though the photojournalist longs
See the world’s oldest trees by starlightNational GeographicEditor’s Note: On April 26, National Geographic published photos by Beth Moon on nationalgeographic.com, depicting the world’s oldest trees against the night sky. Significant concerns about the veracity
British Columbia Tree planting is a rite of passage for young CanadiansNational Geographic - Laurence Butet-Roche“It’s an experience that is hard to put in words.” A photographer reflects on how the excruciating work prepared her for a career covering conflict. Imagine waking up at sunrise in a camp a couple hundred
Step inside the hometown of the first human in spaceNational Geographic - Catherine ZuckermanWest of Moscow, the small provincial town of Gagarin is a shrine to beloved Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. Tonight, space fans around the world will party like it’s 1961. Since 2001, the evening of April
An unlikely feud between beekeepers and Mennonites simmers in MexicoNational Geographic - Nina StrochlicSurvival is at stake as Mennonite colonies’ illegal soy farms threaten the livelihood of Maya beekeepers. “How did it start?” asks Everardo Chablé. He’s propped on a stool in his living room as the daylight
Business (Canada) This is the world's most destructive oil operation—and it's growingNational Geographic - Stephen LeahyCan Canada develop its climate leadership and its lucrative oil sands too? The scale of Alberta’s oil sands operations, the world's largest industrial project, is hard to grasp. Especially north of Fort
Death rituals help restless spirits find peace in the PhilippinesNational Geographic - Aurora AlmendralIndigenous groups in the remote highlands respond to a deadly typhoon by honoring their ancestors. When Typhoon Mangkhut made landfall in the Philippines on September 14, 2018, it struck with the force
What’s harder than summiting Everest? Getting climbers to respect it again.National Geographic - Andrew Bisharat“Everest is just such a cool place,” says this seasoned climber. “And a piece of my heart just wishes people would see that.” Cory Richards sat in a lounge chair in his office in Boulder, Colorado. He
Vespa See the wild, customized creations of Indonesia’s ‘rebel riders’National Geographic - Maria de la GuardiaHere, scooters aren’t just a mode of transportation—they’re a form of self expression The streets of Indonesia teem with two-wheelers, pulsing through dense traffic in the thick, tropical climate. In country
These Chinese cities depend on dwindling resources. Can they survive?National Geographic - Muyi XiaoTheir growth was fueled by mining, logging, and other resource-dependent industries. Now that fuel is running out. What West Virginia is to the United States, Shanxi Province is to China. Much of the that
A modern juggernaut with traditional roots: Inside Senegalese wrestlingNational Geographic - Anna Pujol-MazziniThe country’s national sport preserves cultural traditions and offers a path to economic independence Abdoulaye Sy’s strict combat preparation routine starts four months before the “special fight.” Every
See Russia’s massive new gas plant on the Arctic coastNational Geographic - Joel K. Bourne, Jr.As climate change rapidly warms the Arctic, Putin's Russia places a big bet on the future of fossil fuels. While most of the world is watching the rapidly melting Arctic with increasing alarm and placing
These x-rays of seeds turn biology into artNational Geographic - Catherine ZuckermanIn her project Archiving Eden, photographer Dornith Doherty explores the beauty and necessity of the world's botanical stockpiles. No bigger than a speck of dust, an orchid seed seems like a fragile thing.
Want to visualize inequality? View cities from aboveNational Geographic - Sydney CombsAerial pictures of adjoining neighborhoods reveal how cities around the world are unevenly developed. From the air, drone photography exposes the economic divide within cities. Roads, canals, and fences
This Brazilian region is an African treasure on the other side of the AtlanticNational Geographic - Pedro H. de AbreuMusic, religion, and dance reflect a tradition of revelry and defiance in Bahia, Brazil’s most Afro-Brazilian region. You can hear the furious roar of drums coming from miles away as cobblestones move
Want to grow plants in space? Go to the coldest place on Earth.National Geographic - Catherine ZuckermanVisit a research base in Antarctica where the aim is to make fresh produce a part of life on Mars. A land of unrelenting wind and ice, Antarctica is about as far from verdant as any place can get. Yet
Ukrainian children train for combatNational Geographic - Laurence Butet-RochIn the separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, young people prepare to defend themselves—and their nation. For youth in war-torn nations, education suffers profoundly. Schools are destroyed by indiscriminate
How women photographers access worlds hidden from menNational Geographic - Nina StrochlicWe asked National Geographic photographers to reflect on how gender influences their work. There are benefits to being a photographer who happens to be a woman: you’re welcomed into secret worlds, invited
From poachers to protectors, meet the rangers of Masjed MountainNational Geographic - Kayleigh E. LongThanks to these former hunters in Iran, some of the country's rare species are bouncing back. Each evening as the sun sets over Masjed Mountain in central Iran, a group of volunteer patrolmen scan the
How illegal mining is threatening imperiled lemursNational Geographic - Paul TullisA rush for Madagascar’s gemstones is exacerbating destruction of critical wildlife habitat. Indris, at two feet tall the largest of Madagascar’s lemurs, are big sleepers. The primates awaken two or three
Explore the Underground Railroad’s ‘great central depot’National Geographic - Kim M. WilliamsonFrom Harriet Tubman to Gerrit Smith, abolitionists in central New York ushered thousands of escaped slaves to freedom. A mere mention of Harriet Tubman or Fredrick Douglass conjures up images of former
See how European Saxons reconnect with their lost traditionsNational Geographic - Laurence Butet-RochAfter fleeing west during World War II, the dwindling community is returning to Romania to revive their centuries-old heritage. Susanna Riemesch-Wachsmann was the last Transylvania Saxon to be married
Exploring black joy and resistance around the worldNational Geographic - Kim M. WilliamsonFrom protests in South Africa, carnivals in Brazil, to the AFROPUNK Fest in New York, photographer Adreinne Waheed chronicles the African diaspora. Photographer Adreinne Waheed’s camera is her third eye;
Their ancestors survived slavery. Can their descendants save the town they built?National Geographic - Joel K. Bourne, Jr.Africatown, Alabama, has fallen on hard times, but residents are finding hope in their heritage. It’s cold and gray outside the historic Mobile County Training School, but inside it’s as warm as an Alabama
See the best pictures from NASA's official photographerNational Geographic - Catherine ZuckermanNow in his 30th year on the job, Bill Ingalls has covered some of space exploration's biggest moments thanks to a college internship. If you love space, odds are you’ve admired the work of Bill Ingalls.
