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.

08.28 • A DAYLONG SHOW OF COMMITMENT

A year we won’t forget

ON THE COVER

WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE A PHOTOGRAPHER IN 2020? • National Geographic photographers seem possessed of an inner GPS. Fueled by restless curiosity, they roam the planet in search of fresh perspectives to capture and new stories to tell. In 2020 this inner GPS took RUDDY ROYE to the front lines of America’s racial reckoning and set DAVID GUTTENFELDER on the trail of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the year’s losses and chaos, ANAND VARMA captured rare natural marvels, HANNAH REYES MORALES recorded soothing scenes of peace, and DIANA MARKOSIAN witnessed triumphs of the human will. On the following pages, the five answer this question:

‘OUR JOB IS TO BE PART OF THIS STRUGGLE IN A VERY POSITIVE WAY.’ • Ruddy Roye traces his passion for social justice to his native Jamaica, his love of the arts to his mother, and his love of stories to his father. Now Roye’s a father, telling his sons what he learns as a documentary photographer and a National Geographic storytelling fellow.

EMBRACING A HISTORY WITH PHOTOGRAPHS

‘IT WAS SUCH A REVELATION, SEEING THIS PANDEMIC PLAY OUT ON GLOBAL AND GRANULAR SCALES.’ • National Geographic Explorer Hannah Reyes Morales uses photography to explore themes of resilience in life and tenderness amid adversity. In 2019 she received the Visionary Award from the Tim Hetherington Trust, named for the late British photojournalist.

The Storms Some Women Can’t Escape

‘I FELT SO GRATEFUL THAT I COULD BE OUT IN THE WORLD. I HAD A SENSE OF PURPOSE.’ • David Guttenfelder grew up on a tiny farm outside a tiny town in Iowa. Since then he’s traveled far, covering the Rwandan genocide, the Iraq war, and other major news events. He helped open the first Western news bureau in North Korea for the Associated Press.

A PRECARIOUS VIEW AT THE GRAVESIDE

A Side Gig With His Grandfather Led to Photography

‘WE HELPED STUDENTS HEAL FROM THE ABRUPT WAY THEIR YEAR ENDED.’ • Photographer and filmmaker Diana Markosian tells stories as a documentarian, a conceptual artist—or both at once. She has worked around the globe and been published in the New Yorker and the New York Times, as well as National Geographic.

A FAMILY’S SECRET, A NEW LIFE IN AMERICA

‘IN QUARANTINE AT HOME, I FOCUSED ON ONE SPECIES’—WITH UNEXPECTED RESULTS. • An aspiring biologist in college, Anand Varma got a field assistant job with a National Geographic photographer—and found his calling. Now he specializes in high-definition images of tiny and elusive creatures, made with tools and techniques he has developed.

Passing a Trial by Fire (Ants)

A YEAR ON THE EDGE • A DEADLY VIRUS. LIVES IN LOCKDOWN. PASSIONATE CALLS FOR JUSTICE. THE IMAGES OF 2020 CAPTURED THE HUMANITY OF A TURBULENT TIME.

05.23 • THROUGH IT ALL, THERE WAS LOVE BARZANÒ, ITALY

05.21 • BRINGING DIGNITY TO THE DEAD QUEENS, NY

06.05 • IN SOLIDARITY AGAINST RACISM NAIROBI, KENYA

11.04 • A DEMAND TO COUNT THE VOTES LANSING, MI

09.19 • TRIBUTE TO A PIONEER LANSING, MI

06.18 • A BACKLASH AGAINST SYSTEMIC RACISM RICHMOND, VA

09.08 • TARGETING SYMBOLS OF OPPRESSION TUSKEGEE, AL

THE YEAR THAT TESTED US • VIRUS, PROTESTS, AND CLIMATE CHANGE RESHAPED OUR WORLD

05.29 • IN ANGER AND PAIN, PEOPLE TAKE TO THE STREETS MINNEAPOLIS, MN

WORLD IN CHAOS

01.25 • THE ANXIETY OF BLACK MOTHERS LITTLE ROCK, AR

04.23 • EXTREME MEASURES AND SHORT SUPPLIES BOGALUSA, LA

04.14 • ON THE FRONT...