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{{Redirect|National Geographic}}
The
National Geographic Society (
NGS), headquartered in
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include
geographyGeography is the study of the Earth and its lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
,
archaeologyArchaeology or archeology is the science that studies human cultures through the recovery, documentation, analysis, and interpretation of material culture and environmental data, including architecture, artifacts, biofacts, and landscapes...
and
natural scienceIn Science, the term natural science refers to a naturalistic approach to the study of the universe, which is understood as obeying rules or laws of natural origin...
, the promotion of environmental and historical
conservationThe conservation of forests also known as nature conservation is a political and social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including plant and animal species as well as their habitat for the future....
, and the study of
world cultureA civilization is a complex society or culture group characterized by dependence upon agriculture, long-distance trade, state form of government, occupational specialization, population, and class stratification.-Definition:...
and
historyWorld History, Global History, or Transnational history is a field of historical study that emerged as a distinct academic field in the 1980s. It examines history from a global perspective.-Overview:World History looks for common patterns that emerge across all cultures...
. The National Geographic Society’s characteristic
logoA logo is a graphical element that, together with its logotype form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo's design is for immediate recognition...
is a yellow
portraitPage orientation is the way in which a rectangular page is oriented for normal viewing. The two most common types of orientation are portrait and landscape...
rectangular frame, which identifiably appears on the margins surrounding the front covers of its magazines.
Overview
The National Geographic Society's historical mission is "to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge while promoting the conservation of the world's cultural, historical, and natural resources." Its President and CEO since March 1998, John M. Fahey, Jr., says National Geographic's purpose is to inspire people to care about their planet. The Society is governed by a twenty-three member Board of Trustees composed of a group of distinguished educators, leading business executives, former governmental officials, and conservationists. The organization sponsors and funds scientific research and exploration. The Society publishes an official journal,
National Geographic MagazineThe National Geographic Magazine, later shortened to National Geographic, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded...
, and other magazines, books, school products, maps, other publications, web and film products in numerous languages and countries around the world. It also has an educational foundation that gives grants to education organizations and individuals to enhance geography education. Its Committee for Research and Exploration has given grants for scientific research for most of the Society's history and has recently awarded its 9,000th grant for scientific research, conducted worldwide and often reported on by its media properties. Its various media properties reach about 360 million people around the world monthly. National Geographic maintains a museum free for the public in its Washington, D.C. headquarters, and has helped to sponsor popular traveling exhibits such as the "King Tut" exhibit featuring magnificent artifacts from the tomb of the young
EgyptianAncient Egypt was an ancient civilization of eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. The civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, and...
PharaohPharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. In antiquity this title began to be used for the ruler who was the religious and political leader of united ancient Egypt. This was true only during the New Kingdom, specifically during the middle of...
, which toured in several American cities, ending its U.S. showing at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The Tut exhibit is currently in Atlanta. Another National Geographic exhibit of "The Cultural Treasures of Afghanistan" opened in May 2008 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. The exhibit will travel over the next eighteen months to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. In November 2008, National Geographic opened a major retail store on Regent Street in London.
History
On January 13, 1888, 33 explorers and scientists gathered at the
Cosmos ClubThe Cosmos Club is a Washington, D.C. social club founded in 1878 by John Wesley Powell. In addition to Powell, original members included Clarence Edward Dutton, Henry Smith Pritchett, William Harkness, and John Shaw Billings. Among its stated goals is "The advancement of its members in science,...
, a private club then located on Lafayette Square in
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
, to organize "a society for the increase and diffusion of
geographicalGeography is the study of the Earth and its lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
knowledge." After preparing a constitution and a plan of organization, the National Geographic Society was incorporated two weeks later on January 27.
Gardiner Greene HubbardGardiner Greene Hubbard was an American lawyer, financier, and philanthropist. He was one of the founders of the Bell Telephone Company and the first president of the National Geographic Society.-Biography:...
became its first president and his son-in-law,
Alexander Graham BellAlexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
, eventually succeeded him in 1897 following his death. In 1899 Bell's son-in-law
Gilbert Hovey GrosvenorGilbert Hovey Grosvenor , the father of photojournalism, was the first full-time editor of National Geographic Magazine, serving from 1899 to 1954. Grosvenor is credited with having built the magazine into the iconic publication that it is today...
was named the first full-time editor of National Geographic Magazine and served the organization for fifty-five years (1954), and members of the Grosvenor family have played important roles in the organization since.
Bell and his son-in-law, Grosvenor, devised the successful marketing notion of Society membership and the first major use of photographs to tell stories in magazines. The current Chairman of the Board of Trustees of National Geographic is
Gilbert Melville GrosvenorGilbert Melville Grosvenor is past president and chief executive of the National Geographic Society, as well as a former editor of National Geographic Magazine....
, who received the
Presidential Medal of FreedomThe Presidential Medal of Freedom is a decoration bestowed by the President of the United States and is, along with theequivalent Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress, the highest civilian award in the U.S...
in 2005 for the Society's leadership for Geography education. In 2004, the National Geographic Headquarters in
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
was one of the first buildings to receive a "Green" certification from
Global Green USAGlobal Green USA is the U.S. arm of Green Cross International. It is one of 30 national offices with over 70 professional staff worldwide. Global Green USA is a national environmental organization.-References:Global Green USA Website
...
. The National Geographic received the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award for Communications and Humanity in October 2006 in Oviedo, Spain.
National Geographic
{{main|National Geographic (magazine)}}
The
National Geographic Magazine, later shortened to
National Geographic, published its first issue nine months after the Society was founded as the Society's official journal, a benefit for joining the tax exempt National Geographic Society. The magazine has had for many years a trademarked yellow border around the edge of its cover.
There are 12 monthly issues of
National Geographic per year, plus at least four additional map supplements. On rare occasions, special issues of the magazine are also created. The magazine contains articles about geography, popular science, world history, culture, current events and photography of places and things all over the world and universe. The
National Geographic magazine is currently published in 32 language editions in many countries around the world. Combined English and other language circulation is nearly nine million monthly with more than fifty million readers monthly.
Other publications
In addition to its flagship magazine, the Society publishes five other periodicals in the United States:
- National Geographic Kids
National Geographic Kids is a children's magazine published by the National Geographic Society. Its first issue was printed in September 1975 under the original title: National Geographic World.The title of the magazine changed in October, 2001...
: launched in 1975 as National Geographic World, it adopted its current name in 2001. It has a U.S. circulation of over 1.5 million. There are also currently 18 local language editions of NG Kids, with another half million in circulation. An Arabic edition of the children's magazine was launched in EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
in early 2007, and more than 42,000 copies are distributed to all the public schools in Egypt, in addition to another 15,000 single copy sales. More recently, an AlbaniaAlbania , officially the Republic of Albania , is a Mediterranean country in South Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the north, Kosovo to the northeast, Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south-east...
n and PolishPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
edition were launched.
- National Geographic Little Kids: for children aged 3–6.
- National Geographic Traveler
National Geographic Traveler is a magazine published by the National Geographic Society in the United States. It was started in 1984 and is published in six languages other than English.Editors include Christopher Elliott.-External links:*...
: launched in 1984. There are nine language editions of NG Traveler.
- National Geographic Adventure
National Geographic Adventure is a magazine started in 1999 by the National Geographic Society in the United States. It focuses on Adventure travel and includes...
: launched in 1999
- National Geographic Explorer
National Geographic Explorer is an American documentary television series that originally premiered on April 7, 1985 on Nickelodeon. The program is the longest-running documentary television series on cable television. Presented every Sunday from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, the original series was three...
: classroom magazine launched in 2001 as National Geographic for Kids, which has grown to about 2 1/2 million circulation.
- National Geographic Green Guide: Launched in 2003, tips to consumers of how to live a "greener" life. The print version was discontinued in January 2009.
- Glimpse Magazine (In Association With National Geographic)
- Treasures of the Earth a collection about Minerals and Gemstones.
The Society also runs an online news outlet called
National Geographic News.
The Society previously published:
- The National Geographic School Bulletin, magazine similar to the National Geographic but aimed at grade school children, was published weekly during the school year from 1919 to 1975, when it was replaced by National Geographic World.
- During the 1980s and 1990s, it published a research journal which later closed.
The Society has published
mapA map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....
s, atlases, and numerous
bookA book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s. It also lends its license to other publishers, for example to
Thames & KosmosThames & Kosmos is a publisher of over 60 science kits for kids of all ages, which cover topics such as biology, physics, astronomy, and alternative energy. It places an emphasis on teaching real-world issues and practical skills through hands-on experimentation and comprehensive reading materials...
for a line of science kits.
In October 2007, National Geographic created a new Global Media group composed of its magazine, book publishing, television, film, music, radio, digital media and maps units. Tim Kelly, 51, president and CEO of National Geographic Ventures, has been named president, Global Media.
Television
{{Main|National Geographic Channel}}
Programs by the National Geographic Society are also broadcasted on
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
. National Geographic television specials as well as television series have been aired on PBS and other networks in the United States and globally for many years. The
Geographic series in the U.S. started on
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
in 1964, moved to
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
in 1973 and shifted to PBS (produced by
WQEDWQED is a PBS television station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Established April 1, 1954, it was the first community-sponsored television station in the United States as well as the fifth public TV station. WQED also became the first station to telecast classes to elementary classrooms when...
, Pittsburgh) in 1975. It has featured stories on numerous scientific figures such as
Louis LeakeyLouis Seymour Bazett Leakey was a Kenyan archaeologist and naturalist whose work was important in establishing human evolutionary development in Africa. He also played a major role in creating organizations for future research in Africa and for protecting wildlife there...
, Jacques Cousteau, or
Jane GoodallDame Jane Goodall, DBE is an English UN Messenger of Peace, primatologist, ethologist, and anthropologist...
that not only featured their work but helped make them world-famous and accessible to millions. A majority of the specials were narrated by various actors, including
Richard KileyRichard Paul Kiley was an American stage, television, and film actor. He is best known for his voice work, as narrator of various documentary series, and for having played Don Quixote in the original 1965 production of the Broadway musical Man of La Mancha...
and
Martin SheenRamón Estévez, better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an actor best known for his performances as Captain Willard in the film Apocalypse Now and President Josiah Bartlet on the television series The West Wing...
. The specials' theme music, by
Elmer BernsteinElmer Bernstein was an American film score composer. He was famous for composing music for The Ten Commandments, The Man with the Golden Arm, The Great Escape, The Magnificent Seven, Meatballs, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Ghostbusters.-Early life:Bernstein was born in New York City, the son of...
, was also adopted by the National Geographic Channel. The National Geographic Channel has begun to launch a number of subbranded channels in international markets, such as Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Adventure, Nat Geo Junior, and Nat Geo Music.
In 1997, internationally, and in 2001 in the United States, the Society launched, in part ownership with other entities like
News CorporationNews Corporation is the world's second largest media conglomerate as of 2008 and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009...
, the
National Geographic ChannelNational Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society...
, a
television channelA television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and 59.75 MHz...
with global distribution for
cableCable television is a system of providing television to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through fixed optical fibers or coaxial cables as opposed to the over-the-air method used in traditional television broadcasting in which a television antenna is required...
and
satelliteSatellite television is television delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by a satellite dish and set-top box. In many areas of the world it provides a wide range of channels and services, often to areas that are not serviced by terrestrial or cable providers.-History:The...
viewers.
National Geographic Films, a wholly-owned taxable subsidiary of the National Geographic Society, has also produced a feature film based on the diary of a Russian submarine commander starring
Harrison FordHarrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. Ford is best known for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series...
in
K-19: The WidowmakerK-19: The Widowmaker is a fact-based fictional movie released on July 19, 2002, about the first of many disasters that befell the Soviet submarine of the same name...
, and most recently retooling a French-made documentary for U.S. distribution with a new score and script narrated by
Morgan FreemanMorgan Porterfield Freeman, Jr. is an American actor, film director, and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice....
called
March of the PenguinsMarch of the Penguins is a 2005 French nature documentary film. It was directed and co-written by Luc Jacquet, and co-produced by Bonne Pioche and the National Geographic Society. The film depicts the yearly journey of the emperor penguins of Antarctica...
, which received an Academy Award for the Best Documentary in 2006. After a record $77 million theatrical gross in the United States, over four million DVD copies of
March of the Penguins have been sold. National Geographic Films launched a new feature film in July called
Arctic TaleArctic Tale is a 2007 documentary film from the National Geographic Society about the life cycle of a walrus and her calf, and a polar bear and her cubs, in a similar vein to the 2005 hit production March of the Penguins, also from National Geographic. It was directed by Adam Ravetch and Sarah...
, featuring the story of two families of walrus and polar bears.
Queen LatifahDana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, singer, model, and CoverGirl...
is the narrator of this film. Inspired by a National Geographic Magazine article, National Geographic opened in October 2007 a 3-D large format and Reality 3-D film called
Sea Monsters, with a musical score by Peter Gabriel. National Geographic Films is co-producing with
Edward NortonEdward Harrison Norton is an American film actor, screenwriter and director. In 1996, his supporting role in the courtroom drama Primal Fear garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. A year later, his lead role as a reformed white power skinhead in American History...
and
Brad PittWilliam Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. He has been cited as one of the world's most attractive men, a label that entices the media to report on his off-screen life...
the 10-hour mini series of Steven Ambrose's award-winning
Undaunted Courage: Meriwether LewisMeriwether Lewis was an American explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark, whose mission was to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase.- Biography :Lewis...
, Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States , the principal author of the Declaration of Independence , and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States...
and the Opening of the American West for HBO. The National Geographic website (nationalgeographic.com) provides a wealth of content in multimedia formats, including a recently launched site highlighting world music.
Support for research & projects
The Society has helped sponsor many expeditions and research projects over the years, including:
- Codex Tchacos
The Codex Tchacos is an ancient Egyptian Coptic papyrus containing early Christian Gnostic texts from approximately 300 A.D.,:*The Gospel of Judas*The First Apocalypse of James*The Letter of Peter to Philip...
- Conservation and translation of the only known surviving copy of the Gospel of JudasThe Gospel of Judas is a Gnostic gospel purported to document conversations between the apostle Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ. The document is not claimed to have been written by Judas himself, but rather by Gnostic followers of Jesus...
- Ian Baker - Discovers hidden waterfall of the Tsangpo Gorge
The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon or the Tsangpo Gorge is a deep, long canyon in China...
, TibetTibet is a plateau region in Asia, north of the Himalayas. It is home to the indigenous Tibetan people, and to some other ethnic groups such as Monpas and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han Chinese people. Tibet is the highest region on earth, with an average...
- Robert Ballard
This article is about the United States oceanographer. For the French lutenist of the same name see Robert Ballard.Robert Duane Ballard is a former commander in the United States Navy and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is most noted for his work in underwater...
- RMS TitanicThe RMS Titanic was an Olympic-class passenger liner owned by British shipping company White Star Line and built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, United Kingdom...
(1985) and John F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's PT-109 (2002) discovery
- Robert Bartlett - Arctic
The Arctic is the region around the Earth's North Pole, opposite the Antarctic region around the South Pole. The Arctic includes the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Greenland , Russia, the United States , Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland.The word Arctic comes from the Greek αρκτικός , "near...
Exploration (1925-45)
- George Bass
George Fletcher Bass is recognized as the father of underwater archaeology.Bass was the director of the first archaeological expedition to entirely excavate an ancient shipwreck: cape Gelydonia . Since directing his first excavation, he has excavated shipwrecks of the Bronze Age, Classical Age,...
- Undersea archaeology - Bronze AgeThe Bronze Age of a culture is the period when the most advanced metalworking in that culture utilised bronze. This could either have been based on the local smelting of copper and tin from ores, or trading for bronze from production areas elsewhere...
trade
- Lee Berger - Oldest footprints of modern humans ever found
- Hiram Bingham
Hiram Bingham, formally Hiram Bingham III, was an American academic, explorer and politician. He rediscovered the Inca settlement of Machu Picchu in 1911...
- Machu PicchuMachu Picchu is a pre-Columbian Inca site located above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows...
Excavation (1915)
- Richard E. Byrd - First flight over South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects the surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
(1929)
- Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water...
- Undersea exploration
- Mike Fay
J. Michael Fay is an American ecologist and conservationist notable for, among other things, the MegaTransect, in which he spent 455 days walking 3200 miles across Africa and the MegaFlyover in which he and pilot Peter Ragg spent months flying 70,000 miles in a small plane at low altitude, taking...
- MegaTransectMegaTransect was the name for a project conducted in Africa in 1999 by J. Michael Fay to spend 455 days on the expedition hike of 2000 km across the Congo Basin of Africa to survey the ecological and environmental status of the region....
(1999) and MegaFlyoverThe MegaFlyover project was a seven month aerial survey from June 2004 to January 2005 by explorer/ecologist J. Michael Fay and pilot Peter Ragg sponsored by the National Geographic Society and others...
(2004) in Africa
- Dian Fossey
Dian Fossey was an American zoologist who undertook an extensive study of gorilla groups over a period of 18 years. She observed them daily for years in the mountain forests of Rwanda, initially encouraged to work there by famous paleontologist Louis Leakey...
- Mountain gorillasGorillas are the largest of the living primates. They are ground-dwelling and predominantly herbivorous. They inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
- Birute Galdikas
Birutė Marija Filomena Galdikas, OC Ph.D. , is a primatologist, conservationist, ethologist, and author of several books relating to the endangered species orangutan. Well known in the field of modern primatology, Galdikas is recognized as a leading authority on orangutans.- Early life and...
- OrangutanThe orangutans are two endangered species of great apes. Known for their intelligence, they live in trees and are the largest living arboreal animal. They have longer arms than other great apes, and their hair is typically reddish-brown, instead of the brown or black hair typical of other great apes...
s
- Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Goodall, DBE is an English UN Messenger of Peace, primatologist, ethologist, and anthropologist...
- ChimpanzeeChimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s
- Robert F. Griggs
Robert Fiske Griggs, , was a botanist who led a 1915 National Geographic Society expedition to observe the aftermath of the Katmai volcanic eruption....
- Valley of Ten Thousand SmokesThe Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is a valley within Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska which is filled with ash flow from the eruption of Novarupta on June 6–June 8, 1912. Following the eruption, thousands of fumaroles vented steam from the ash. Robert F...
(1916)
- Heather Halstead - World Circumnavigations of Reach the World
Reach the World is a 501c3 organization based in New York City. Reach the World was founded by Heather Halstead and Marc Gustafson in 1997. According to its website, Reach the World wants "to revolutionize the delivery of curriculum, enabling all classrooms, in all communities, to use interactive...
- Louis
Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey was a Kenyan archaeologist and naturalist whose work was important in establishing human evolutionary development in Africa. He also played a major role in creating organizations for future research in Africa and for protecting wildlife there...
and Mary LeakeyMary Leakey was a British archaeologist and anthropologist, who discovered the first skull of a fossil ape on Rusinga Island and also a noted robust Australopithecine called Zinjanthropus at Olduvai. For much of her career she worked together with her husband, Louis Leakey, in Olduvai Gorge,...
- Discovery of manlike Zinjanthropus, more than 1.75 million years old
- Gustavus McLeod - First flight to the North Pole in an open-air cockpit aircraft
- Robert Peary
Robert Edwin Peary was an American explorer who claimed to have been the first person, on April 6, 1909, to reach the geographic North Pole...
and Matthew HensonMatthew Alexander Henson was an African American explorer and associate of Robert Peary during various expeditions, the most famous being a 1909 expedition which claimed to be the first to reach the Geographic North Pole.-Life:...
- North PoleThe North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets the Earth's surface...
Expedition (1905)
- Paul Sereno
Paul Callistus Sereno is an American paleontologist who is the discoverer of several new dinosaur species on several continents...
- Dinosaur{{Otheruses}}{{pp-semi-protected|small=yes}}{{Otheruses}}{{pp-semi-protected|small=yes}}{{Taxobox|name = Dinosaurs|fossil_range = {{Fossil range|230|65|earliest=230|latest=0|PS=
Descendant taxon Aves survives to present.}}|image = field_dinos_2.jpg...
s
- Will Steger
Will Steger is a prominent spokesperson for the understanding and preservation of the Arctic and has led some of the most significant feats in the field of dogsled expeditions; such as the first confirmed dogsled journey to the North Pole in 1986, the 1,600-mile south-north traverse of Greenland...
- Polar Exploration & First Explorer-in-Residence 1996
- Spencer Wells
Spencer Wells is a geneticist and anthropologist, an at the National Geographic Society, and Frank H.T. Rhodes Visiting Professor at Cornell University...
- The Genographic ProjectThe Genographic Project, launched on April 13 2005 by the National Geographic Society and IBM, is a five-year genetic anthropology study that aims to map historical human migration patterns by collecting and analyzing DNA samples from hundreds of thousands of people from around the...
- Xu Xing
Xu Xing is a famed Chinese paleontologist who has named many dinosaurs, including the new Jurassic Ceratopsian Yinlong, the feathered relative of Tyrannosaurus, Guanlong, the unusual Gigantoraptor, and the "sleeping dragon" Mei. He was born in Xin Jiang, China, in 1969...
- Discovery of fossil dinosaurs in China that have distinct feathers
The Society supports many socially-based projects including
AINAAINA is a French-based NGO founded by world renown photojournalist REZA aka. Reza Deghati, who works mainly for National Geographic Magazine and some young French entrepreneurs....
, a
KabulKabul , is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of over 2.5 million, and is located in the province of Greater Kabul...
-based organization dedicated to developing an independent Afghan media, which was founded by one of the Society's most famous photographers,
RezaReza Deghati is an Iranian-French photojournalist, who works under the name Reza.-Biography:Deghati was born in Tabriz, Iran. He studied Architecture at University of Teheran. A French citizen, today Reza is a renowned photojournalist highly regarded, world-wide...
.
The Society also sponsors the
National Geographic BeeThe National Geographic Bee is an annual geography contest sponsored by the National Geographic Society. The Bee, held every year since 1989, is open to students in the fourth through eighth grade in participating American schools.The entities represented at the national level are all fifty U.S....
, an annual geographic contest for American middle-school students. More than four million students a year begin the geography competition locally, which culminates in a national competition of the winners of each state each May in Washington, D.C.
Alex TrebekGeorge Alexander "Alex" Trebek is a Canadian-American television personality and game show host. He has been the host of the game show Jeopardy! since 1984. He has hosted numerous game/quiz shows and has appeared in television series, usually as himself...
has moderated the final competition since the competition began some seventeen years ago. Every two years, the Society conducts an international geography competition of competing teams from all over the world. The most recent was held in
Mexico CityMexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
on July 15 2009, and had representatives from 15 national teams. The team from Canada emerged as the winner, with teams from the United States and Poland in second and third place.
Hubbard Medal
The
Hubbard MedalThe Hubbard Medal is awarded by the National Geographic Society for distinction in exploration, discovery, and research. The medal is named for Gardiner Greene Hubbard, first National Geographic Society president.-Recipients:...
is awarded by the National Geographic Society for distinction in exploration, discovery, and research. The medal is named for
Gardiner Greene HubbardGardiner Greene Hubbard was an American lawyer, financier, and philanthropist. He was one of the founders of the Bell Telephone Company and the first president of the National Geographic Society.-Biography:...
, the first National Geographic Society president. The Hubbard Medal has been presented 34 times as of 2000, the most recent award going posthumously to
Matthew HensonMatthew Alexander Henson was an African American explorer and associate of Robert Peary during various expeditions, the most famous being a 1909 expedition which claimed to be the first to reach the Geographic North Pole.-Life:...
,
Robert PearyRobert Edwin Peary was an American explorer who claimed to have been the first person, on April 6, 1909, to reach the geographic North Pole...
's fellow Arctic explorer.
Toys and games
Over the years, National Geographic has released a metal detector, ant colony, and other items. It also operates a subsidiary, NGS Games, which produces computer games such as
Plan It Green. The website also has browser-based games.
See also
- National Geographic Magazine
The National Geographic Magazine, later shortened to National Geographic, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded...
- Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 with the name Geographical Society of London for the advancement of geographical sciences, under the patronage of King William IV...
- Royal Canadian Geographical Society
The Royal Canadian Geographical Society is a Canadian non-profit educational organization dedicated to imparting a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada — its people and places, its natural and cultural heritage and its environmental, social and economic challenges...
- Maps of the United States
- National Geographic Bee
The National Geographic Bee is an annual geography contest sponsored by the National Geographic Society. The Bee, held every year since 1989, is open to students in the fourth through eighth grade in participating American schools.The entities represented at the national level are all fifty U.S....
External links
{{Wikisourcepar|The National Geographic Magazine}}
Official websites
Additional resources
Additional information
Photos, maps, and other images
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