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 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CONTRIBUTORS

THE YEAR IN DISCOVERY • 2021 brought important revelations and historic advances in human knowledge, from the microscopic to the cosmic.

THE PANDEMIC TOLL MOUNTS • Washington, D.C.

STAY STRONG • It began with a surge of optimism: 2021, the year of hope and vaccines. But then violent conflicts, a new wave of the virus, and deadly reminders of the climate crisis made it clear that it would be a year when we’d need to …

CLIMATE CHANGE FUELS DISASTERS, EXTREME WEATHER • El Bolsón, Argentina

A FAMILY DIVIDED BY WAR • Faizabad, Afghanistan

A GORILLA AND HER RESCUER • Dem. Rep. Congo

COVID • The pandemic put us on a roller coaster in 2021. New vaccines spurred optimism and reopenings, but immunization efforts were plagued by misinformation and shortages. As the rhythms of daily life return, the virus remains a threat.

TAKING VACCINES TO THE COUNTRYSIDE • Tosamaldan, India

A ‘RITE OF PASSAGE’ RETURNS • Washington, D.C.

WAVES OF COVID TAKE A TOLL • North Jakarta, Indonesia

RISE OF THE VARIANTS • Early 2021 brought a glimpse of normal life as COVID-19 vaccines began to be administered. But a new threat was starting to emerge. Slight changes to the virus’s genetic code were steering the pandemic in even more dangerous directions.

INFECTION AND INEQUITY AROUND THE WORLD

TIGHT RESTRICTIONS TURN THE TIDE • Taipei, Taiwan

BACK TO CLASS • South Jakarta, Indonesia

THE SHOW GOES ON • Mission, Texas

A FULL HOUSE, PANDEMIC STYLE • Tel Aviv, Israel

FORMER REBELS FIGHT A NEW BATTLE • La Guajira, Colombia

FROM MASS TRANSIT TO MASS VACCINATION • East Jakarta, Indonesia

A CITY’S CEMETERY IS OVERWHELMED • Huancavelica, Peru

CLIMATE • Huge wildfires, drought, record heat, melting glaciers, rising seas, intense storms. The alarms have been sounding for years, but 2021 showed that climate change is here and can’t be ignored.

THE INFERNO IN THE FOREST • Lassen National Forest, California

A CYCLONE OF LOCUSTS • Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya

A YEAR OF RECORDS • Unprecedented heat, cold, and rainfall crippled infrastructure across the U.S. and led to a major loss of life in 2021. Climate change is now considered the world’s greatest threat to human health—and the frequency of related extreme weather events is increasing.

LOOKING TOWARD A TROUBLED FUTURE

LIVING WITH THE TIDE AT YOUR FEET • Purwosari, Indonesia

WARMING FAVORS THE FLEXIBLE • Neko Harbor, Antarctica

MELTING ABOVE, ICY BELOW—FOR NOW • Werfen, Austria

CLEAN GRID, CLEAN TRUCK • Ngong Hills, Kenya

DRY TIMES ON THE WESTERN RANGE • Brownie Hills, Colorado

A SEARCH FOR GRASS AND WATER • Bulaleh, Ethiopia

NO SAFETY IN NUMBERS • Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa

MELTING GLACIERS, DRYING PASTURES • Oropesa, Peru

CONFLICT • Disputes over culture, politics, land, and more flared around the world—including in the United States, which faced an assault on its democracy and continued to wrestle with the painful legacy of racism.

TRYING TO HOLD THE LINE • Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan

RETURN OF THE TALIBAN • Kabul, Afghanistan

REMEMBERING 9/11, 20 YEARS LATER • New York City

DEMOCRACY ON THE BRINK • Washington, D.C.

A CATASTROPHIC CIVIL WAR • Tigray, Ethiopia

A MOMENT OF PEACE AT A HOME UNDER...