National Geographic Covers

June 2004 Evening rush hour moves at a fuel-wasting crawl on the Beltway. (Courtesy National Geographic/Sarah Leen

October 2012 The ivory market reaches from Africa to Asia. In Kenya (left) a ranger removes tusks from an elephant killed illegally; the aim is to keep the ivory off the black market. In China (right) a carver works with ivory. (Courtesy National Geographic/Brent Stirton)

Courtesy National Geographic/Brent Stirton

August 2010 Extreme climate shifts forged this ancient Bahamian cave as seas rose and fell. Extreme danger awaits divers who explore it. (Courtesy National Geographic/Wes C. Skiles)

Courtesy National Geographic/Wes C. Skiles

February 2010 On a bone-chilling day, Utah patriarch Joe Jessop poses with his wives and some of his well-behaved progeny. (Courtesy National Geographic/Stephanie Sinclair)

Courtesy National Geographic/Stephanie Sinclair

October 2009 Part of a portrait made up of 84 shots, taken as cameras rode a rope rigged by canopy ecologist Jim C. Spickler. (Courtesy National Geograpahic/Michael Nichols)

Courtesy National Geograpahic/Michael Nichols

August 2009 Heat-loving microorganisms add red and yellow hues to Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic Spring. (Courtesy National Geographic/George Steinmetz)

Courtesy National Geographic/George Steinmetz

July 2008 A silverback mountain gorilla confronts life in a war zone in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Courtesy National Geographic/Brent Stirton)

Courtesy National Geographic/Brent Stirton

March 2008 "Betsy" is one smart border collie. She understands 340 words, and she'll pose for a portrait without bribery. (Courtesy National Geographic/Vincent J. Musi)

Courtesy National Geographic/Vincent J. Musi

August 2007 The Temple of the Great Jaguar, built more than 1,000 years ago in Guatemala, exemplifies Mayan majesty. (Courtesy National Geographic/Simon Norfolk)

Courtesy National Geographic/Simon Norfolk

March 2006 Namibia's Ju/'hoansi people carry DNA markers that could predate modern-human migrations out of Africa. (Courtesy National Geographic/Chris Johns)

Courtesy National Geographic/Chris Johns

February 1999 Peering out from red Australian sands, a desert spadefoot frog emerges for a rare drink of water. (Courtesy National Geographic/Franz Lanting)

Courtesy National Geographic/Franz Lanting

May 1986 A lioness and her cub bask in the protection of the Serengeti, Africa's premier wildlife haven. (Courtesy National Geographic/Mitsuaki Iwago)

Courtesy National Geographic/Mitsuaki Iwago

June 1985 Haunting eyes and a tattered garment tell the plight of a girl who fled her native Afghanistan for a refugee camp in Pakistan. (Courtesy National Geographic/Steve McCurry)

Courtesy National Geographic/Steve McCurry

October 1978 A newly minted National Geographic photographer makes a self-portrait. (Courtesy National Geographic)

Courtesy National Geographic

December 1969 Buzz Aldrin stands on the lunar surface. (Courtesy National Geographic/Neil Armstrong)

Courtesy National Geographic/Neil Armstrong

September 1959 Shockwaves produced during supersonic flight stream out of a U.S. Navy McDonnell F3H Demon jet fighter .(Courtesy National Geographic/Wilbur E. Garrett)

Courtesy National Geographic/Wilbur E. Garrett

October 1888 National Geographic Magazine's inaugural issue. It features the National Geographic Society's first seal, a map of the United States. (Courtesy National Geographic)

Courtesy National Geographic