September 1, 2005
Loango National Park, Gabon, Africa
2004
Michael K. Nichols
Peeking out of the murky water in Loango National Park, a mudskipper reveals its blunt head and close-set, protruding eyes. These elongated fish are noted for their ability to climb out of water with the aid of their strong pectoral fins. Once out of water mudskippers breathe air and moisture trapped in their gill chambers.
(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "In the Land of the Surfing Hippos," August 2004, National Geographic magazine)
September 2, 2005
Bixby Bridge, Big Sur Coast, California
1998
Macduff Everton
The Big Sur Coast stretches from just south of Carmel down to San Simeon, home of Hearst Castle. Spanish missionaries called the area el pais grande del sur, which means "the big country to the south." In a heavily populated state, Big Sur is stark, remote, and sparsely populated. Here, seals and sea lions may outnumber the humans.
(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "A Drive on the Wild Side," May/June 1998, National Geographic Traveler magazine)
September 3, 2005
Sangola, India
2004
William Albert Allard
"Under a tattered tent in Sangola, an all-male audience—common in rural areas—watches intently. Big-city viewers are livelier, says film scholar Manjunath Pendakur. "They cheer, boo, get into fights, even get on stage and dance." Part of the appeal: Devoid of overt sex, Bollywood films exude a subtle eroticism, especially in 'wet sari' scenes."
—Text and photograph from "Welcome to Bollywood," February 2005, National Geographic magazine
September 4, 2005
Venezuela
1976
Robert W. Madden
The capybara, the world's largest rodent, can weigh up to a hundred pounds (45.3 kilograms) and resembles a miniature hippopotamus. Its partially webbed feet help it swim and dive.
(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Venezuela's Crisis of Wealth," August 1976, National Geographic magazine)
September 5, 2005
Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington
1989
James P. Blair
Labor Day vacationers enjoy Takhlakh Lake as a cloud-covered Mount Adams towers in the background.
Great forests once covered much of the United States. By the mid-20th century almost all virgin forest had been cut from private lands in the conterminous U.S. Citizen debate now centers on when and where to slow or stop logging on public lands.
(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Old Growth Forests: Will We Save Our Own?," September 1990, National Geographic magazine)
September 6, 2005
Rainbow Lake Wilderness, Wisconsin
1997
Peter Essick
Hints of autumn appear in the water at Rainbow Lake Wilderness in Wisconsin's Chequamegon National Forest.
—From the special issue "National Geographic's Best of America," September 2002
September 7, 2005
Odzala National Park, Republic of the Congo, Africa
2000
Michael K. Nichols
"The bai [clearing] is a kind of village green for gorillas, a place to feed, play, groom, and just hang out."
—From "Green Abyss: Megatransect Part II," March 2001, National Geographic magazine
September 8, 2005
Dangriga, Belize
2001
Susie Post Rust
Among the Gar韋una people of Belize, fishermen rise before daybreak to head out to sea. Women work farms, raise the children, and prepare meals of fresh fish and cassava, plantains, pineapples, and coconuts plucked from village trees.
(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Gari韋una: Weaving a Future From a Tangled Past," September 2001, National Geographic magazine)
September 9, 2005
Assateague Island, Maryland or Virginia
1975
James L. Stanfield
Assateague Island's "wild" horses are actually feral, meaning they descended from domesticated horses. Every July young horses on the Virginia side of the island are rounded up for auction to raise money for the volunteer fire department on Chincoteague Island. Their journey includes a quick swim across a channel made famous by the children's book Misty of Chincoteague.
(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, the National Geographic book The Wild Ponies of Assateague Island, 1975)
September 10, 2005
New South Wales, Australia
1996
Medford Taylor
On the driest inhabited continent in the world, a waterfall on the Colo River is a much appreciated sight. Most Australians live on the coast and work in the city, escaping the dry conditions of the interior.
(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Australia by Bike," December 1997, National Geographic magazine)
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