Geography and the New Age of Exploration!

While I was growing up, my father kept a stack of National Geographic magazines on a bench in our kitchen. I can recall a pleasant intrigue at what lay within those yellow borders, even before I could decipher the words spread across those crisp pages. I was captivated by the photographs and the places I could travel to, just by gazing at them. Every single one was my own expedition; an enthralling adventure.

What was so enthralling about seeing the familiar yellow border each month? The National Geographic Society brought the world into our living rooms. We could hold the entire continent of Africa on our laps. The flip of a page could take us to the Amazon Rain forest or to the depths of the Pacific Ocean.

The past 125 years have seen their fair share of changes. From Melville Bell Grosvenor’s decision to put photographs on the magazine cover, to covering multiple Mount Everest summits, to ushering in the digital age, National Geographic has been on the frontlines, as crusaders and curators of the globe!

In honor of the 125th anniversary of National Geographic, the 2013 Geography Awareness Week theme is, “Geography and the New Age of Exploration,” alluding to all that has come before and all that is to come. There is still so much that is untouched, unseen, and unexplored. Technological innovation, climate change, and globalization will continue to transform and shape peoples, cultures, and our natural realms. Life as we know it is entering into new territory! To think that everything worthwhile has been discovered is mere nonsense; we’re only at the tip of the iceberg.

So join us in celebrating Geography Awareness Week 2013 and find out how you can get involved in Geography and the New Age of Exploration!

Written by Ellen Esling, National Geographic Intern, Fall Semester 2013