National Geographic

For other uses, see National Geographic (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Neo Geo, a video game hardware brand by SNK.

National Geographic
March 2017 cover
March 2017 cover
EditorNathan Lump[1]
CategoriesGeography, history, nature, science, world culture
FrequencyMonthly
Total circulation
(2022)		1.8 million (United States)[2]
FoundedJanuary 13, 1888; 136 years ago (1888-01-13)
First issueSeptember 22, 1888; 136 years ago (1888-09-22)
Company
CountryUnited States
Based inWashington, D.C., U.S.
LanguageEnglish and various other languages
Websitenationalgeographic.com/magazine/
ISSN0027-9358
OCLC643483454

National Geographic (formerly The National Geographic Magazine,[3] sometimes branded as Nat Geo[4]) is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners.[5] The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine months after the establishment of the society, but is now a popular magazine. In 1905, it began including pictures, a style for which it became well-known. Its first color photos appeared in the 1910s. During the Cold War, the magazine committed itself to present a balanced view of the physical and human geography of countries beyond the Iron Curtain. Later, the magazine became outspoken on environmental issues.

Until 2015, the magazine was completely owned and managed by the National Geographic Society. Since 2015, controlling interest has been held by National Geographic Partners.

Topics of features generally concern geography, history, nature, science, and world culture. The magazine is well known for its distinctive appearance: a thick square-bound glossy format with a yellow rectangular border. Map supplements from National Geographic Maps are included with subscriptions, and it is available in a traditional printed edition and an interactive online edition.

As of 1995, the magazine was circulated worldwide in nearly forty local-language editions and had a global circulation of at least 6.5 million per month including 3.5 million within the U.S.,[6][7] down from about 12 million in the late 1980s. As of 2015, the magazine had won 25 National Magazine Awards.[8]

In 2023, National Geographic laid off all staff writers and announced they would stop U.S. newsstand sales in the next year.[9][10][11]

As of November 2024, its Instagram page has 280 million followers, the third most of any account not belonging to an individual celebrity.[12] The magazine's combined U.S. and international circulation as of June 30, 2024 was about 1.65 million, with its kids magazines separately achieving a circulation of about 500,000.[13]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NatGeo-Masthead was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Farhi, Paul (June 28, 2023). "National Geographic lays off its last remaining staff writers". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference first-name was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference NatGeo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference partners was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference fox-deal-1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference fox-deal-2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference awards was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Nair, Deepthi (June 29, 2023). "National Geographic lays off all staff writers and will stop US newsstand sales". The National. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  10. ^ Clayton, Abené (June 29, 2023). "National Geographic reportedly lays off its last staff writers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  11. ^ "My new National Geographic just arrived, which includes my latest feature—my 16th, and my last as a senior writer. NatGeo is laying off all of its staff writers. I've been so lucky. I got to work w/incredible journalists and tell important, global stories. It's been an honor". Twitter. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference insta was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "Magazine media – Circulation averages". Alliance for Audited Media. Retrieved August 20, 2024.