Monthly Archives: July 2011

If you want to travel to exotic and rarely visited places in the world, learn about cultures most people have never even heard about or take a step back into the history of the world and ancient civilizations without ever leaving your cozy seat by the fire then National Geographic can take you there. This award winning magazine has been around for 120 years, it’s pages giving some rare and thoughtful insights into the world around us.

From King Tut’s tomb, to the final resting place of the Titanic, to the race for space National Geographic has been there. The journalists for this magazine have traveled to the mountain tops in Tibet, to Oceans to study whales, to open air markets around the world, covering stories and given ordinary people an inside look at places we could have only imagined. They have done this with class and distinction and opened up a greater understanding and appreciation for cultures different than our own.

The magazine began as a society for academics and wealthy patrons in January of 1888. In October of that same year the society published its first magazine. It’s first full time editor Gilbert Hovey Gosvenor, the son in law of Alexander Graham Bell (The societies second president) took up his position in 1899. He served as editor for 55 years until 1954. The magazine was originally published under the name of National Geographic magazine but has since been shortened to simply National Geographic.

This magazine with it’s distinctive yellow border has a circulation of over 9 million worldwide. It has been the most read scientific and geographical magazine in the world. Published in 32 languages it covers articles on Geography, popular science, world history, culture and current events. It publishes 12 issues a year with 4 additional map supplements.

National geographic also publishes a special kids magazine that is often used in schools to help educate in the field of history and geography.

This magazine is known for it’s extremely high quality photographs and is considered to contain the very best in photojournalist work.

Where does their readership come from?

Although there are people from all walks of life and all incomes levels who enjoy National Geographic, it’s largest readership comes from middle aged college graduates. While the readership of this magazine is pretty evenly divided between men and women 66% of it’s readers are college graduates with a income level of over $60,000 dollars per year.

Awards

Over the years National Geographic has won many prestigious awards including awards for it’s written content and photography as well general excellence award.

Going Modern

Over the years National geographic has kept up with modern advances in technology by using television to features some of it’s interesting and great stories and today people interested in reading or viewing the entire collection of National geographic can do so online.

While this magazine continues to have a huge following, the resale value of these magazines are next to nil. Attics and basements in this country and around the world are filled with back issues of this magazine that the readers found too precious and informative to throw away. Indeed, they are a treasure trove of unforgettable places and events in the history of the world.

By Graeme I Olsen

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