4. Sub-Saharan Mali by Joanna B. Pinneo / National Geographic
Blowing sand from a dry lake bed clings to Tinalbaraka walet Mohamed's eight-
month-old daughter, Isah, as mother and children sleep on a sun-baked afternoon
in Mali.

7. Airliner in Flight by Bruce Dale / National Geographic
A 23-second exposure in a camera mounted in the tail of a Lockheed TriStar jet
captures the lights of the airport runway and the city beyond.

9. Kalahari Lion by Chris Johns / National Geographic
A lion patrols the dry Nossob riverbed, center of a vast refuge for big game.
Here South Africa’s Kalahari Gemsbok National Park is joined by a fenceless
border with Botswana’s larger Gemsbok National Park, representing an African
trend toward transnational parks allowing wildlife free rein in their natural
ecosystem.

11. House of Doves, Uxmal, Mexico by Simon Norfolk / National Geographic
Uxmal's House of Doves, with its ornate roof combs, was built in the ninth
century.

13. Redwoods by Michael "Nick" Nichols / National Geographic
At least 1,500 years old, a 300-foot titan in California's Prairie Creek Redwoods
State Park has the most complex crown scientists have mapped.

15. Summer in Paris by David Alan Harvey / National Geographic
It's summer in Paris, and school is out. Close friends celebrate with a cruise
down the Seine.

17. River Dolphins by Kevin Schafer / National Geographic
River dolphins navigating the Amazon Basin’s tea-colored brew of silt and
rotting vegetation seem to glow orange. Out of water they’re pale gray, with
some marked in pink. Called botos here in Brazil, they use high-frequency
sonar clicks to build a 3-D echogram of their dark world.

19. Henry Gray, Rancher by William Albert Allard / National Geographic
Cattle rancher Henry Gray exhibits the self-reliance and independence typical of
the American West.

21. Reindeer in Russia by Dean Conger / National Geographic
Reindeer cross the Siberian snow near Oymyakon, in the U.S.S.R. A young
girl atop one of the animals herds them forward toward her family's tent and
a break for food and rest.

23. Titanic by Emory Kristof / National Geographic
With 10,000 watts of light and cutting-edge submersible technology, the Titanic
comes to life from two and a half miles beneath the ocean's surface.

27. Mount Rex, Antarctic Peninsula by Will Steger / National Geographic
A lunch break allows rest and conversation for the multinational team of
explorers who crossed Antarctica in 1989, covering 3,700 miles in seven
months.

29. Toxic Smoke, Nigeria by Ed Kashi / National Geographic
Navigating through toxic smoke from burning tires, Paulinous Uko carries a
goat to be butchered in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Toxic smoke from tire fires
—used to loosen the skin of animals.

31. Women in Afghanistan by Lynsey Addario / National Geographic
A woman and her pregnant daughter—ready to give birth at any moment—wait
quietly on a mountainside in Afghanistan. I saw two women on the side of the
mountain, in burkas and without a man. In Afghanistan you seldom see an
unaccompanied woman. Noor Nisa, about 18, was pregnant; her water had just
broken. Her husband, whose first wife had died during childbirth, was
determined to get Noor Nisa to the hospital in Faizabad, a four-hour drive from
their village in Badakhshan Province. His borrowed car broke down, so he went
to find another vehicle. I ended up taking Noor Nisa, her mother, and her
husband to the hospital, where she delivered a baby girl. My interpreter, who is
a doctor, and I were on a mission to photograph maternal health and mortality
issues, only to find the entire story waiting for us along a dusty Afghan road.

34. The Hadza by Martin Schoeller / National Geographic
Nija, a Hadza boy about eight years old, sat for his portrait in a makeshift tent-
studio in northern Tanzania.

36. Seven Pears by Sam Abell / National Geographic
Seven pears occupy a Moscow windowsill, catching the light of the afternoon
sun.

38. Russian Children by Gerd Ludwig / National Geographic
Eight children with terminal-limb deficiencies represent dozens with the same
birth defect whose homes are clustered in a few Moscow neighborhoods
contaminated by industrial pollution.

40. Still Waters by Brian Skerry / National Geographic
A thresher shark meets death in a gill net in Mexico’s Gulf of California.

42. Virunga Gorilla Massacre by Brent Stirton / National Geographic
Grieving villagers carry Senkwekwe, a 500-pound silverback, from Virunga Park
on July 24, 2007.

45. Kuwait Oil Fire by Steve McCurry / National Geographic
Camels search for untainted shrubs and water in the burning oil fields of
southern Kuwait.

47. Ibiza Disco by David Alan Harvey / National Geographic
Dancers frolic in waist-high bubbles at a disco called Amnesia on the island of
Ibiza, Spain.

49. Mecca by Thomas J. Abercrombie / National Geographic
A quarter million Muslims jam Haram Mosque in the holy city of Mecca to pay
homage to Allah.
Those in the center (blurred in this time exposure) circle the black-draped Kaaba,
most sacred of Islamic shrines. Muslims believe the Prophet Abraham—like
Muhammad a messenger of God—and his son Ishmael built the first structure
here.

51. Mirror Image by Paul Nicklen / National Geographic
His image mirrored in icy water, a polar bear travels submerged—a tactic
often used to surprise prey.

53. Windsor Castle by James L. Stanfield / National Geographic
Rolling through the snow, Prince Philip take his four-in hand carriage our for an
early morning drive

55. Monsoon by Steve McCurry / National Geographic
Women in northern India seek shelter from the winds of a premonsoon dust
storm. McCurry once said, ‘You can’t get hung up on what you think your “real”
destination is. The journey is just as important.’ The evidence of his attitude was
amply realized when McCurry was driving along a highway in Rajasthan, India. He
was stopped by a dust storm and he captured the moment a group of workers
were protecting each other from the choking dust.

58. Jack Colson Family by Jodi Cobb / National Geographic
Jack Colson finds a quiet moment, even surrounded by family, in his home.

60. Child’s Grief in Peru by William Albert Allard / National Geographic
A child’s grief all but overwhelms him moments after a hit-and-run taxicab
rounded a blind curve and killed six of his sheep near Puno, Peru

62. Deadly Beauty by Paul Nicklen / National Geographic
A female leopard seal attempts to feed photographer Paul Nicklen a live penguin
chick.

65. Jane Goodall by Michael “Nick” Nichols / National Geographic
A chimp reaches out to Jane Goodall.
The touch-- an exquisite moment for Jane Goodall-- came when a chipanzee she
had never seen before reached out his hand to her. Jou Jou, a full-grown
chimpanz ee had been caged alone for years in the Brazzaville Zoo. He is
desparate for contact with other living beings.

67. Nansen’s Ghost by Børge Ousland / National Geographic
A young polar bear eyes an unfamiliar green tent.

69. ReiNdoki Elephant by Michael “Nick” Nichols / National Geographic
A forest elephant stages a mock charge in the Central African Republic.

73. Afghan Girl by Steve McCurry / National Geographic
Haunting eyes and a tattered garment tell the plight of a girl who fled her native
Afghanistan for a refugee camp in Pakistan.
When he wandered into an Afghan refugee camp in Pakistan in December 1984,
National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry captured one of the most
famous portraits the world had ever seen. The Afghan girl with the haunting
green eyes captivated everyone. That captivation proved, once again, the power
of photography to open eyes—and hearts and minds—with a single image.

75. Afghan Woman With Goldfinches by Thomas J. Abercrombie / National
Geographic
Completely covered by a traditional chadri, an Afghan woman balances
caged goldfinches she purchased at a market in Kabul.

78. Tales From the Bog by Robert Clark / National Geographic
Tollund Man was hanged with a leather cord, perhaps as a human sacrifice,
and remained suspended and preserved in a Danish peat bog for some 2,300
years.

80. Nevada Cowboy by William Albert Allard / National Geographic
Cowboy Stan Kendall sits alone at a Mountain City, Nevada, bar.

82. Rainy Streets of Broadway by Jodi Cobb / National Geographic
Steam billows up from the rainy streets of Broadway, the spine of Manhattan.

84. Branding Day by Sam Abell / National Geographic
Montana cowboys brand and castrate their livestock—a familiar yearly ritual in
cattle country.

86. Basque Children by William Albert Allard / National Geographic
Two children run home on a quiet road at twilight in the mountainous Basque
countryside.

88. South Dakota Tornado by Carsten Peter / National Geographic
A tornado slices across a road in Manchester, South Dakota, snapping
fences and power lines in its path.

91. Brutal Fight by Mitsuaki Iwago / National Geographic
After a brutal fight, a Serengeti lion crushes the skull of another male that dared
to challenge a member of the victor’s pride.

93. Australia Drought by Amy Toensing / National Geographic
Dust blows across the parched land—once cattle pasture—of Australian
rancher Simon Booth.

96. Mbuti Pygmies by Randy Olson / National Geographic
A leaf skewered by a stick covers a Bantu boy’s mouth to ensure his silence
during a ritual dance that is part of a five-month-long passage into manhood for
Mbuti Pygmies.

99. Dan’s Cave by Wes C. Skiles / National Geographic
The Cascade Room, some 80 feet beneath the surface, leads divers deeper
into Dan’s Cave on Abaco Island.

101. Guatemala Plane Crash by Robert Madden / National Geographic
A plane delivering aid to earthquake victims is caught in fierce crosswinds and
crashes into a pickup truck near Sanarate, Guatemala.

103. White Wolf by Jim Brandenburg / National Geographic
A white wolf—the alpha male—bounds across ice floes, patrolling the threshold
of his territory near his den.

105. Sea Lions by David Doubilet / National Geographic
Swimming playfully along Australia’s southern coast, near Spencer Gulf,
sea lions are always on guard against great white sharks.

107. Laysan Albatross Chick by David Liittschwager | Contents of Stomach by Susan
Middleton
Contents of laysan albatross chick stomach.

109. Camels by Chris Johns / National Geographic
Scorching sun casts long shadows as camels cross the salt flats of Lake
Assal, Djibouti.

111. Egret Headdress by Randy Olson/ National Geographic
A hunter uses an egret headdress as a decoy to stalk birds along the Indus
River.
Bird hunters crouch in the Indus River just outside Mohenjo daro, Pakistan.
They tie their pet birds to the hoops in the river to bring in other birds and they
wear a hand crafted mask from one of their former prey. When the birds land
they crouch in the water, wiggle their heads so it looks like they are just one
bird swimming up to another bird and then they grab their prey with their bare
hands.

114. Sulawesi Women by James Nachtwey/ National Geographic
Facing the dawn, women of the An-Nadzir commune begin Islam’s Feast of
the Sacrifice, which celebrates the Koran’s account of God sparing the
prophet Ismail. As the sun rises, their prayers join those raised by a chorus
of Indonesia’s Muslims, fundamentalist and moderate alike: “Allah akbar.”
God is great.

116. Dead Sea Before Sunset by Paolo Pellegrin / National Geographic
Girls from a West Bank village take one last dip in the salty waters of the
Dead Sea before sunset.

118. end
cast National Geographic 50 Best Photographs
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Music Loreena McKennitt Night Ride Across the Caucasus
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