National Geographic Society facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
National Geographic Society

Logo of the NGS since 2002
Flag of the NGS
Abbreviation	NGS
Formation	January 13, 1888; 137 years ago (1888-01-13)
Type	501(c)(3), charitable organization
Purpose	Education Environmental protection Historical preservation
Headquarters	1145 17th Street Washington, D.C., U.S. 38°54′18″N 77°02′16″W / 38.9051°N 77.0379°W / 38.9051; -77.0379
Region served	Worldwide
Chairman	Jean M. Case
CEO	Jill Tiefenthaler
President	Michael Ulica
Main organ	National Geographic magazine
Subsidiaries	National Geographic Partners (27%)

The National Geographic Society (NGS) is a huge nonprofit group. It focuses on science and education. Its main office is in Washington, D.C., in the United States.

This organization started in 1888. It is interested in geography, archaeology, and natural science. It also works to protect the environment and history. The Society studies world cultures and history. The National Geographic Society's logo is a yellow rectangle. You can see it on the covers of its magazines and as its TV channel logo. The Society works with National Geographic Partners. This is a company partly owned by The Walt Disney Company. Through this partnership, National Geographic runs its famous magazine, TV channels, a website, and other media.

Discovering the National Geographic Society

A dancer in Algeria, 1917. This photo is from National Geographic Magazine.

The National Geographic Society began on January 13, 1888. Its goal was "to increase and spread geographic knowledge." A group of 33 people leads the Society. These leaders include teachers, business people, and conservationists.

The organization supports and pays for scientific research and exploration. National Geographic has a museum in its Washington, D.C., office. It is open to the public. The Society has helped with popular traveling exhibits. One example is the "King Tut" exhibit. It showed items from the tomb of the young Egyptian Pharaoh.

The Education Foundation gives money to groups and people. This helps to make geography education better. The Committee for Research and Exploration has given over 11,000 grants. These grants are for scientific research and exploration.

National Geographic also has stores in Washington, D.C., London, Sydney, and Panama.

Media and Global Reach

The Society's media part is National Geographic Partners. This company is a joint effort between The Walt Disney Company and the Society. It publishes the National Geographic journal. This magazine comes out in English and almost 40 other languages.

It also publishes other magazines, books, and maps. National Geographic's media reaches over 280 million people every month. Many people and groups support its work. These include the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The History of National Geographic

An old emblem of the National Geographic Society.

The National Geographic Society started as a club. It was for smart people and rich supporters who liked travel and exploring. On January 13, 1888, 33 explorers and scientists met. They gathered at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. They wanted to create "a society for the increase and spread of geographical knowledge."

The Society was officially formed two weeks later, on January 27. Gardiner Greene Hubbard became its first president. His son-in-law, Alexander Graham Bell, took over in 1897.

In 1899, Bell's son-in-law, Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor, became the first full-time editor of National Geographic magazine. He worked for the organization for 55 years. Members of the Grosvenor family have been important to the Society ever since. Bell and Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor came up with the idea of Society membership. They also started using many photographs to tell stories in magazines.

A group of important people on the steps of Hubbard Hall in 1909.

Today, Jean Case is the chairman of the National Geographic Society. Michael Ulica is the president. Jill Tiefenthaler is the chief executive officer. Susan Goldberg is the editor-in-chief of National Geographic magazine. Gilbert Melville Grosvenor, a former chairman, received a special award in 2005. It was for his work in geography education.

In 2004, the National Geographic Society's main building got a "Green" certification. This means it was built or changed to be good for the environment. In 2006, National Geographic won the Prince of Asturias Award in Spain.

National Geographic Expeditions started in 1999. It helps the Society achieve its goals and raises money for its work.

In 2007, the Society started a music division. It also created the National Geographic Entertainment division. This division includes its entertainment parts.

In 2015, the Society changed how it managed its media. It created a new company called National Geographic Partners. 21st Century Fox owned most of this new company. Later, The Walt Disney Company bought 21st Century Fox's share. This happened in March 2019. In 2023, National Geographic made some changes to its magazine staff. They also announced that the physical newsstand magazine in the U.S. would end in 2024.

Original Founders of the Society

Here are the 33 people who first started the National Geographic Society in 1888:

Some people think Alexander Graham Bell was a founder. But he was actually the second president. He was elected in 1898 and served until 1903.

What National Geographic Does

Supporting Research and Projects

The National Geographic Society's Administration Building in Washington, D.C..

The Society has helped pay for many expeditions and research projects. These projects have happened all over the world for many years.

Special Awards

The Hubbard Medal

Anne Morrow Lindbergh's special medal showing her flight path.

The Hubbard Medal is a special award from the National Geographic Society. It is given for great achievements in exploration, discovery, and research. The medal is named after Gardiner Greene Hubbard, the Society's first president. As of 2018, the Hubbard Medal has been given 44 times. The most recent winner was Peter H. Raven.

The Alexander Graham Bell Medal

The National Geographic Society also gives out the Alexander Graham Bell Medal. This award is rare. It is for amazing contributions to geographic research. The award is named after Alexander Graham Bell. He was a scientist, the inventor of the telephone, and the second president of the NGS. By mid-2011, this medal had been given twice:

• 1980: Bradford Washburn and his wife Barbara Washburn
• 2010: Roger Tomlinson and Jack Dangermond

Visiting the National Geographic Museum

The Society runs the National Geographic Museum. It is located in Washington, D.C. The museum has changing exhibits. These shows feature the work of National Geographic explorers, photographers, and scientists. There are also exhibits about natural history, culture, and society. Some permanent items include a camera Robert Peary used at the North Pole. There is also pottery that Jacques Cousteau found from a shipwreck.

• 

  The courtyard entrance to the National Geographic Museum.

Commercial Ventures

National Geographic Partners is a company that handles the Society's business activities. The Walt Disney Company owns 73% of it, and the Society owns 27%. This company was started in 2015. It manages TV channels around the world and magazine publications. The Walt Disney Company took over 21st Century Fox's share of National Geographic Partners in March 2019.

Most of National Geographic Partners' businesses were already running before 2015. The original News Corporation (which later became 21st Century Fox) launched the National Geographic Channel in Asia and Europe in the late 1990s.

In 2007, the Society created the National Geographic Entertainment division. This included Cinema Ventures, Feature Films, Kids Entertainment, Home Entertainment, and Music & Radio.

Publications

National Geographic Magazine

The cover of The National Geographic Magazine from January 1915.

The National Geographic Magazine first came out in October 1888. This was nine months after the Society started. It was the Society's official journal. Members of the Society received it as a benefit. In February 1910, the magazine started using its famous yellow border on the covers.

There are 12 issues of National Geographic each year. The magazine has articles about geography, science, world history, culture, and current events. It also features amazing photos from all over the world and space. National Geographic magazine is now published in 40 different languages. About 6.8 million copies are printed each month, and around 60 million people read it.

Other Publications

Besides its main magazine, the Society publishes several other magazines:

• National Geographic Explorer: This is a magazine for classrooms. It replaced National Geographic School Bulletin in 1975.
• National Geographic History: This magazine started in Spring 2015.
• National Geographic Kids: This is a version of National Geographic Magazine for children. It started in 1975 as National Geographic World. Over 1.5 million copies are sold in the U.S. There are also 18 other language versions of NG Kids.
• National Geographic Little Kids: This magazine is for younger children, aged 3–6.
• National Geographic Traveler: This magazine started in 1984. There are 18 other language versions of NG Traveler.

The Society also used to run an online news site called National Geographic News.

Additionally, the Society publishes atlases, books, and maps. These are made through National Geographic Books and National Geographic Maps.

Films and Television

National Geographic Films

National Geographic Films was a company owned by the National Geographic Society.

In 2004, Adam Leipzig became president of National Geographic Films. In 2007, the Society created the National Geographic Entertainment division. This included Cinema Ventures and Feature Films. In 2008, the film division and Image Nation created a $100 million fund. This fund was for making and buying 10-15 films over five years. The first film they invested in was The Way Back.

Daniel Battsek became president of National Geographic Films in 2010. He also oversaw film distribution and big screen production.

Some films it has produced include:

• K-19: The Widowmaker (2002), a movie about a submarine.
• March of the Penguins (2005) earned over $125 million worldwide.
• God Grew Tired of Us (2006)
• Arctic Tale (2007), a movie about walrus and polar bear families.
• Sea Monsters (2007), a 3-D film.
• The Way Back (2010)
• The First Grader (2010)
• The Wildest Dream (2010)
• Life in a Day (2011)
• Amreeka
• City of Life and Death
• Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West, a TV mini-series for HBO.
• Blue Man Group: Mind Blast
• Restrepo (July 2, 2010)

In 2005, the National Geographic Society started its own film distribution business.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, National Geographic worked with a company called Pfizer. They made a documentary about how the COVID-19 vaccine was developed.

Cinema Ventures

National Geographic Cinema Ventures (NGCV) made and distributed giant-screen, 3D, and special films. It was part of National Geographic Entertainment.

In 2011, National Geographic Cinema Ventures started the Museum Partnership Program. This program helps museums brand their giant screen theaters.

Museum Partnership Program

The Museum Partnership Program helps museums use the National Geographic brand. Partner museums get new digital 3D films each year. They also get access to the National Geographic organization's resources.

As of 2012, there were nine partner museums. One example is the Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa.

Films from Cinema Ventures

• Sea Monster
• Extreme Weather
• Mysteries of the Unseen World (2013)
• Jerusalem (2013)
• Pandas: The Journey Home (2014)

Television Programs

National Geographic Society also produces TV shows. These shows have been on PBS and other networks for many years. The Geographic series started on CBS in 1964. It later moved to ABC, then PBS, then NBC, and back to PBS. In 2005, it moved to the National Geographic Channel.

The shows have featured many famous scientists. These include Jacques Cousteau, Jane Goodall, and Louis Leakey. Their work became well-known to millions of people. Many actors have narrated these specials. The theme music for the specials was created by Elmer Bernstein. The National Geographic Channel also uses this music.

Another long-running show is National Geographic Explorer.

Television Channels

The original News Corporation launched the National Geographic Channel in Asia and Europe in the late 1990s. This was done with the Society. The Society provides shows for the National Geographic channels worldwide. As of March 2019, The Walt Disney Company handles distributing the channels and selling ads. The National Geographic Channel has also started other channels. These include Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo People, and Nat Geo Kids.

The U.S. version of National Geographic Channel started in January 2001. It was a joint project between National Geographic and Fox Cable Networks.

Music and Radio

National Geographic Music and Radio (NGMR) is the music and radio part of National Geographic Ventures. This division handles National Geographic Live! events, digital music, music publishing, and radio content. It also runs the Nat Geo Music TV channel in some parts of Asia and Europe.

In 2007, National Geographic Ventures announced this new division. It was already creating music for its films and kids' shows. In October 2007, National Geographic Channels, Music and Radio launched the Nat Geo Music channel in Italy.

The Society created the National Geographic Entertainment division in October 2007. This included the Music & Radio division. In 2009, the division became a full record label called Nat Geo Music.

See also

In Spanish: National Geographic Society para niños

• American Geographical Society
• Genographic Project
• Maps of the United States
• National Geographic Bee
• Nicholas DeVore III
• The Photo Ark
• Royal Canadian Geographical Society
• Royal Geographical Society