Here at National Geographic, fans of CBS’s The Amazing Race (and there are many of us) spend Mondays critiquing the cast and admiring how the show takes us around the globe for up-close glimpses of local culture (and crazy cab drivers). So I jumped at the opportunity to interview Phil Keoghan, the charming and wry host, as the show wraps up another season this Sunday night. A native of New Zealand, he shared views on the lessons that his show teaches, the national character of his homeland, and the art of the eyebrow raise.

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The "War on Terror" is inextricably linked to place. Among these are Afghanistan, Kenya, Tanzania, New York City's "Ground Zero," and most recently, Abbottabad, Pakistan. The suffix found on some of these names, such as stan in Afghanistan that means "land of the Afghans," serves to qualify their cultural or historic affiliations.

Screen capture courtesy: datapointed.net, OpenStreetMap.

There’s nothing quite like seeing a familiar name on a street sign that brings a smile to your face or perhaps puts you at ease in a new place. I know that when I first moved to Washington D.C., I drove past streets named after Rosemary (my first name) and Rhode Island (my home state), and I took it as a very good omen. It turns out that my friend Alison can even one-up me; she came upon roads named Allison, Arkansas, and Kenyon (her name, home state, and alma mater, respectively) on her arrival into the city. Being in the nation’s capital will give most people the chance to see his or her home state on a street sign, but what about something as unique as your first name? Well, if you want to know just where your name might be found, you no longer have to keep your eyes glued to street signs.

New and Complete Map of Cuba, supplement to National Geographic magazine, October 1906; NG Maps.

Since our first post, this blog has addressed the history of cartography at National Geographic, geographic names (toponyms), and even the cartographic exploits of James Abbott McNeill Whistler, the American artist best known for the painting "Whistler's Mother." I hope that these topics have proven of interest to some if not all of you. But what we have not addressed is the personal more intimate side of cartography here at the Society.

Unquestionably, National Geographic is the place to be if you love the science as well as the art of mapmaking. Our production schedules are full of stimulating and challenging projects that often test our knowledge of the cartographic profession. Once in a while, we will be assigned a project so close and near to our hearts that it becomes an overriding passion. Several months ago, I was given such an assignment—a large format (36" x 24") political map of Cuba.

Tibetan place-names in the first edition of the National Geographic Atlas of the World (1963) were shown in romanized Tibetan followed by their romanized Chinese names in parentheses.

NG Maps; Click on image to enlarge.

Tibetan place-names in the ninth edition of the National Geographic Atlas of the World (2011) are shown in romanized Chinese (Pinyin).

NG Maps; Click on image to enlarge.

On maps, geographic names—known as toponyms—serve not only as indicators of location but can be powerful symbols of independence and national pride. Discord over such names often stems from legacies of colonialism and nationalism. Regardless of where justice may exist, the colors, lines, and place-names on our maps indicate de facto status of countries or territories at the time of printing. Recently, we have received a few queries regarding our Tibetan place-names policy.

In 1965 serpentine became one of America’s first state rocks. A California bill to oust it last year, based on its traces of asbestos, did not pass. But it did raise the question: Why do some states have official rocks? Experts say geology and economy are key. States rich in mineral deposits—and vested industries— anoint a rock or stone to promote pride and profit. Some share one. Those stuck without? Hard luck, indeed. —Jeremy Berlin

1 Serpentine California
2 Geode Iowa
3 Bauxite Arkansas
4 Slate Vermont
5 Thunder egg Oregon
6 Red granite Wisconsin
7 Agate Kentucky, Nebraska
8 Limestone Tennessee
9 Petoskey stone Michigan
10 Cumberlandite Rhode Island
11 Barite rose Oklahoma
12 Mozarkite Missouri
13 Roxbury puddingstone, Massachusetts
14 Marble Alabama, Colorado, Vermont
15 Coal Utah, West Virginia
16 Sandstone Nevada
17 Granite New Hampshire, North Carolina, Vermont

Photo: Rebecca Hale, NGM Staff

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Depending on the type of map, at National Geographic we use conventional (English) spellings, native spellings, or a combination of both where scale permits. Although we have tried to devise a system that addresses many variant naming conventions, as with all things, there are exceptions. In instances where governments recognize more than one official name, our maps generally list official place-names first, followed by their secondary name or names in parentheses. Take Ireland for example…

(Click on map image to enlarge.)

Few geographers die famous. The Greek poet Homer is sometimes referred to as the "Father of Geography," but he is most remembered for the Iliad and the Odyssey. Retired British surveyor George Everest had the world’s highest mountain named for him nearly 150 years ago, but it's a safe bet that more people associate Mount Everest with Edmund Hillary (or even Jon Krakauer) than with Everest himself. George Custer is notorious for being routed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn; it's less well known that he also served in the Union Army's Corps of Topographical Engineers, riding in observation balloons and sketching maps of Confederate troop positions during the Civil War. (He was apparently very good at this.) And although Alexander Graham Bell served as the National Geographic Society's second president—he was largely responsible for setting a course that would eventually bring international recognition to both the Society and many of its collaborators—his place in history is due primarily to other endeavors, most notably the invention of what we now call the telephone.

NG Maps

When final map files are scheduled to be shipped to the printer, all map-makers can do is hope that no earth-shattering changes occur before their map comes off the press. Sometimes, however, a map must be shipped when you know that significant changes are likely to occur. So what is a cartographer to do?

At National Geographic, we have a few options to stave off the dreaded "files ship to press" date.

NG Maps

From January 9 through January 15, 2011, the people of Southern Sudan held a referendum to determine whether to remain part of a united Sudan or to form a new independent nation. On February 7, the Chairman of the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission announced that nearly 99 percent of southerners voted for the split. According to news reports, Sudanese President Omar al Bashir has stated his commitment to the results and said he will accept them. If all goes according to plan, Southern Sudan is currently slated to become the world's newest nation on July 9, 2011.

In recognition of Southern Sudan's new political standing, the Society's Map Policy Committee examined how this region should be portrayed on our maps.

Mapping has played a vital role in the National Geographic Society's history and success since the early days of the organization. Listed below are some highlights from our three cartographic entities—National Geographic Maps (formerly the Cartographic Division), NGM Maps (National Geographic's map group), and the Book Publishing Group's map staff.

 
Former labor camp near Chara, Stanovoy Khrebet, Siberia; Steve Raymer, 1988

The Way Back, a film co-produced by National Geographic Entertainment, is in theaters now and recounts the story of Siberian gulag prisoners attempting a 4,000 mile trek to freedom across a 1940s-era landscape. See how Siberia has changed in the intervening decades with a couple of hitchhikers who travel 6,000 miles from Vladivostok to Moscow, and at a remote oil outpost that plenty of Russians would like to call home. Finally, a look at Siberia twenty years ago during the waning days of the gulag system.

• 2008 June/July—National Geographic Adventure magazine. 6,000 Miles to Moscow. 64-72, 106-109. McKenzie Funk chronicles a long road trip: "Throat singers, track suits, circus acts, Buddhist prophecies, and car shepherds—a trip across the newly opened Trans-Siberian highway is a glimpse at globalization gone wild." Photos by Aaron Huey.
• 2008 June—National Geographic magazine. Send Me to Siberia: Oil Transforms a Russian Outpost. 60-85. It is boom times in Siberia, with oil revenues funding airports, schools, and lavish salaries. Paul Starobin investigates whether the boom is here to stay. Photos by Gerd Ludwig.

N.C. Wyeth's 1927 painting of the Western Hemisphere.

“A map is the greatest of all epic poems. Its lines and colors show the realization of great dreams.” These words were coined by the National Geographic Society’s first managing editor, Gilbert H. Grosvenor, shortly after its founding in October 1888. Since then, the mission of the Society’s cartographers and geographers has changed little–through our maps and graphics we still aspire to script many an epic poem.

Through participating as new contributors on the NGM Blog, it is our intention to further expand our centuries-long heritage of cartographic knowledge and tradition. In the coming weeks and months, our posts will address many subjects of interest to cartophiles and geographers alike. We will introduce you to our staff as well as take you behind the scenes to show what goes into making our maps and graphics. Through topic-specific posts, we will inform you about mapping applications, map projections, and even discord over geographic names (toponyms). In return, we are looking forward to your comments and developing a dialog with those of you who share our interest in scripting such poems.

Juan José Valdés
The Geographer
Director of Editorial and Research

Map: Mina Liu; Oliver Uberti, NGM Staff. Source: James Cheshire, Paul Longley, and Pablo Mateos, University College London.

To examine the map more closely, click here or on the image above.

What's in a Surname? A new view of the United States based on the distribution of common last names shows centuries of history and echoes some of America's great immigration sagas. To compile this data, geographers at University College London used phone directories to find the predominant surnames in each state. Software then identified the probable provenances of the 181 names that emerged.

Many of these names came from Great Britain, reflecting the long head start the British had over many other settlers. The low diversity of names in parts of the British Isles also had an impact. Williams, for example, was a common name among Welsh immigrants—and is still among the top names in many American states.

But that's not the only factor. Slaves often took their owners' names, so about one in five Americans now named Smith are African American. In addition, many newcomers' names were anglicized to ease assimilation. The map's scale matters too. "If we did a map of New York like this," says project member James Cheshire, "the diversity would be phenomenal"—a testament to that city's role as
a once-and-present gateway to America. —A. R. Williams

There’s a jungle inside Vietnam’s mammoth cavern. A skyscraper could fit too. Hear author Mark Jenkins and National Geographic's Boyd Matson talk about what could be considered the largest cave in the world, the 2.5-mile Hang Son Doong, or “mountain river cave,” along the Vietnam-Laos border. 

Vietnam-cave

Click to enlarge Antarctica map.

Of the unusual phenomena that occur at the polar extremes of the Earth, time is a particularly peculiar one. Yes, the sky at the South Pole splits the year between whole days of light and dark. But how do humans who venture there—to a place where the world’s 24 time zones converge—and to the rest of Antarctica set their clocks?

It all depends. While scientific observations follow coordinated universal time (UTC), each Antarctic research station (above) adopts one of three practices for coordinating logistics on the ice. The majority keep the time of their home country. Others stay on the clock of the city from which their ships or aircraft departed. Fewer still use the standard time at their geographic location. All of which means a smattering of times on a continent the size of the United States and Mexico combined. So who plays Father Time at the Pole itself? New Zealand, last port of call for Americans headed to their station at the bottom of the world. —Luna Shyr

Map: Jerome N. Cookson, NGM Staff Source : Robert Headland, Scott Polar Rese Arch Institute

Liyakot Ali, 13, makes cooking pots in a Bangladesh factory. Photo: G.M.B. Akash, Panos Pictures. Graphic: Mina Liu. Source: International Labour Organization

Across the globe, kids can be seen hawking trinkets and swabbing down tea shops. But these are only the most visible of the world’s 215 million child laborers. A new report by the United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO) says that 60 percent of them toil unseen in the agricultural sector, often for little or no pay. And the isolation of those in domestic work, says Human Rights Watch, can increase the odds of their exploitation.

Visible from space, the world’s largest known beaver dam stretches across nearly 3,000 feet of wetlands in northern Alberta, Canada. Satellite Image: Digitalglobe

Deep within Alberta, Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park, a massive engineering project is under way. The builders? Beavers. The job? Maintaining and expanding a dam likely begun by their ancestors decades ago. Today it’s more than half a mile long—the largest beaver dam known to exist.

Landscape ecologist Jean Thie spotted the structure in October 2007 while using satellite technology to study melting permafrost. “This is the beaver belt,” he explains, referring to the region’s now dense population, which has rebounded from near extinction since the fur trade ended. Level, remote land also benefits these animals, letting them build without the nuisances and threats of fast-flowing water and humans. That means freedom to gather branches and mud for lodging and food storage, two keys to beaver prosperity.

So how many beavers does it take to build such a dam? No one can say. But the colony is clearly vast—and resourceful. Says wildlife biologist Clay Nielsen, “Beavers are second only to humans in modifying their living space to fit their needs.” —Catherine Barker

Never mind the World Cup or Super Bowl. With a bevy of volcanoes in various states of agitation, a Dublin bookie offers the chance to cash in on the ones that blow.  Photo: Odd Stefan Thorisson, Nordicphotos/Corbis  

It’s an investment even more volatile than stocks: the next big volcanic eruption. Well before Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull blew this year, Ireland’s largest bookie, Paddy Power, was letting punters bet on the peak they deemed most likely to explode. The seven-to-four favorite? Another Icelandic peak, Katla. Eyjafjallajökull now sits in fourth place, along with Hawaii’s Mauna Loa (ten to one). Unlikely to go off, but with a big purse if it does: Yellowstone (50 to one). “Volcanoes with regular lava flows or burps are hot favorites,” says Paddy Power spokesman Darren Haines. “Dormant volcanoes can see odds as low as 500 to one.” Probabilities are calculated using the Volcanic Explosivity Index—the scale, ranging from zero (nonexplosive) to eight (megacolossal), that scientists use to rank eruption severity. The first volcano to hit level three, with plumes at least two miles high, will prompt payouts. Paddy Power’s clients came up with the novel market after the 2009 eruption of the Philippines’ Mount Mayon. If natural phenomena aren’t your thing, this year’s bets have also included the next Oscar winners, pope, and James Bond actor—and which country will make first contact with space aliens. (Ireland and the United States were top picks.) On a more somber note, one could have wagered on how many wild polar bears will exist as of the end of 2011 and how many species will be critically endangered. Here’s hoping the odds land in the animals’ favor. —Jennifer S. Holland

Within the velvety shell of its coconut-size fruits, Africa’s iconic baobab packs a huge amount of nutrition. Its fruit contains six times as much vitamin C as oranges, twice as much calcium as milk, and plenty of B vitamins, magnesium, iron, phosphorous, and antioxidants. Until very recently those nutrients were enjoyed only by locals who ate the fruit fresh or crushed the crumbly pulp to stir into porridge and drinks. Few beyond the continent have been able to taste the baobab’s distinctive tart flavor, described by Lucy Welford, of PhytoTrade Africa, as “somewhere between grapefruit, pear, and vanilla.” Now baobab is headed to stores in Europe and the United States as an ingredient in jams and pepper sauces and, eventually, cereal bars and smoothies. The European Union has approved the sale of baobab food products. Already, women in Malawi are harvesting the fruits for commercial use and earning enough cash to pay children’s school fees. Will baobab ever be as trendy as the acai berry? Experts estimate the potential size of the international market at a billion dollars a year. “Baobab is moving from cottage industry into the mainstream,” says Malcolm Riley, of the Yozuna jam company in England. He now counts a large chain of British food stores among his customers. “It’s got mass potential.” —Karen E. Lange

Or which city is connected to Copenhagen by the Oresund Bridge?

I made my debut as a moderator in a preliminary round of the 2010 National Geographic Bee, which is being televised on PBS stations. I’m a four-decade National Geographic employee, now the managing editor of the magazine, but before that I spent years in the research division, which is responsible for verifying all factual information before publication. You'd think those years of research would make the Bee easy. Yet those questions stumped me. The ability to answer them helped Aadith Moorthy of Florida win the National Geographical Bee and a $25,000 scholarship. The second place winner was Oliver Lucier from Rhode Island. Third place went to Idaho’s Karthik Mouli.

Ten finalists—all boys—competed in the final round of the 22nd Bee. I continue to be amazed, year after year, by how much the geography contestants know, how little attitude they possess, and how casually they appear to accept their elimination if they miss questions, even in the final rounds. Several were here for the second time, having won their state championships twice in a row.

Here’s what I learned as a moderator:

Bee contestants aren’t just geography lovers. Many play musical instruments. Some participate in sports, though not surprisingly they tend to be single-player activities such as tennis and golf. Of course they are also voracious readers.

Pronunciation is hard. I was glad I practiced ahead of time, especially when it came to Sacred Mountains of the World for round 7: Llullaillaco [yoo-yai-YAH-koh], Tehuelche [teh-WHALE-chay] people, Chalkidikí [call-kee-thee-KEE] Peninsula, Ol Doinyo Lengai [ol-doyn-yo len-GAY], and Mount Hikurangi [hee-koo-RANG-ee].

It's not easy emulating Alex Trebek, who hosts the final round of the Bee (as well as a certain other question-answer TV show). I wanted to be as relaxed as Alex is, to call each contestant by name, to express sorrow when an answer was wrong without being too dramatic. I must have succeeded, at least in the mind of one parent, who told me after the contest that my calming voice helped the contestants. I was also told that Alex came into our room several times during the contest, a fact that I'm glad I wasn't aware of at the time.

I wish more girls were there. The diversity of the contestants is inspiring—their families have recent roots in places like India, Iran, Korea, Pakistan, and assorted eastern European nations. Now if we could only find a way to have more girls end up in the finals there would be true diversity. The National Geographic has been trying extremely hard to do this with special studies and outreach, encouraging girls to participate at the local level. But once again the Bee was overwhelmingly male. This year only one of the contestants was female.

And the answers are…Oh, and if you didn’t know the answer to the two questions, they are: Cap-Haïtien and Malmö.

-Lesley Rogers

Every year individuals and corporations transfer billions of pounds, euros, and dollars to 60 tax havens worldwide. These “secrecy jurisdictions” keep levies low or nonexistent and guard financial information, hiding trails a tax man might otherwise follow. Some free marketeers say havens improve banking competition and economic growth. Yet the U.S. Treasury loses an estimated $100 billion a year to them. The biggest losers, says John Christensen of the Tax Justice Network, are the poor: A 2009 study found that developing countries forfeit up to a trillion dollars a year.

Last year governments in Europe and North America brokered information-exchange pacts with many havens. Christensen says that’s a start, but only full transparency—and bringing poor nations to the table too—will fix the problem. —Shelley Sperry

Graphic by John Tomanio, NGM Staff. Source: Tax Justice Network

Two days after the premiere of the new HBO series Treme, Lionel Nelson, 60, sits in Sidney's Saloon (1500 St. Bernard Street) watching a rerun of the first episode. Trumpeter Kermit Ruffins appears on screen to the delight and laughter of Sidney's patrons. One of many locals cast in the show, he plays himself. Ruffins owns Sidney's-home to the regulars who used to drink at Joe's Cozy Corner (1532 Ursuline St.), a legendary Treme bar where the Rebirth Brass Band and Ruffins had a standing gig on Sundays.

See our interactive Treme map and continue reading after the jump.

For the most part, ABC’s Lost has been a show about uncharted territory. In the first season, the passengers of Oceanic flight 815 crash on an island that doesn’t appear on any map — probably because (spoiler alert) it doesn’t seem to stick to any particular patch of sea or historical period. But in the most recent episode, one character wound up in a real place—the Canary Islands. Just in case it’s been a little while since your last geography class, Pop Omnivore is here with some quick facts about the Canaries — and thoughts on how the islands could shed light on the mysterious setting of Lost.

The perfect sign would have no words and be easy to grasp. “The rational thing is to create standard symbols everybody understands,” says David Gibson, author of The Wayfinding Handbook. He’s one of many designers the world over who work toward uniformity and understandability.

Yet the unconventional sign has undeniable allure. Doug Lansky curated “Signspotting,” an exhibit that drew crowds in Stockholm and Edinburgh and is traveling to other cities. In his show and in public places, signs can entertain with overkill  and fanciful images. They also let travelers see the world through another culture’s eyes. One sign instructs squat-toilet users in Western bathroom etiquette. Says Lansky: “Now I understand why I see footprints on the toilet in an international airport.” —Marc Silver

• Guess the meaning of these signs in our quiz.

Of course, this would be child's play to Minnesota's Al Franken, who has wowed crowds and won renown with his cartographic renderings. Here's a video of him creating an outline map of the United States at the Minnesota State Fair:

Click to launch our interactive gallery Then grab a pencil and try it yourself.

—Brad Scriber

To the familiar divides—rich and poor, north and south, modern and traditional—add a new one: young and old. That’s because the average ages of the world’s populations are diverging, as some nations skew up or down. Youth booms persist in poor places like Uganda, where almost half the people (like this Kampala orphan, left) are under 15. Meantime, much of the industrialized world is aging. 

See age pyramids that compare the populations of Uganda and Japan.

Photos: Jessica Cudney (left); David McLain (right). Graphics: Mariel Furlong, NG Staff Sources: United Nations; Population Action International

In the early 1800s an Englishman could be hanged for stealing a shirt. By the end of the 1900s, growing concern for individual rights had caused the death penalty to disappear from the United Kingdom and nearly everywhere else in the Western world. Two exceptions are Belarus and the United States, although this year New Mexico became the 15th state to outlaw capital punishment. Death-penalty opponents cite the exoneration of 131 people on death row since 1973 as well as the high cost of capital cases.

Just to be clear, this blog post does not endorse the movie Bruno. In fact, this photo depicts a beloved (and now stufffed) German bear named Bruno so no one will think that we are in Bruno's camp—not that there's anything wrong with that.

Love him or loathe him, provocateur Sacha Baron Cohen's latest creation arrives in American theaters this weekend with the subtlety of a (sequined) anvil tossed to the (well-coiffed) head. I found the movie to be utterly tasteless, offensive, vulgar, and completely cringe-inducing. Needless to say, I loved it. And as a National Geographic employee, I would be remiss to send those who wish/dare to see this film into it without a short geographic and cultural glossary. After the jump, we offer terms that highlight some of the film's finer/horrifying moments. 

Click to expand map.

It’s a childhood riddle: Where would you end up if you dug a hole to the other side of the world? (Of course, that’s assuming one could survive tunneling through the molten innards of the Earth.) Kids in the United States are usually led to imagine that they’d pop up like groundhogs in a rice field in China. Wrong. One look at a map of antipodes—places on exact opposite sides of the globe—shows that an American digger would end up in the Indian Ocean. As for sandbox fantasists in China, some would luck out and emerge on land in Chile.

Mark your maps: The finals of the National Geographic Bee take place on May 20 at NG headquarters in Washington, D.C. They’re also broadcast live on the National Geographic Channel, and subsequently on PBS (check your local station for details). As the contestants do their late-minute cramming, we asked the geographers and educators who come up with the questions for their insights. Here’s what we learned from Jo Erikson, Geoffrey Hatchard, and the rest of the Bee content team.

Where do you get ideas for the geography-bee questions?

We sit down to have a brainstorming session to come up with ideas. We get ideas from National Geographic products, our colleagues and peers at the Society, current events, and outside geographic sources.

Extra: Explore more names in our interactive U.S. map.

Native American words echo in the names of lakes, rivers, mountains, states, cities, and small towns across the United States. The first settlers, who put many European words on the map, also borrowed names from local tribes. They often mispronounced what they heard—that’s how the Washoe word dá’aw, or lake, became Tahoe. In some cases they changed Indian terms so much that linguists can’t identify the original language or meaning. Laypeople have often stepped into the scholarly void with fanciful interpretations that have become part of American folklore. Chesapeake, for example, is sometimes translated as"great shellfish bay." But no one knows what the word meant to the Indians who coined it.

In 2008 apparel imports to the United States totaled almost $72 billion.

 “Apparel always chases the low-cost needle.” The garment industry tagline explains why more than 90 percent of clothing sold in the United States is made offshore, says Mike Todaro of the American Apparel Producers’ Network. U.S. apparel manufacturing started in New England and New York in the 1800s, shifted to Pennsylvania, then headed south after the turn of the century to states where labor was cheap and unions were weak. From there, it jumped the border to even cheaper labor pools in Mexico and the Caribbean.