Veteran war correspondent Peter Arnett was the last Western television reporter to cover the 1991 Gulf War from inside Iraq—and the last to interview Saddam Hussein. Arnett is now back in the country on assignment for National Geographic EXPLORER. Arnett recently spoke with National Geographic News from Baghdad, sharing his perspective on the return of UN weapons inspectors, the strength of Hussein's regime, and the mood of the Iraqi people.

The 13th amendment abolishing slavery in the United States was ratified 137 years ago today, on December 6, 1865. While Abraham Lincoln and white abolitionists have been largely credited with slavery's demise, historians are now looking at the active role that slaves in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean played in their own emancipation.

Writer and adventurer Kira Salak endured storms, sickness, and uncertain hospitality as she kayaked nearly 600 miles (966 kilometers) along Mali's Niger River to explore the waterway that serves as the lifeblood of the West African nation. National Geographic News recently spoke with Salak about her expedition.

What language is most widely spoken? What is the world's tallest manmade structure? The National Geographic Family Reference Atlas reveals answers to these questions and more with over 500 maps and photographs. National Geographic Maps President Bill Stoehr discusses what's new in the Society's latest volume of maps and geography information. Full story and video:

Who knew that how you tie your shoes could engage the minds of master mathematicians? As it turns out, even those of us who could barely get through Math 101 know how to tie our shoes in the most efficient and mathematically correct way possible.

Nearly 100 photojournalists participated in a one-day documentary of the African continent. From Cairo to the Cape of Good Hope, they documented the contrasts in geography, people, and customs. This tapestry of images is available in the new book A Day in the Life of Africa. Full story and photo gallery:

Vanuatu's world-famous land diving ritual, the Naghol, seems like a traditional form of bungee jumping. But after watching a diver leap off the wooden tower reaching upwards of 25 meters (75 feet) and crash into the earth below—and the 300-person crowd erupt in cheers—it's obvious that what's happening on Pentecost Island is something radically different.

The National Geographic–Roper 2002 Global Geographic Literacy Survey polled more than 3,000 18- to 24-year-olds in Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Sweden and the United States. In a nation called the world's superpower, only 17 percent of young adults in the United States could find Afghanistan on a map, according to a new worldwide survey released today.

While most people at this time of year think about eating turkey, I think about seeing one—not the overweight, pale, domesticated bird that ends up on the Thanksgiving table, but rather its streamlined, bronzy ancestor: the wild turkey. This ground-dwelling native of North American forests is fairly common now, but only 30 years ago it was nonexistent across much of its historic range, a casualty of overhunting and deforestation.

A National Geographic expedition led by explorer Robert Ballard has found what is believed to be the remains of John F. Kennedy's PT-109. Experts from the U.S. Navy recently confirmed the May 2002 find is most likely the World War II patrol boat. PT-109 sank in the Solomon Islands when a Japanese destroyer sliced through it, setting into motion the survival odyssey that became a cornerstone of the Kennedy legend.

Hundreds of inner-city kids will explore glacier-capped mountains, groves of giant sequoias, waterfalls, meadows and the rugged Pacific coastline as part of a series of grant commitments announced today by the National Geographic Society's Education Foundation.

The National Geographic–Roper 2002 Global Geographic Literacy Survey polled more than 3,000 18- to 24-year-olds in Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Sweden and the United States. In a nation called the world's superpower, only 17 percent of young adults in the United States could find Afghanistan on a map, according to a new worldwide survey released today.

Airport security tightened just in time for the busiest travel season of the year. With better training and more advanced equipment, U.S. agents are expected to screen passengers more thoroughly than ever before. But that doesn't necessarily mean longer delays, says Traveler Editor in Chief Keith Bellows. Here, Bellows talks about what to expect, how travelers can help ease gridlock, and more.

Today, November 20, is GIS Day. Geographic Information Systems, once a tool used solely by mapmakers is gradually going mainstream, found in automobiles for driving directions, used by real estate agents to track home sales, and by police departments to solve crimes.

Without the heroic efforts of two local South Pacific scouts, Lt. John F. Kennedy likely would never have made it to the end of World War II, much less the U.S. Presidency. Last spring, during an expedition to find the wreck of Kennedy's boat PT-109, the Kennedy family and the now elderly scouts were reunited. The emotional meeting cast new light on the islanders' historic role and the impact their brief meeting with Kennedy had on their lives.