The Vanishing Titanic - National Geographic - December 2004

Front Cover, National Geographic Magazine for December 2004. GGA Image ID # 103e07e3cf

THE COVER
A large moon ruptures under the gravity of a ringed planet.
ART BY DANA BERRY

Grave Site, or Gold Mine?

Nature has obliterated flesh and bone, but the possessions of Titanic's more than 1,500 victims are still scattered on the seafloor. Such artifacts became the targets of salvagers soon after the wreck was discovered in 1985. A new treaty signed by Great Britain and the U.S. will help protect the wreck, though it does not prevent legal salvaging.

FEATURES

On the Trail of bin Laden

The world’s most wanted man took refuge in the crags and caves of Tora Bora’s mountains along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The Pashtun people, who call this harsh land home, have made it one of the best hiding places on Earth.

BY TIM MCGIRK; PHOTOGRAPHS BY REZA

Saving Afghan Treasures

The fabled Bactrian gold is back, but other antiquities are quickly disappearing from Afghanistan. With the country trying to rebuild after decades of conflict, can its past be part of its future?

BY ANDREW LAWLER PHOTOGRAPHS BY KENNETH GARRETT

Africa’s Miracle Delta

When Botswana’s seasonal floodwaters transform a parched plain into Africa’s largest oasis, there’s no better time to slip beneath the surface of the Okavango for a look around. Just watch out for the crocodiles.

BY KENNEDY WARNE PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVID DOUBILET

Someplace Like Earth

In an astronomical breakthrough, scientists are discovering planet after planet circling distant stars as the search narrows for a world like our own.

BY TIM APPENZELLER PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK THIESSEN

Titanic Revisited

Fortune hunters, tourists, and time have made the seafloor wreck site a titanic mess. The man who found the famous ship 19 years ago returns to survey the damage. Article includes 8-panel foldout and superb underwater photography.

BY ROBERT D. BALLARD

ZipUSA: 29550

In car-crazy Hartsville, South Carolina, whole families prefer the fast track—satisfying their need for speed at the Darlington International Dragway.

BY LYNNE WARREN PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARIA STENZEL

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Publication Information

The National Geographic Magazine Is the Journal of The National Geographic Society Founded 1888

• Title: National Geographic
• Issue: Vol. 206, No. 6, December 1904
• Pagination: 1-118
• Dimensions: 17.5 x 25.5 x 7 cm