National Geographic September 1978

A Most Uncommon Town: Columbus, Indiana
For Columbus, Indiana, modern architectural masterpieces have reshaped the look and life- style of an entire community. David Jeffery and J. Bruce Baumann capture the result.
Solo to the Pole
A daring Japanese, Naomi Uemura, challenges the Arctic to become the first to reach the top of the world alone. With photographs by the author and Ira Block.
Syria Tests a New Stability { Syria: Amid the Ruins of Ancient Empires a Young Nation Tests a New Stability}
At war since its infancy, a young nation at a crossroads of ancient civilizations learns to meet the demands of a modern world. Howard La Fay and James L. Stanfield provide a closeup look.
New Mexico’s Mountains of Mystery
In the fastness of the Sangre de Cristo, author Robert Laxalt finds the spirit and language of old Spain still alive, though changing under 20th- century pressures. Photographed by Craig Aurness.
The Joy of Pigs
The delighted owner of a 225- pound pet minipig extols those much- maligned barnyard wallowers – – hogs – – as paragons of intelligence, cleanliness, and all- round benefit to man. By Kent Britt, with photographs by George F. Mobley.
Undersea Wonders of the Galapagos
Gerard Wellington and David Doubilet explore a fascinating world that Darwin never saw.