National Geographic September 2006

Wild- Water Caves of the South Pacific { Raging Danger}
On an island off Papua New Guinea, a white- water river vanishes into a limestone cave. Following the torrent underground, a team discovers breathtaking waterfalls and theater- size chambers. BY NEIL SHEA PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEPHEN L. ALVAREZ
Lush Life in the Sonoran Desert { Life in the Desert; Sonoran Desert; Songs of the Sonoran}
Hottest of North America’s deserts, the Sonoran’s 100, 000 square miles manage to support an incredible array of plants, animals, and landscapes. BY DOUGLAS H. CHADWICK PHOTOGRAPHS BY GEORGE STEINMETZ
China Rising: Manchuria’s Rust- to- Riches Gamble { Manchurian Mandate; The Manchurian Mandate}
China is gearing up to turn its northeastern rust belt, once the centerpiece of Chairman Mao’s planned economy, into the country’s next engine of growth. BY BROOK LARMER PHOTOGRAPHS BY FRITZ HOFFMANN
Okavango Lions on the Hunt { Killer Pride}
Rarely witnessed behavior marks the predator- prey relationship of a pride of lions and a herd of Cape buffalo on a marshy island in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. BY DERECK JOUBERT PHOTOGRAPHS BY BEVERLY JOUBERT
Why Every Shoe Tells a Story { The Joy of Shoes; Shoes; Every Shoe Tells a Story}
Baby booties to orthopedic sandals, we spend most of our waking lives in shoes, and from them we may learn something about our culture, our history, and ourselves. BY CATHY NEWMAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY MITCHELL FEINBERG