''ASIAN Geographic'' is a geographic magazine that focuses mainly on stories about Asia. Its motto is "''Asia Without Borders''". First published in 1999, it contains articles on geography, culture, heritage, society, environment, exploration, conservation and art. As of May 2008, the magazine has a readership of over 300,000 across 44 countries. It is published by Asian Geographic Magazines Pte Ltd, which also publishes '' Scuba Diver AustralAsia'', an official publication of the PADI Diving Society. ''ASIAN Geographic PASSPORT'', a travel and adventure magazine, was launched in August 2008. Both ''ASIAN Geographic'' and ''PASSPORT'' organise expeditions, travel photography workshops and photographic competitions on a regular basis.

History

When ''ASIAN Geographic'' first started out as a quarterly magazine in 1999, it focused exclusively on environmental issues; its motto was "''The Journal of Our Environment''". In 2000 it became a bi-monthly publication. In 2006, the magazine expanded its scope to include social and cultural issues to attract a wider readership. In 2007, ''ASIAN Geographic'' became a monthly magazine; it also adopted a new motto: “''Asia Without Borders''”. From 2009 it was published once every 45 days (8 issues/year), but with more pages.

Articles

Currently, each issue of ''ASIAN Geographic'' focuses on a specific theme relevant to Asia. (Follow this link for the editorial themes for 2008 and 2009.) The magazine draws from a wide base of international contributors to generate its content – these include academics, geographers, sociologists, journalists, photographers and experts in various fields. A short biography of each contributor is provided at the end of every article.

ASIAN Geographic PASSPORT

In August 2008, ''ASIAN Geographic'' launched ''PASSPORT'', a magazine that focuses on travel and adventure in Asia. The publication is easily distinguished by its rounded corners, which are similar to that found in a regular passport. Its motto is "''Travel Without Borders''".

Expeditions

''ASIAN Geographic'' and ''PASSPORT'' have organised expeditions to places such

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

(in the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

);

Siem Reap Siem Reap (, ) is the second-largest city of Cambodia, as well as the capital and largest city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia. Siem Reap possesses French-colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

; and its own series of

Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

expeditions, the first of which was on the section in China, from

Kashgar Kashgar () or Kashi ( zh, c=喀什) is a city in the Tarim Basin region of southern Xinjiang, China. It is one of the westernmost cities of China, located near the country's border with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. For over 2,000 years, Kashgar ...

Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

Photography workshops and competitions

''ASIAN Geographic PASSPORT'' organises travel photography workshops to places such as

Kuching Kuching ( , ), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak Ri ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...

, Thailand. There is also an annual "Asia Without Borders" photography competition organised by ''ASIAN Geographic''.

Conservation efforts and partners

''ASIAN Geographic'' has stated its commitment to educate and raise awareness of environmental and social issues in Asia. Its exploration and conservation partners include the

Animals Asia Foundation Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) is a Hong Kong–based charity that seeks to end cruelty to animals in Asia. Founding The AAF was founded in 1998 by Jill Robinson, who felt compelled to create the organisation after learning of the plight of the ...

, China Exploration and Research Society, Hornbill Project Singapore, Longitude 181 Nature, OceanNEnvironment, Seacology and the

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named th ...

( WWF).

Awards

In 2001, ''ASIAN Geographic'' won the Ark Trust International Award at the

Genesis Awards The Genesis Awards are awarded annually by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to individuals in the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works which raise public awareness of animal issues. Presented by the HSU ...

for "Bear Witness", a feature on the rescue efforts of

Asiatic black bear The Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), also known as the Asiatic black bear, moon bear and white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear species native to Asia that is largely adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. It is distributed from southeast ...

s in China. In the 2006 Asian Travel and Tourism Creative Awards, the magazine won a Silver Award for a photograph of an elephant bathing in a Sri Lankan reserve.''ASIAN Geographic'' awards and accolades

References and footnotes

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External links

''ASIAN Geographic'' online''ASIAN Geographic PASSPORT'' online
1999 establishments in Singapore Geographic magazines Magazines established in 1999 Magazines published in Singapore Eight times annually magazines