Asian Geographic Magazines

You should be careful which books you give your daughters, because you never know what irrepressible, adventurous spirit they might engender. For Freya Stark (1893–1993), the desire to escape and explore was sown on her ninth birthday when she was given One Thousand and One Nights, the famous collection of Arabian tales.

China and India’s race to fulfil hydroelectric dreams has seen over 150 dams planned for River Brahmaputra and its tributaries – and this number is just from India alone. The 2,900 kilometre river, which runs through China, India and Bangladesh, is at the epicentre of flash floods, environmental degradation and loss of livelihoods, borne by rural villagers and their homes which stand in the way of meeting energy demands.

In a world dominated by men, and where education, political power and military strength – all the preserves of men – were the most highly prized of attributes, any ruler who possessed them would be a king. Now and then however, history throws a curve ball. King Tamar was a woman and a great one too.

As with all Palestinians in what is often described as the world’s largest open-air prison, life for the women of the Gaza Strip is choked with adversity. Fenced by land and bound by sea, the enclave grates under the humanitarian impact of military conflict, embargo and political isolation. But for journalist and photographer Lara Abu Ramadan, this life of adversity is mostly met with a high spirit and dignity.

The discovery of a new moth species, the Endoclita fahringeri, in the mountains of Gunung Leuser in Sumatera, Indonesia is proving to be a landmark in scientific history, as narrated by Alfred Fahringer.

Identifying herself as a Franco-Belgian photographer of Chinese origin from Malaysia, Diana’s transient life between three different continents has informed most of the philosophy behind her photography. Diana explores the ancient ritual of adorning women with symbolic clothing, religious objects, amulets and heirloom jewellery. Her purpose is to fuse the past and the present, the traditional and the modern, and to effectively create new possibilities of defining a woman’s identity.

In a country like Nepal that has endured long-term political hardships, there’s nothing more devastating than for the 2015 earthquakes to rock the nation. As the country continues to struggle with the effects of the natural disasters, climate change and political instability, renewable energy is providing both light and hope for a nation of people renowned for their resilience.

The Paris Agreement calls for almost all countries in the world to start putting forth their commitments to help reduce their carbon emissions. The signs of climate change are clear as day, and the enormous and yet growing human population means our energy consumption is set to increase. What will the Agreement mean for our planet, and is renewable energy the answer?