List of National Geographic cover stories (1970s)



National Geographic is an American magazine that is noted for its cover stories and accompanying photography. Throughout the 1970s National Geographic's cover stories showcased global historical events such as the volcanic eruption of Eldfell at Heimaey island in Iceland. Cover stories included articles written by notable writers such as Robert Redford, Rick Gore, and Paul A. Zahl. Cover photos were published by notable photographers such as Emory Kristof, Winfield Parks and Joan Root.

The 1970s saw articles written and photographed at locations around the globe featuring wildlife like the October, 1978 issue titled "Conversations with a Gorilla", written by Francine Patterson with a photo on the cover of Koko the gorilla, photographed by Ronald H. Cohn. Koko grabbed the camera and took a selfie in a mirror.

Articles featured on the cover of the magazine also included human-interest stories such as "Ladakh-The Last Shangri-La", written and photographed by Thomas J. Abercrombie featuring the people of India in the March, 1978 issue. Many geographical locations were featured including the Amazon River in the October, 1972 article "The Amazon–The Mightiest of Rivers", written and photographed by Loren McIntyre.

In the November, 1971 issue, Samuel W. Mathews and photographer William R. Curtsinger spent months aboard the Research vessel Hero in Antarctica. Photos taken by Curtsinger would be the first pictures of Snow Leopards in the wild and first photos shot in Antarctica.