Geologists in Hungary have been exploring a newfound underground lake beneath the capital, Budapest. The lake system is believed to extend 25 miles (40 kilometers).
In a remote corner of Finland near the Arctic Circle, an international team of elves helps Santa respond to hundreds of thousands of letters from children around the world.
The aftermath of an earthquake, a friendly cow, and an ethereal Paris sunset are three of the six winners of the National Geographic International Photo Contest 2008.
Monkeys from a now-defunct research facility are roaming wild in southwestern Puerto Rico, threatening farmers' livelihoods, and causing public health concerns
A farmer in Italy uncovered hundreds of ancient artifacts—some perhaps 2,500 years old—but ran into trouble with police when he tried to sell some of them.
See National Geographic News's most popular individual photos of 2008, including pictures of a giant stingray, a "smiling" sky, a lizard-snake standoff, and more.