In the pantheon of American highways, Route 1 stands apart. Snaking some 2,300 miles from Maine to Florida, the great Atlantic Highway is made of fragmented paths. Anastasia Samoylova traveled up and down the highway from 2020–2024, inspired by photographer Berenice Abbott’s project documenting the route in the 1950s. Fast forward to today and Samoylova captured a country in the midst of change, loss, and endurance—all in her new book, Atlantic Coast.

Award-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario has covered conflict and crises across the world. From famine in Somalia to displacement in Chad, her work often centers women. For a 2019 National Geographic piece, Addario documented why giving birth in the U.S. is surprisingly deadly—especially for Black women. Subjects like Magan Strawn let Addario into the delivery room to document the vulnerable moments of labor and the life-saving support health workers are providing. Check out our Q+A with her, and if you want to ask Nat Geo experts like Addario anything, become a subscriber today.

Thanks for reading today’s newsletter, which was edited and curated by Sidney Madden with the help of National Geographic’s photo team. It was produced by Rita Spinks. Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here to catch next week’s Photo of the Week newsletter. Also, check out the 2025 Pictures of the Year!