In fear, hope, or desperation, these women left home seeking new lives. Some found opportunity; others found more uncertainty—or worse. Raxma Xasan Maxamuud never wanted to leave her home in Somaliland. But a relentless cycle of droughts turned rivers to dust and dried up the grasses her livestock depended on. In Honduras, violence drove Kataleya Nativi Baca, a transgender woman, on a perilous journey to the United States border. Women make up about half of those who migrate internationally and within their own countries. Some are pulled by the promise of a better future, but for those who face famine or danger in their home countries, migration is a gamble for their very survival.

National Geographic. As the sun sets in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina-a hot spot for Virgin Mary sightings-devotees of diverse faiths and nationalities gather to pray. In Lourdes, a small town in France with an outsize reputation for miracles and Marian signs, volunteers push the wheelchairs of terminally or chronically ill pilgrims. Full Story.

National Geographic National Geographic. Bathing beauties emerge from a solarium, a tanning booth. Photograph by Clifton R. Adams, National Geographic.