There are some who would say that the Age of Exploration is dead. We look around and find every peak summitted, every continent crossed, every ocean sailed. Is there nothing left to discover? Does the spirit of adventure no longer beckon? Is exploration dead?

Yet with the dirge still echoing in our ears and the dirt still fresh on the grave of the First Great Age of Exploration, we find a new age dawning. Exploration is being reborn in our lifetime, with the same soul of discovery, yet with a new focus. The previous Age’s gaze was perpetually squinting at some distant horizon, craning up at some lofty peak. The explorers of old cried, “To the ends of the earth!”, meanwhile rushing right past the magnificent middles of the earth all around them. Their attention was fixated on the extremes: hottest desert and coldest arctic, highest peaks and lowest depths, richest individuals and poorest nations. For centuries humanity explored these extremes and expanded the boundaries of the known world, until one day we found all the limits delimited and all the boundaries marked. So perhaps it was inevitable that the Second Great Age of Exploration should then turn back to the great interior and the marvels of the middle as its new frontier.

This great rebirth of exploration retains its predecessor’s spirit of adventure and unwavering resolve to discover. Yet whereas the previous paradigm saw humanity pushing forever outwards, we now resolve instead to probe ever inward. Those who went before reveled in the extraordinary, while we now can extol the glory of the ordinary and the dignity of the commonplace.

Moved by this zeitgeist, The National Geographic Center Society was founded in January 2007 with the following goals:

1. To discover and document the geographic center of every state, and
2. To promote the exploration and enjoyment of ordinary people and places everywhere

The National Geographic Center Society is currently admitting new members and seeking patrons to fund exploration. To become a part of the Society, click here.

(In case you’re still unsure—yes, we are being silly here. The Society exists more in spirit than in substance, and yet you really can join in the fun of our journey by joining our made-up Society. So go ahead, get involved!)