<p>The last hideout of the United States' most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden, appeared peaceful the day after U.S. Navy SEALs killed bin Laden Monday during a predawn raid on his fortified compound in <a href="http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/map-machine#s=h&amp;c=34.14521907785372, 73.20167496800423&amp;z=13">Abbottabad (map)</a>, <a href="http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/pakistan-guide/">Pakistan</a>.</p><p>It's shocking that bin Laden was found in this Pakistani army-garrison town just 72 miles (116 kilometers) north of the city of Islamabad, according to Don Belt, <em>National Geographic</em> magazine contributing writer. Belt has briefed the U.S. Congress on Pakistan and visited Abbottabad many times.</p><p>That's because the picturesque town is home to thousands of troops, and it's neither a Taliban stronghold nor a vast, hard-to-search metropolis.</p><p>(Read <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/01/0111_020111donbelt.html">Belt's thoughts on a century of <em>National Geographic</em> coverage of the Islamic world</a>.)<em></em></p><p><em>—Brian Handwerk</em></p><p><strong>More Osama bin Laden Coverage</strong></p><ul class="bullets"><li><a href="http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/series/osama-bin-laden/all/overview"><em>Death of Osama bin Laden</em> on the National Geographic Channel</a></li><li><a href="http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/national-geographic-channel/specials-1/bin-laden/">Videos on Osama bin Laden and 9/11</a></li><li><a href="http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/community/blogs/ngc/_9-11-generation-right-celebrate">Was It Wrong to Celebrate Osama bin Laden's Death?</a></li><li><a href="http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/series/osama-bin-laden/all/Overview#tab-al-qaeda-attacks">Al Qaeda Attack Time Line</a></li><li><a href="http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/community/blogs/ngc/_eeriest-parallel-hitler-osama">The Eeriest Parallel: Hitler and Osama</a></li><li><a href="http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-mastermind-of-911-dead-after-10-year-hunt/">Osama bin Laden, Mastermind of 9/11, Dead After Ten-Year Hunt</a></li><li><a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/features/world/asia/pakistan/pashtun-text"><em>National Geographic</em> Magazine: "Tracking the Ghost of Bin Laden"</a> </li><li><a href="http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/national-geographic-channel/specials-1/history-events/ngc-in-pursuit-of-bin-laden.html">Bin Laden Hunt Hurt by U.S. Disrespect of Afghans, Experts Say</a></li><li><a href="http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/05/02/pakistan-bin-laden-and-the-world-of-terrorism/">Pakistan, bin Laden, and the World of Terrorism</a></li><li><a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/08/0812_050812_tv_waronterror.html">U.S. Still Unprepared for Al Qaeda Attacks, Expert Says</a></li><li><a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/03/0304_0304_wirebinladen1.html">Bin Laden: The Great Escape?</a></li><li><a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/photogalleries/9-11/">P</a><a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/photogalleries/9-11/">hotos: 9/11, Then and Now</a></li><li><a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/10/1016_afghancaves.html">Afghanistan's "Hidden Caves" a Myth, Experts Say</a></li></ul>