WorldAtlas Latest Articles

Animals

Armadillo

The armadillo is the only living mammal wrapped in a shell of bone, an American digger that births identical quadruplets and can walk across riverbeds.

Animals

Which Animals Can Live Without Water For Years?

Learn about the special adaptations of six unique animals that can live for years at a time, some their whole lives, without drinking any water.

Animals

Aardvark

Aardvark is a nocturnal African insectivore and the last survivor of its own mammal order, digging burrows that later shelter dozens of other species.

Space

What if Earth Stopped Spinning?

See what would happen if Earth stopped spinning, from catastrophic winds and ocean surges to year-long days and a transformed climate.

Ancient World

The Strongest Ancient Navies Ever Assembled

Discover seven of the ancient world’s most powerful navies, from Athenian triremes and Roman fleets to Carthaginian warships and Han tower ships.

State Parks

What Happens When A State Sells Off Park Land

See how Texas, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, New Jersey, and California lost or nearly lost parkland, as state parks lack federal protection.

Oceans

The US States With The Most Ocean Shoreline

Some American counties are so dry the map barely changes when you trace the desert line. Meet the places where sand, salt, scrub, and dry basin win.

County

The Counties Most Threatened By Wildfire

Millions of American homes now sit where wildfire can reach them. From California to Florida, these 15 counties carry the heaviest exposure in the country.

National Parks

Why Some Famous Landscapes Aren't National Parks

Why Some Famous Landscapes Aren't National Parks comes down to existing protections, tangled ownership, local revenue, and the need for an Act of Congress.

Cities

8 Prettiest Main Streetscapes In The Pacific Northwest

From covered bridges to Bavarian rooflines, these eight Washington and Oregon towns have the prettiest main streetscapes in the Pacific Northwest.

Oceans

Why The Deep Ocean Has No Plants At All

Learn why the deep ocean has no plants and how marine snow, chemosynthesis, and strange animals sustain life in total darkness.

Lakes

How Lake Tanganyika Holds Almost As Much Water As All Five Great Lakes

See how Lake Tanganyika holds nearly as much water as all five Great Lakes in North America while learning about its geology, wildlife, and role in Africa.

Lakes

The Lakes Where Whitefish Grow Largest

The largest whitefish in the world is a 53-pound Arctic predator called the inconnu, French for unknown. Where whitefish grow largest, and why it is not Michigan.

Mountains

How The Alps Compare To The Rockies

The Rockies are 4x longer, but the Alps are taller and steeper, with a café at the summit. The Rockies counter with grizzlies. How the two ranges really compare.

Wildlife By Place

What Animals Live In The Taiga?

The harsh environment of the taiga regions of the world limit the biodiversity in such places to species that can successfully adapt to the extreme environment.

Animals

Pallas Cat

Pallas Cat, or manul, wears the thickest fur of any wild cat, a house-cat-sized ambush hunter of Central Asia's frigid, wind-scoured high steppes.

Space

What Happens If GPS Goes Down

Pretty much everything we do with a phone today incorporates GPS at some point. If we were to suddenly lose our skyward helper, it would cause many issues.

Ancient World

Battles That Destroyed Entire Ancient Civilizations

From the Achaemenid Persian Empire to Ptolemaic Egypt, several ancient civilizations fought in battles that precipitated their collapse.

Mountains

The Tallest Mountain East Of The Mississippi

The tallest mountain east of the Mississippi is North Carolina's Mount Mitchell (6,684 ft), named for a scientist who died proving it. Yes, you can drive up.

Stories

A Summer's Day In Sandusky

A Summer's Day In Sandusky, where a Canadian visitor conquers Cedar Point, finds a downtown speakeasy, and rediscovers an underrated Lake Erie town.

Stories

The English Port City That Built Ocean Liners and Concordes

The English Port City That Built Ocean Liners and Concordes is Bristol, where Brunel's first ocean liner and the last Concorde sit a few miles apart.

Space

Why Uranus Spins Sideways

Uranus is the butt of countless childish jokes, but there are truly interesting qualities to it. Here's why Uranus spins sideways.

Ancient World

What Were The Roman Army’s Most Unlikely Victories?

Despite being outnumbered or unprepared for a particular type of warfare, the Romans often prevailed due to adaptability, cunning, and/or sheer willpower.

Space

Which Planet Is The Smallest?

Although the context can change the answer to this question, Mercury is the smallest planet, circling closest to the Sun.

Ancient World

The Bloodiest Battles In Ancient History

Gaugamela, Cannae, Carthage, and the Catalaunian Plains: four ancient battles that killed tens of thousands and rewrote the map.

Stories

Island Hopping Across Lake Erie

Island Hopping Across Lake Erie means ferry-hopping between Pelee, Kelleys, and the Bass Islands, a bi-national run of wineries and glacial grooves.

Travel

11 Small Towns on the Atlantic Coast with the Best Downtowns

From foggy Maine fishing harbors to a Florida reef town, these 11 Atlantic Coast small towns pair a walkable main street with a working waterfront.

Geography

How Big Alaska Is Compared To The Lower 48

Alaska is one fifth the size of the Lower 48 and bigger than Texas, California and Montana combined. Why the maps you grew up with got it wrong twice.

Climate

The 10 US Cities With the Longest Summers

Some US cities barely see winter at all. Ranked by NOAA normals, here are the ten with the longest thermal summers, from Honolulu to Fort Lauderdale.

Travel

11 Small Towns in The Northern United States with the Best Downtowns

Some downtowns are worth the whole trip. Meet 11 northern US towns with brick storefronts, lakeside Main Streets, and walkable historic districts.

Religion

African Countries With Islam As The Religion Of The Majority

In 19 African countries, Islam serves as the religion of the majority.

Geography

Country Names With 10 Letters

18 countries have names that contain 10 letters, from Azerbaijan to Uzbekistan. Discover what other countries make the list!

Society

Life Expectancy in Asia

Japan has the highest average life expectancy in Asia, as well as the world.

Geography

What Continent Is Hawaii In?

Although politically Hawaii is considered part of North America, geographically Hawaii is not part of any continent.

Geography

Landlocked Countries In Asia

Twelve countries in Asia are considered landlocked, although some of them, like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, are along the Caspian Sea.

Geography

What Are The Contiguous United States?

Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia share a boundary with at least one other state and jointly make up the contiguous United States.

Sports

The Largest Stadiums In Asia

The biggest stadium on Earth isn't in America or Europe. It's in Asia, alongside 14 more giants. See the largest stadiums in Asia, ranked by capacity.

Nature

What Is A Cloud Forest?

How cloud forests drink from the clouds, and why Kilimanjaro, Monteverde, Yakushima and the Appalachians all depend on the mist.

Climate

The Driest States In The United States

The driest states in the US aren't all deserts. Some are famous for snow. Ranked by NOAA precipitation data, with the geography that keeps each one dry.

Climate

The Cities With the Lowest Annual Rainfall in the US

The Cities With the Lowest Annual Rainfall in the US are led by Yuma, Arizona, where barely three inches fall in a year, followed by Las Vegas and Phoenix.