WorldAtlas Latest Articles

State Parks

The State Parks Where Flash Floods Are A Real Risk

Clear skies mean nothing if rain is falling miles upstream. Seven state parks where flash floods turn dry washes and gorges dangerous fast.

Cities

9 Unforgettable Small Towns to Visit in the Finger Lakes Region

Nestled in New York is the picturesque Finger Lakes Region, encompassing eleven lakes, 1.28 people, and unforgettable small towns you'll want to visit.

Cities

9 Of The Most Captivating Small Towns In The Ozarks

The Ozarks are more than just mountain scenery. They are also home to eight of the United States' most fun and fascinating small towns.

Cities

This Is The Most Welcoming Town In Idaho

Moscow, Idaho, fills its calendar with jazz festivals and comedy, while Palouse parks, plus local markets and dining, round out a visit.

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.

Oceans

The Coldest Ocean On Earth

The Coldest Ocean On Earth is the Southern Ocean, where surface waters hover near freezing and the world's strongest current circles all of Antarctica.

Animals

Striped Hyena

Striped Hyena is the only hyena found outside sub-Saharan Africa, a shaggy, bone-cracking scavenger of dry country now thinning toward Near Threatened.

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.

Lakes

The Largest Lakes On Every Continent

Under Antarctic ice, inside a supervolcano crater, holding a fifth of Earth's fresh water: meet the biggest freshwater lake on each continent.

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.

Animals

The Fastest Birds In The World

The White-throated Needletail is the fastest in horizontal flight at 170 km/h, while the Peregrine Falcon reaches 389 km/h in dives.

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.

Space

How Long Would It Take To Travel To Each Planet?

Moving at a speed of 50,000-miles per hour, it would take 32-days to reach Venus, the closest planet, and 2,250-days to reach Neptune, the furthest planet.

Ancient World

Where Did The Romans Come From And The Origins Of Rome

A wolf, a murder, and muddy huts on a hilltop: trace where the Romans really came from, from the villages above the Tiber to an empire of 70 million.

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.

Industries

10 Countries with the Largest Uranium Reserves

Australia holds 1.67 million tonnes of recoverable uranium, but Kazakhstan mines the most. How the ten largest resource holders compare.

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.

Mountains

The Longest Mountain Ranges in Asia

The Kunlun Mountains, in China, is the longest mountain range in Asia.

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.

Society

Countries That Use Their Own Calendar

In Ethiopia, it's not the year you think, and there are 13 months. Discover the countries that still run on their own calendars instead of the Gregorian one.