Geography Of The World
Why Some Rivers Cut Straight Through Mountains
Rivers are a powerful force which essentially never ceases. Over time, they can carve massive channels through seemingly solid rock.
The Largest Bay In The United States
Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the US at 4,480 square miles and the answer most people mean by the largest bay, though Alaska’s Cook Inlet is bigger by area.
The American Mountains With The Most Copperheads
Copperheads in Virginia's Blue Ridge, the Smokies, Missouri's Ozarks, New York's Hudson Highlands, and Connecticut favor rocky slopes and woodland edges.
Most Alligator Filled Rivers In Georgia
The Altamaha, Satilla, St. Marys, Suwannee and Ogeechee all run through Georgia gator country, and each has a park or trail where you can watch from dry land.
Why Some American Rivers Have No Mouth
In the American West's Great Basin, rivers such as the Humboldt and Amargosa never reach an ocean, vanishing into desert sinks, dry air, and volcanic rock.
Why Great Lakes Freighters Have Their Bridge At The Front
Great Lakes freighters kept the pilothouse at the bow from the 1869 R.J. Hackett to the last laker in 1974, a layout still preserved at lakeside museums.
How Big Lake Erie Is Compared To Wales
Lake Erie covers about 9,910 square miles, roughly 24% bigger than all of Wales. Why the shallowest, smallest Great Lake still swallows a whole country.
The US Rivers Where River Otters Have Come Back
The US Rivers Where River Otters Have Come Back include Colorado’s Gunnison, site of the nation’s first otter release, and Pennsylvania’s Youghiogheny.
Where Bull Sharks Go In The Winter
In winter, bull sharks gather in warm coastal waters from the Gulf of Mexico and Florida to Mexico's Sea of Cortez and the coast of Mozambique.
The American Mountains Where Snakebites Happen Most Often
The American Mountains Where Snakebites Happen Most Often include North Carolina’s Blue Ridge, where well-hidden copperheads cause most of the state’s bites.
What Happens To Palm Springs If Lake Mead Hits Dead Pool
Palm Springs draws its tap water from wells refilled with Lake Mead water. At dead pool, its Whitewater recharge basins and Coachella Canal would feel it first.
The Last Major Undammed River In The Lower 48
The Yellowstone River runs 671 mi from Wyoming to the Missouri with no big dam on its main channel, yet a diversion dam in eastern Montana still blocks fish.
Where Great Lakes Freighters Spend The Winter
When the Soo Locks close in January, Great Lakes freighters spend winter at shipyards and docks from Sturgeon Bay to Sarnia. Here is where the lakers lay up.
Where Water Moccasins Go In The Winter
Water moccasins spend winter in animal burrows, stump holes, and bluff crevices, and in southern Illinois they cross Snake Road to reach shelter.
Where Frogs Go When Ponds Freeze
As ponds freeze and the croaking stops, frogs survive in unexpected ways, breathing beneath the ice or enduring winter with their hearts stopped.
How Big Lake Michigan Is Compared To Switzerland
Lake Michigan covers about 22,400 square miles, making it roughly 40% bigger than all of Switzerland. You could sink the whole country in it with room to spare.
The Oldest Shipwreck Ever Found In American Waters
Coming to America by sea is nothing new. Ships have been coming here long before the country's modern borders were drawn. Here is America's oldest shipwreck.
The Largest Whirlpool In American Waters
Old Sow, between Eastport, Maine, and Deer Island, New Brunswick, is a tidal whirlpool over 250 feet across that churns up nutrients for fish and seabirds.
The 10 Tallest Mountains In New York
Mount Marcy tops New York's 10 tallest mountains, a set of Adirondack summits that includes Algonquin Peak, Olympic-era Whiteface, and remote Basin Mountain.
The Longest River Entirely In One State In The Lower 48
Texas’s Colorado River runs 862 miles without crossing a state line, the longest such course in the Lower 48, from West Texas to Matagorda Bay.
The 10 Tallest Mountains In The Adirondacks
The Adirondacks' 10 tallest mountains combine ancient geology, challenging hikes, alpine summits, and fascinating historical landmarks.
6 Most Snake Infested Rivers In Arizona
Grand Canyon rattlesnakes along the Colorado, gartersnakes in Tavasci Marsh on the Verde, and diamondbacks on Planet Ranch Road live along six Arizona rivers.
What Happens To The Navajo Nation If Lake Powell Keeps Dropping
Falling Lake Powell levels threaten affordable power for the Navajo Nation and complicate plans to bring running water to more communities.
The 10 Tallest Mountains In Hawaii
Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa top Hawaii's 10 tallest mountains, a list that also takes in Haleakalā on Maui and remote rainforest summits on Kauai and Molokai.
The Rare US Mountain Ranges That Runs East To West
Utah's Uinta Mountains are often called the only major US range running east to west, but California's Transverse Ranges and the Ouachitas also qualify.
The Largest Squid Ever Found Off The US Coast
The Largest Squid Ever Found Off The US Coast was a giant squid stranded on Plum Island, Massachusetts, still the biggest documented in American waters.
What Happens To St. Louis If The Missouri And Mississippi Flood Together
When the Missouri and Mississippi flood together, St. Louis floods unevenly. Here is how the 1993 crest tested the city’s floodwall, levees, and defenses.
How Long A Great Lakes Freighter Is Compared To The Empire State Building
Stood on end, the 1,013.5-foot Paul R. Tregurtha would stop 36.5 feet below the Empire State Building’s 86th-floor deck and span nearly four Manhattan blocks.
Why The Colorado Runs Red And The Green Runs Green
In Utah’s Canyonlands, sediment makes the Colorado run red and the Green run green, and dams like Flaming Gorge and Glen Canyon can flip both colors.
How Big Yellowstone Is Compared To Small Countries
Of the many wonderful aspects of Yellowstone National Park is its sheer size, equaling or surpassing that of many small countries.
The Free Ferries Still Running In America
Eight US ferries still charge nothing to ride, including New York's Staten Island Ferry, Texas's Galveston-Port Bolivar route, and Wisconsin's Merrimac Ferry.
The Lake Powell Marinas That Have Closed Because Of Low Water
Low water on Lake Powell in Utah has shut Dangling Rope and Hite marinas, towed Bullfrog's docks to deeper water, and left the Charles Hall Ferry idle.
The Largest Squid Ever Filmed
A squid surfaced off Japan on a fishing line, giving scientists rare footage of a living giant. Then an Antarctic heavyweight entered the picture.
5 US Rivers With The Most Copperheads
Copperheads are commonly seen in West Virginia’s New River Gorge, were radio-tracked in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, and are Missouri’s top venomous snake.
The Day The Teton Dam Burst
Idaho's Teton Dam failed as it first filled in June 1976, flooding Wilford, Sugar City, and Rexburg, killing 11 people, and prompting a new dam safety law.
What Happens If The Columbia’s Dams Come Down All At Once
The Columbia River's 14 mainstem dams supply over half the Northwest's power and water 671,000 acres of farmland. Here is what their removal would undo.
The US Lakes Where Marinas Have Closed Because Of Low Water
Low water moved Bullfrog Marina across Lake Powell, shut Detroit Lake Marina’s moorage by July, and left Lake Sakakawea’s state park slips unusable in 2026.
The Creatures That Live Deeper Than The Titanic
The Titanic rests 12,500 feet down, but octopuses, snailfish, and amphipods live far deeper, down to nearly 36,000 feet in the Challenger Deep.
Where Alligators Go When Lakes Freeze
At a North Carolina swamp park, alligators survive frozen water by brumating with their snouts poking above the ice so they can breathe until it melts.
How A Great Lakes Freighter Compares To The Biggest Ocean Container Ship
The Great Lakes’ biggest freighter is about 300 feet shorter than the world’s largest container ship, and the reason traces to one lock in Michigan.