Geography Of The World
How Much of America Drains Into the Mississippi River?
The Mississippi-Atchafalaya basin drains about 41% of the contiguous US, over 1.245 million square miles, and the Missouri subbasin alone supplies 43% of it.
10 Highest Elevation Lakes In The US
Lake Waiau in Hawaii tops this list of natural US lakes above 10,000 feet, joined by Colorado, Wyoming and Utah waters in the Rockies and Uintas.
The Highest-Elevation Rivers In The United States
The Merced River in California's Sierra Nevada starts at 13,114 feet, with Colorado's Lake Fork Gunnison, Blue, and Roaring Fork rivers close behind.
The Western Cities With No Backup Water Source
Phoenix can survive dead pool for generations. The western cities with genuinely no backup water source are small, sit on a reservoir, and never make the headlines.
The US Lakes Where Swans Have Taken Over
Elegant enough to look harmless, mute swans are stripping Great Lakes wetlands bare and crowding out native birds. See where they have taken hold.
Why Las Vegas Built A Third Straw Under Lake Mead
Las Vegas spent $817 million drilling three miles under Lake Mead to reach an intake below the level at which Hoover Dam can release water. Why, and how it went.
Why The Megalodon Went Extinct
The megalodon went extinct about 3.6 million years ago, as shifting prey, competition, and ocean changes reshaped its world.
Why Water Moccasins Are Most Active In Fall
Cottonmouths leave the water in autumn and walk overland to upland dens. Why water moccasins are most active in fall, and why encounters happen away from swamps.
The Shortest Mountain Range In The United States
The Sutter Buttes rise about 10 miles across the Sacramento Valley, a worn-down volcano widely called the shortest mountain range in the United States.
How Much Of The World's Fresh Water Sits In North America?
North America holds roughly one-quarter of the world’s fresh surface water, with the Great Lakes alone accounting for about 21% of the global supply.
The Deepest Point In The Ocean
Descend to Challenger Deep, the ocean’s deepest point, and discover how it formed, how deep it is, and who has reached the bottom.
The US Lakes With The Most Rattlesnakes
Lakes do not have rattlesnakes. Shorelines do. Why America's most snake-populated water is mostly artificial, and which reservoirs lead the count.
What Happens If The Great Salt Lake Dries Up Completely
A dry Great Salt Lake would leave Utah with a dust-prone lakebed, a lost brine shrimp harvest, less lake-effect snow, and 12 million birds short of food.
The Cleanest Rivers In America
From California's Smith to Montana's Flathead, these ten American rivers pair documented clean water with the strongest protections their states allow.
The Highest Mountain In The United States That Isn't In Alaska
Mount Whitney in California is the tallest US mountain outside Alaska at 14,505 feet. Colorado's Sawatch peaks, Mount Rainier, and Mount Williamson follow.
5 Most Snake-Filled Bodies Of Water In Mississippi
Mississippi's snakes favor the Mississippi and Pearl rivers, Enid and Sardis lakes, and the Gulf Islands, where cottonmouths and water snakes hunt.
How Great Lakes Freighters Survive 25-Foot Waves
Great Lakes freighters ride out 25-foot storm waves through hull design, freeboard, careful loading, sealed hatches, and a crew's choice of when to sail.
The Deepest Shipwreck In American Waters
No wreck in American waters sits deeper than a WWII carrier lost at Midway. See how explorers reached it and what else rests on the seabed with it.
How Much Great Lakes Water Passes Over Niagara Falls Every Second
Niagara Falls carries about 100,000 cubic feet of Great Lakes water per second at peak flow, roughly 750,000 gallons, most of it over Horseshoe Falls.
The Largest Lakes In The Desert Southwest
Salton Sea, Lake Powell, and Lake Mead lead the Desert Southwest's biggest lakes by surface area. Ten lakes and reservoirs ranked by federal figures.
The American Mountains With Roads To The Summit
Six US mountains, from Colorado's Pikes Peak to New Hampshire's Mt Washington, where a paved road and a toll booth replace the multi-day hike to the summit.
How Much Lithium Is Under The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea holds 4.1 million metric tons of measured lithium and possibly 18 million. Why the two figures differ, and whether any of it comes out.
The Most Venomous Creatures In The Sea
Some of the sea’s most dangerous creatures hide their worst weapon in plain sight, delivering venom through spines, stingers, and bites.
The Steepest Mountain In The United States
A sheer 3,000-foot granite wall, an unclimbed 6,500-foot face, and a desert cliff second only to El Cap. See which peak is truly the steepest in the US.
The Lakes Being Deliberately Refilled In The American West
Across the American West, lakes like Mead, Mono, and the Great Salt Lake are gaining water as agencies buy rights and curb diversions to steer flows back.
The Only City Outside The Great Lakes Basin Allowed To Drink Its Water
Waukesha, Wisconsin is the only city entirely outside the Great Lakes Basin allowed to drink the lakes' water. How it won a rare exception, and why Chicago differs.
The American Mountains With The Most Black Bears
The Cascades hold the most black bears, the southern Appalachians hold the densest, and Alaska has a third of them all. Where American mountain bears concentrate.
The US Dams Rated Highest Hazard By Federal Inspectors
Six dams in Texas, Kansas, and California had the highest modeled overtopping odds among 33 US dams in a 2025 study, upstream of towns home to 274,000 people.
The Most Treacherous Passages For Ships On The Great Lakes
The Great Lakes' deadliest water sits in narrow channels: Death's Door, Grays Reef, Livingstone Channel, and other passages where ships lose their margin.
What Happens When A River Changes Course
When a river changes course, old channels can vanish, new ones cut across the floodplain, and whole stretches of land can change with the flow.
The Strongest Ocean Current Off The American Coast
The Gulf Stream is the strongest current off the American coast, carrying warm water north while the cold California Current feeds Pacific kelp forests.
The Lakes Open To Fishing Year-Round
Year-round fishing has its fine print on these lakes, where winter casts are legal but species limits, state lines, and local rules still matter.
How Big Lake Superior Is Compared To Entire States
Lake Superior spans 31,700 square miles, larger than 10 US states by total area and nearly the size of South Carolina, plus a 2,726-mile shoreline.
What Happens To The Boundary Waters If The Mine Opens
Congress lifted the Boundary Waters mining ban in 2026 and Minnesota blocked the permits months later. What the mine would mean, and where the fight actually stands.
What Happens If Louisiana Keeps Losing Coast At This Rate
A football field of Louisiana disappears every 100 minutes. What that adds up to, what the projections say, and what changed in 2025.
Why Lake Michigan Is The Deadliest Great Lake
Nearly half of all Great Lakes drownings happen in Lake Michigan. The shape of the basin, the wind direction, and the statistic that reframes the whole subject.
The Great Lakes Species Found Nowhere Else On Earth
Great Lakes dunes, limestone shores, and cold streams hold species with tiny world ranges, from Lake Superior's deep-dwelling kiyi to an Isle Royale ragwort.
Why Mono Lake Almost Disappeared
Exported south by aqueduct for over forty years, the lake lost nearly half its volume and doubled in salinity before a landmark court ruling forced change.
The Ocean Trenches Inside US Territory
Miles below US waters sit three of the deepest scars on Earth, where pressure crushes submarines, plates grind, and improbable creatures still survive.
How Much Water Lake Powell Loses Into The Canyon Walls
One side says Lake Powell loses 860,000 acre-feet a year into rock and air. A technical review says draining it would save 40,000. How much really goes into the walls