Geography Of The World
Where Alligators Live In Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay alligators crowd the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, bask by Causeway restaurant decks, and turn up at Gator Lake and in the surf on Dauphin Island.
What Would Happen If Sea Level Rose 10 Feet In California
Ten feet of sea-level rise would reach SFO, Alviso, the Delta’s below-sea-level farm islands, and Long Beach, where older port piers sit on former marsh.
How Much A Great Lakes Freighter Costs To Build Today
The Mark W. Barker’s price was never disclosed, but a 1973 thousand-footer cost $35 million, about $254 million in 2025 dollars, built under Jones Act rules.
Why The Great Lakes Almost Never Freeze Over Completely
The Great Lakes, so large that they are often mistaken for inland oceans, almost never completely freeze over. Here's why.
The Highest Mountain Range In The Lower 48
The Sierra Nevada runs about 400 miles through eastern California, climbing more than two miles above the Owens Valley and topping the Rockies and Cascades.
Why Great Lakes Freighters Stop Sailing In January
Each January, Great Lakes freighters tie up for the winter as the Soo Locks close for repairs, ice spreads on the lakes, and shipyards take over the fleet.
How Snapping Turtles Survive Under A Frozen Lake
Beneath a frozen lake, snapping turtles go months without breathing. Metabolic shutdown and shell chemistry are what keep them alive until spring.
Where Leeches Go In The Winter
When lakes freeze, leeches survive beneath the ice. Learn where they shelter, how they endure winter, and when they become active again.
The Highest Waterfall On A Major American River
The Highest Waterfall On A Major American River is the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone, which plunges nearly twice as far as Niagara into a colorful canyon.
How Much Iron Ore Gets Stockpiled Before The Soo Locks Close
The Lake Superior ore docks hold 15 million tons. Federal analysis says the mills need 15.5 to survive the Soo Locks closure. The system runs with no margin.
Where Bass Go In The Winter
Most bass winter close to home, but Mississippi River smallmouth swim up to 17 mi to slack water, and striped bass winter up to 30 miles off North Carolina.
The 10 Tallest Mountains In New Mexico
New Mexico's 10 tallest major mountains include Wheeler Peak, Truchas Peak, and remote summits with restricted hiking access.
The American Mountains With The Most Venomous Snakes
Rattlesnakes and copperheads live in the mountains of New York, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Arizona, denning on rocky slopes and even along hiking trails.
The American Mountains With A Lake On The Summit
Crater Lake fills a collapsed Oregon volcano, Lake Waiau sits in a cinder cone on Mauna Kea, and Rainier’s lakes lie in ice caves under its summit craters.
What Happens To Boulder City If Lake Mead Hits Dead Pool
A Lake Mead dead pool would reach Boulder City, Nevada, through its tap water, its share of Hoover Dam power, its boat ramps, and the visitors it depends on.
The Most Snake Infested Rivers In Washington
Washington's snake-filled rivers feature rocky rattlesnake habitats, riverside garter snakes, and wild canyons across the state.
The Single District That Holds The Most Colorado River Water In America
The Imperial Irrigation District holds the single largest Colorado River entitlement in the US, about 3.1 million acre-feet, more than Arizona and Nevada combined.
The Largest Valley In The United States
California’s Central Valley is the largest US valley ringed by mountains. It grows a quarter of US food, and pumping sank land near Mendota nearly 30 feet.
The 7 Tallest Mountains In The Appalachians
The tallest mountains in the Appalachians rise above North Carolina and Tennessee, with towering summits shaped by geology and conservation.
7 Most Alligator Filled Rivers In South Carolina
The rice harvests ended long ago, but old flooded fields now shelter alligators beside South Carolina's rivers, where some stretches hold hundreds.
The Rivers Where Carp Grow Largest
From common carp in the Charles and Potomac to invasive giants in the Illinois and Osage, these 7 US rivers produce some of the biggest carp in the country.
The US Rivers Where Eels Still Migrate
The US Rivers Where Eels Still Migrate include the Hudson and the dam-free Delaware, where tiny glass eels arrive every spring from the distant Sargasso Sea.
The US Lakes That Turn Deadly In Winter
Lake Erie, Lake Superior, Green Bay, Saginaw Bay, and Mille Lacs draw ice anglers every winter, yet each has logged deadly falls or mass ice rescues.
The Most Remote Peak In The Appalachians
The most remote peak in the Appalachians may be Maine's White Cap Mountain in the 100-Mile Wilderness, while Mount Mitchell is the most isolated by height.
The Largest Lakes In New England
New England may be small on the map, but its largest lakes stretch over 100 miles, cross borders, and fill valleys broad enough to swallow entire towns.
How Lake Toba Compares To The Great Lakes
Lake Toba is 23 times smaller than Erie and 99 metres deeper than Superior. The hole is considerably bigger than the thing filling it.
The Difference Between A Bay And A Harbor
Bays and harbors may look alike, but their definitions differ. Learn how geography, shelter, and engineering distinguish these waterways.
The US Rivers With The Most Freshwater Mussels
The US Rivers With The Most Freshwater Mussels include Tennessee’s Duck and Virginia’s Clinch, which hold more mussel species than all of Europe combined.
How Much Of The US Is Federal Land Compared To Other Countries
Some countries allow for much more private ownership of land than others. Here's how much federal land the US owns versus other countries.
Why Las Vegas Uses Less Water Today Than It Did 20 Years Ago
Las Vegas recycles about 99 percent of its indoor water back into Lake Mead for credit. Only outdoor use actually costs anything, so the city removed the grass.
The Busiest Ferry In America
New York's orange ferries never sleep, crossing the harbor for free around the clock and carrying 16.7 million passenger trips in fiscal 2026.
How Far North Alligators Live Along Atlantic Coast Rivers
Alligators live up Atlantic coast rivers from the Savannah to the Cape Fear and Alligator River, reaching their northern limit at a North Carolina millpond.
Why The Columbia River Flows Through A Desert
The Cascades started rising 7 million years ago. The Columbia was already there, and it cut down as fast as the mountains went up. Why it crosses a desert.
Where Beavers Go When Lakes Freeze
Beavers are highly adapted to survive for winter, engaging in engineering of the environment in order to wait out the cold.
5 Most Alligator Filled Rivers In North Carolina
North Carolina biologists track alligators along the Cape Fear, Lumber, Waccamaw and Alligator rivers, at the northern edge of the species' range.
What Happens To A Great Lakes Freighter In A November Gale
Lake waves hit a freighter every three to five seconds. What a November gale does to a laker’s hull and deck, and how the Edmund Fitzgerald came to be lost.
The Lakes Where Freshwater Drum Grow Largest
Tennessee's Nickajack Lake produced the 54-pound world-record freshwater drum in 1972. Nine more U.S. lakes and reservoirs rank by their state-record drum.
How Great Lakes Freighters Navigate In Fog
Laker crews in fog rely on radar, AIS targets, and passing calls on VHF channel 13, and the St. Marys River closes when visibility drops below a quarter mile.
The Deepest Bay In The United States
Monterey Bay is the deepest bay in the US, hiding a submarine canyon over two miles deep, deeper than the Grand Canyon, right off the California coast.
The Difference Between A Sound And A Strait
Sounds and straits often overlap. A strait links larger bodies of water, but a sound may be an inlet, a passage, or a fjord like New Zealand's Milford Sound.