Geography Of The World
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.
How Ducks Keep Their Feet From Freezing On Ice
Ducks stand on frozen ponds without freezing thanks to countercurrent heat exchange in their legs, bare scaly feet, down feathers, and a one-legged stance.
Lake Mead Supplies 25 Million People, Lake Powell Supplies 7,500
One reservoir is where the water is kept and the other is where it is handed out. Lake Mead supplies 25 million people. Lake Powell supplies 7,500
What Happens If Lake Granby Is Drained To Save Lake Powell
Draining Lake Granby would lift Lake Powell about 8 feet at most, take at least a year and a half, and drop the lake well below its 2002 drought low.
The Year The Ohio River Flood Took Louisville
In January 1937, the Ohio River rose more than 30 feet above flood stage at Louisville, Kentucky, submerging about 70% of the city and forcing 175,000 to flee.
What Happens To Page If Lake Powell Hits Dead Pool
At dead pool, Page, Arizona, would lose its boat ramps, hydropower from Glen Canyon Dam and released water at Horseshoe Bend, but its taps would keep running.
Why The Edmund Fitzgerald Was Never Raised
The Edmund Fitzgerald lies in two pieces 530 feet down in Canadian waters, a protected grave where only its bell has been raised, at the families’ request.
Where Water Moccasins And Rattlesnakes Overlap
Cottonmouths meet rattlesnakes where swamps rise into ridges and bluffs, as at Illinois's Snake Road, closed to cars twice a year for migrating snakes.
The Longest Lakes In The United States
A length ranking of the longest lakes in the United States, from Lake Superior and the Great Lakes to Iliamna, Great Salt Lake, and Rainy Lake.
What Would Happen If The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Reached Shore
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch won't wash ashore as one mass, but its plastic already reaches Hawaii's beaches and reefs, endangering turtles and seabirds.
What Would Happen If Sea Level Rose 10 Feet On The East Coast
The Atlantic would reach far beyond the beach, flooding city streets, cutting off coastal roads, and pushing saltwater into local freshwater supplies.
The Most Snake Infested Rivers In New York
The Most Snake Infested Rivers In New York include the Hudson and Delaware, where water snakes bask on rocks and rare timber rattlers den on the ridges above.
The Difference Between A Tide And A Current
Tides set how high the water sits, and currents set where it flows. Alaska's Turnagain Arm and rip currents on Great Lakes beaches show why the two differ.
How Far North Asian Carp Have Reached
Asian carp have pushed north to North Dakota's James River and into Quebec, held back by a patchwork of dams, locks, and one electric barrier.
How A Great Lakes Freighter Gets Through The Soo Locks
A 1,013.5-foot freighter drops 21 feet in the Poe Lock at Sault Ste. Marie with 2.5 feet to spare per side, as gravity drains about 22 million gallons.
How A Great Lakes Freighter Compares To An Aircraft Carrier
A Ford-class carrier is 1,106 feet and runs 4,500 people. The Paul R. Tregurtha is 1,013 feet and runs 24. How a Great Lakes freighter compares.
How The Sierra Nevada Compares To The Rockies
The Sierra Nevada is one slab of granite. The Rockies are 3000 miles of folded rock. Both top 14400 feet, and almost everything else about them is different.