WorldAtlas Latest Articles

Towns

11 Most Breathtaking Towns on the Gulf Coast

Towns on the Gulf Coast offer visitors breathtaking experiences, from kayaking and birdwatching to gallery hopping and historic tours.

Lakes

How Many Feet Lake Mead Has Dropped Since 2000

Lake Mead has fallen 176.5 feet since 2000, but it gained 46.6 feet in 2011 alone. The decline is a staircase with landings, not a straight line

Places

The Largest Indoor Ski Slope In America

Big SNOW at the American Dream mall in New Jersey is North America's only year-round indoor slope with real snow, kept at 28F across four acres of terrain.

Cities

12 Best Downtowns In Tennessee

12 Best Downtowns In Tennessee. Stand in two states on Bristol's State Street, walk Morristown's overhead sidewalks, and grab a nickel Coke in Pulaski.

Places

8 Great Road Trips to Take in Upstate New York

Eight Upstate New York road trips, from the 30-mile High Peaks Scenic Byway to the Cayuga Lake loop and the Great Lakes Seaway Trail along the northern shore.

Travel

Pittsburgh Has More Bridges Than Any City In America, If You Want It To

Pittsburgh calls itself the City of Bridges, and 446 is the number everyone repeats. Houston has 2,325. Here is how the claim survived for over a century.

Oceans

The Largest Marine Sanctuary In America

Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands covers 582,570 square miles and is the largest marine sanctuary in America.

Lakes

The US Dams Still Generating Power After More Than 100 Years

From Keokuk, Iowa to Wilson Dam, Alabama, century-old US hydroelectric plants still power the grid from their original dams and powerhouses.

Lakes

The US Lakes Where Alligator Gar Have Been Caught

Alligator gar over 300 pounds have surfaced from Southern US lakes, from Mississippi's Lake Chotard to Texas waters like Sam Rayburn and Lake Texoma.

Animals

Star-Nosed Mole

Star-Nosed Mole facts, from the fleshy star that is the most sensitive touch organ known to its record-fast foraging in the wetlands of eastern North America.

Animals

How Cold It Has To Get Before Rattlesnakes Stop Moving

Rattlesnakes go sluggish below 60°F and basically stop moving near 50°F, then brumate. The temperature breakdown, and why a cold snake can still bite.

Space

Why The Milky Way May Never Collide With Andromeda

A 2025 study of the Milky Way and Andromeda found roughly even odds of a merger within 10 billion years, challenging the long-held collision forecast.

Ancient World

The Worst Mistakes Made By Roman Emperors

Roman emperors were among history's most powerful rulers but even those who wielded immense authority made grievous mistakes.

Travel

10 Underrated Florida Towns Worth the Drive in 2026

10 Underrated Florida Towns Worth the Drive in 2026. See manatees at Blue Spring, the Navy SEAL museum in Fort Pierce, and a cattle drive in Okeechobee.

Geography

How Long America's Rivers Are Compared To The Nile

The Mississippi runs about 57% of the Nile's length, and the Missouri-Mississippi nearly 90%, with the Yukon, Rio Grande, Colorado, and Columbia even shorter.

Animals

Scrub Python

Scrub Python is Australia's longest snake, and the female warms her eggs by shivering, coiled around the clutch for three months without once feeding.

Wildlife By Place

Where Rattlesnakes Live In The United States

Rattlesnakes live in 46 US states, from Southwest deserts to eastern forests and the Great Plains. Where each kind lives, and the four states with none.

Animals

Sawfish

Sawfish use their saw to sense and stun prey, and the same blade snags in fishing nets. All five surviving species are now listed as Critically Endangered.

Space

Which Moon Is The Most Cratered?

In space, floating bodies often collide. Most commonly, this occurs between asteroids and planets or moons. But which moon is most cratered?

Travel

8 Underrated Iowa Towns Worth The Drive In 2026

These towns will take you through Danish settlements, former railroad communities, and towns preserving unusually specialized museums.

Industries

The Top Semiconductor States In America

Semiconductors are some of the most coveted materials on the planet, currently. Here are the top semiconductor states in America.

Ancient World

Rome’s Bloodiest Power Struggles

Explore Ancient Rome’s most consequential power struggles and how battles for political control helped bring down the Republic and reshape the Empire.

Ancient World

The Most Important Roman Cities

Four cities shaped the Roman Empire's rise and legacy. Learn how Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Carthage influenced its history.

Geography

How Big Texas Is Compared To Europe's Largest Countries

Texas is larger than nearly every country in Europe. Its 268,597 square miles stack up against Europe’s biggest nations in surprising ways.

Travel

10 Small Towns in The Poconos with the Best Downtowns

Old rail hubs, compact main streets, and unexpected local landmarks give these Poconos downtowns a personality far bigger than their size.

Ancient World

Why Was The Nile So Important To Ancient Egypt?

Without the Nile River, Ancient Egyptian civilization likely wouldn’t have existed as it formed the political, economic, and cultural backbone of Ancient Egypt.

Ancient World

How Rome Conquered the Mediterranean

Rome's conquest of the Mediterranean rested on a war-centered culture, adaptable legions, and a knack for drawing conquered peoples into Roman society.

Space

Which World Has The Most Extreme Temperature Swing?

There are practically infinite planets in the universe. Needless to say, many of them have conditions that humans would consider extreme.

Travel

6 Underrated Oregon Towns Worth the Drive in 2026

Six underrated Oregon towns worth a trip in 2026, from Warrenton's shipwreck beach and Manzanita's surf to Newberg wineries, The Dalles, Sisters, and Ashland.

GDP

The Richest Countries In Africa 2025

Africa’s richest countries fall into three types: island economies, hydrocarbon exporters, and diversified markets, shaped by resources and policies

Climate

The Difference Between A Hurricane, A Typhoon, And A Cyclone

A hurricane, a typhoon and a cyclone are the same storm under three names. Which one you get depends on the ocean, and a date line crossing proves it.

Space

Why Lucy Is Visiting Eight Asteroids Instead Of One

NASA's Lucy spacecraft is the first mission to explore Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, ancient bodies that may reveal how the solar system's giant planets formed.

Mountains

The Mountains That Are Still Growing

Some mountains are still rising today, pushed upward by tectonic forces even as erosion and melting ice reshape their peaks.

Mountains

The American Power Plants Built Inside A Mountain

From Tennessee's Raccoon Mountain to Washington's Boundary Dam, several U.S. power plants run their turbines deep inside excavated mountain rock.

Mountains

Why Denali Is Harder To Climb Than Everest

Lower summit, harder climb. Thin polar air, 100-pound loads, and rescue that can be days away make Denali a tougher test than Everest for most climbers.

Mountains

The Most Climbed Mountain In America

Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire draws around 125,000 climbers a year, with a 3,165-foot summit most hikers reach in a few hours and views across six states.

GDP

The Richest Countries In Europe 2026

Europe has been an economic hub of the world for centuries. Strong banking and manufacturing sectors and embracing free trade have been key to its success.

GDP

The Richest Countries in North America 2026

In 2025, the U.S., Canada, and Panama lead North America in GDP per capita, reflecting diverse economic strengths and strategies.

Industries

The States With More Farmland Than People

Eight US states have more farmland than people, with farm operations covering over half their land and fewer than 100 residents per square mile.

Geography

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.