WorldAtlas Latest Articles

County

The Smallest County In The United States

Kalawao County is America’s smallest county proper by land area; it's 11.99 square miles, holds a vast history, and a future tied to Maui.

National Parks

The National Parks With Tide Pools

The National Parks With Tide Pools include Olympic, Acadia, Channel Islands, Glacier Bay, and Redwood, each best visited during a negative low tide.

Landmarks

Top 10 Most Famous Bridges In The United States

Bridges are remarkable structures in that they can be designed in almost any style to fulfill their requirements while also having certain meaning.

State Parks

The Quietest State Parks For A Weekday Getaway

The quietest state parks make you work to reach them. Boats, ferries, and gravel roads guard 10 weekday escapes with empty trails and dark skies.

Geography

Landlocked Countries In Asia

Twelve countries in Asia are considered landlocked, although some of them, like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, are along the Caspian Sea.

Space

Which Planet Is The Most Tilted?

Uranus leans at 97.77 degrees, far more than any other planet. See why the seventh world spins on its side and what that does to its seasons.

Ancient World

From Ithaca to IMAX, Here’s The Real Geography Behind Homer’s Odyssey

From Ithaca to IMAX, Here's The Real Geography Behind Homer's Odyssey, tracing the hero's voyage across Turkey, Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, and Greece.

Ancient World

The Dark Truth About Rome’s Greatest Emperors

From mass murder to religious persecution, even the best Roman emperors did things that would likely make them irredeemable in the eyes of many.

Animals

The Most Common Birds in the World

Which species are the most common birds in the world? The house sparrow, rock pigeon, and European starling all number in the billions.

Ancient World

How Aqueducts Made The Roman Empire Possible

How gravity-fed aqueducts brought fresh water to ancient Rome, filled its baths, and made a city of a million people possible.

Geography

What Are The Contiguous United States?

Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia share a boundary with at least one other state and jointly make up the contiguous United States.

Stories

Traversing Michigan’s Pictured Rocks By Land & Water

Traversing Michigan's Pictured Rocks By Land & Water, one traveler runs a marathon on Grand Island, kayaks the sandstone cliffs, and hikes the dunes.

Bodies of Water

5 Most Snake-Filled Bodies Of Water In New Jersey

5 Most Snake-Filled Bodies Of Water In New Jersey, from the Mullica River's Pine Barrens to Lake Hopatcong, where water snakes and rattlers hunt.

Travel

6 Overlooked Towns In The UK Worth Visiting

No matter what you’re looking for, you’re sure to find it at any of these overlooked towns in the United Kingdom worth visiting.

Animals

Saiga Antelope

The admittedly odd-looking saiga antelope's population fell by 95 percent after the fall of the Soviet Union, but is slowly recovering.

Oceans

What Happens To Your Body At The Bottom Of The Ocean

What Happens To Your Body At The Bottom Of The Ocean depends on salt and cold. Seawater works in days, while a cold lake can preserve remains for decades.

Mountains

The Longest Mountain Ranges in Asia

The Kunlun Mountains, in China, is the longest mountain range in Asia.

Ancient World

Why The Odyssey Is Still Relevant Today

Factors like its awe-inspiring nature, historical relevance, and universal themes all demonstrate why the Odyssey is still relevant today.

Animals

Which Animals Cannot Walk Backwards?

Neither Emus nor Kangaroos, which are both from Australia, can walk backwards. The Australian coat of arms features both of these animals as symbolism for moving forward.

Oceans

The US Beaches Losing The Most Sand To The Ocean

The US Beaches Losing The Most Sand To The Ocean, where storms, rising seas, and lost sediment force costly battles to keep famous shorelines in place.

Lakes

The Best Trophy Fishing Lakes In The Rockies

What makes a lake produce record trout? A ranked look at the Rockies' top trophy fisheries, where cold water, kokanee, and predator control grow giants.

Lakes

How A Single Boat Can Infest An Entire Lake

Zebra mussel larvae are invisible, and a drained boat still holds a gallon of water. How a single boat can infest an entire lake, and what actually stops it.

Travel

9 Overlooked Towns In Northern Ireland Worth Visiting

Nine overlooked towns in Northern Ireland with Norman castles, working distilleries, rare oak woods, and porcelain well worth seeing.

Geography

Which Countries Border Italy?

Italy borders France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia, plus the two microstates it completely encloses: San Marino and Vatican City.

Animals

White Tiger

White tigers exist due to a very rare genetic mutation found among Bengal tigers in India, but now exist only in captivity.

Sports

The Largest Stadiums In Asia

The biggest stadium on Earth isn't in America or Europe. It's in Asia, alongside 14 more giants. See the largest stadiums in Asia, ranked by capacity.

Space

Does Space Ever Truly End?

See why the observable universe has a horizon and how space may be infinite or finite without ever reaching a physical edge.

Stories

Experiencing Michigan’s Bavarian Enclave

Experiencing Michigan's Bavarian Enclave means a day in Frankenmuth, with a riverboat cruise, glockenspiel bells, and the world's largest Christmas store.

Stories

Nottingham Has Europe’s Largest Cave Network, Step Inside

Nottingham Has Europe's Largest Cave Network, Step Inside a royal escape tunnel, a pub carved into a cliff, and Britain's only known underground tannery.

Space

Why JWST Keeps Finding Galaxies That Shouldn't Exist

The construction of the James Webb Space Telescope has led to continuous revelations about the universe, including findings of galaxies that shouldn't exist.

Space

What Would Happen if the Sun Disappeared?

What would happen if the Sun vanished? Explore how Earth’s orbit, temperatures, oceans, and surviving life would change in total darkness forever.

Society

Countries That Use Their Own Calendar

In Ethiopia, it's not the year you think, and there are 13 months. Discover the countries that still run on their own calendars instead of the Gregorian one.

Geography

East Germany

Founded in 1949 and gone by 1990, East Germany built the Berlin Wall and a vast police state. Explore the geography and history of the GDR.

Geography

What Are The Climate Zones Of The US?

Given that the contiguous United States spans the width of North America, it’s not surprising that the country has no fewer than nine unique climate zones.

Society

Deepest Metro Stations in the World

Some metro stations plunge over a hundred meters underground, driven by challenging terrain, leading to engineering marvels with grand designs.

Society

Which Country Has The Longest National Anthem?

Greece's Hymn to Liberty runs 158 stanzas, while Uruguay's anthem takes nearly five minutes to sing. Discover which country has the longest national anthem.

Economics

Which US States Trade The Most With China?

California dominates China trade, but state-by-state data reveal tariffs create uneven winners and losers across logistics, manufacturing, and energy.

Landforms

10 Famous Landforms In The U.S.

There are not many countries in the world that contain the same amount of beautiful landforms as the U.S. does. Their beauty is unmatched and will leave you breathless!

GDP

US States That Produce the Most Wheat

Kansas is the top wheat producing state in the US.

Volcanoes

When Did The Last Major Volcanic Eruption In The US Happen?

The eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 was the last major volcanic eruption in the United States. Learn more about the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.