WorldAtlas Latest Articles
What Would We Find If We Drained The Oceans
Drain Earth's oceans and the Bering land bridge, the abyssal plains and the Mariana Trench are what the seafloor leaves behind.
Why Kelp Forests Only Grow On One American Coast
Kelp forests tower a hundred feet along the Pacific but never grow off the Atlantic because of cold currents, upwelling, and rocky seafloor.
How A New County Gets Created In America
Each state must decide whether a county can be created, who gets a vote, and what conditions the proposed county must meet.
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.
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.
8 Main Streets Where New South Wales Comes Alive
These towns are home to some of the liveliest main streets in New South Wales, featuring festivals, opera houses, and more.
The Largest Science Museums In The United States
Ranked by floor area, US science museums run from 615,000 square feet in Los Angeles to 300,000 in Jersey City, with Chicago and Philadelphia tied between.
The Oldest Forts Still Standing In America
America's oldest surviving forts, from the coquina walls of Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas to Old Fort Niagara and Maine's Old Fort Western.
How Much Power Hoover Dam Loses For Every Foot Lake Mead Drops
Detailed view of the Hoover Dam intake towers standing above the Colorado River, showing water levels and surrounding rocky desert terrain
What Happens If The Mississippi River Locks Shut Down
What a Mississippi River lock shutdown near St. Louis does to grain prices, fertilizer deliveries, and barge traffic, and why the river keeps flowing anyway.
The American Levees Protecting The Most People
The East Coast Protective Levee in Florida shields over 3 million people, more than any other US levee system. See the 14 systems protecting 200,000 or more.
Proboscis Monkey
Proboscis Monkey males grow a nose that can hang below the mouth, and it works as a resonance chamber. The biggest-nosed males hold the most females.
How Far South Moose Live In The United States
Wild moose live at the latitude of San Francisco, Seoul and Athens. How far south moose get in the US, and the trick that makes 37 degrees north possible.
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.
How Diocletian Rebuilt The Roman Army
Few figures in the history of Ancient Rome made more sweeping and lasting changes than Diocletian after the Crisis of the Third Century.
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.
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
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.
Nose-Horned Viper
Nose-Horned Viper facts, from the soft snout horn and long fangs of a snake often called Europe's most dangerous to its rocky Balkan habitat and live births.
Night Adder
Night Adder is the misleading name for African vipers that are active by day, lay eggs, have round pupils, and carry venom glands that reach into the neck.
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.
Which Roman Generals Lost Battles They Should Have Won?
Several Roman generals lost battles that they should have won and exploring such defeats helps us gain a more holistic understanding of Ancient Rome.
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.
What's the Farthest We've Ever Seen?
What's the Farthest We've Ever Seen? The James Webb Space Telescope confirmed a galaxy shining just after the Big Bang, near a wall no telescope can see past.
How The Himalayas Compare To The Rockies
How the Himalayas and Rockies compare in height, length, age, glacier ice, earthquakes, and the rivers they feed, from Everest to the Continental Divide.
7 Small Towns in Pennsylvania with the Best Downtowns
In Pennsylvania, downtown Wellsboro glows under gas lamps, Lititz twists pretzels by hand, and Hershey lines Chocolate Avenue with Kisses, 7 towns in all.
Why Evidence Suggests Dark Energy Is Weakening
Although our leading minds have barely more than a theoretical grasp on what dark energy is, it appears to be weakening.
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.
Which Planet Is The Coldest?
Uranus, not more distant Neptune, reaches the lowest temperature of any planet, about -372°F, while Mercury gets colder at night than anywhere on Earth.
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.
7 Underrated California Towns Worth the Drive in 2026
Seven California towns worth the detour, from Pioneertown and Solvang to Ojai, Tiburon, Sonoma, Solana Beach and Ramona in the San Diego back country.
The Island That Changed My Mind About Toronto
A ten-minute ferry from downtown Toronto reaches Center Island, with sandy Great Lakes beaches, a pier, rental bikes and the oldest lighthouse.
11 Underrated Ohio Towns Worth the Drive in 2026
11 Underrated Ohio Towns Worth the Drive in 2026. Ride a horse-drawn canal boat in Coshocton, see Sugarcreek's cuckoo clock, and find Christmas in Medina.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Richest Countries In The World 2026
The richest country in the world is Luxembourg, followed by Singapore and Ireland, ranked by GDP per capita in PPP values, provided by the IMF for 2025.
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.