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Towns

The Best Small Towns In Illinois For Live Music

Catch a show without the drive to Chicago: 12 small Illinois towns where live music comes with a historic theater, a river view, or a state park nearby.

Cities

9 Off-The-Beaten-Path Towns In Oklahoma

Discover 9 off-the-beaten-path towns in Oklahoma, from Medicine Park's cobblestones to Guthrie's Victorian streets, full of history and small-town charm.

Cities

10 of the Most Unique Towns in Massachusetts

Massachusetts is full of towns unlike anywhere else. Explore 10 of the most unique, where quirky history, art, and coastline set each one apart.

Cities

8 Most Breathtaking Towns In Kentucky

Eight of the most beautiful small towns in Kentucky, where sandstone arches and Main Street freight trains sit minutes from downtown.

Places

This North Carolina Scenic Byway Is The Road Trip Of A Lifetime

Slow down for three unhurried days on North Carolina's stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway, from mountain waterfalls to the Cherokee homelands.

Rivers

What Happens If The Rio Grande Stops Reaching The Gulf

The Rio Grande already fails to reach the Gulf some years. If it stops for good: a drinking-water crisis for millions, dead farms, and a collapsing delta.

Rivers

The Largest River Deltas in North America

Nine of the largest river deltas in North America, and why federal agencies cannot agree on how big any of them actually are.

Animals

Indochinese Tiger

Indochinese Tiger is one of the rarest big cats on Earth, a darker, mid-sized tiger now breeding only in Thailand and Myanmar after a steep decline.

Space

Speed Of Sound VS Speed Of Light

Light is about 880,000 times faster than sound, but the real differences are stranger: what each needs to travel through, and what slows them down.

Ancient World

Similarities And Differences Between The Roman Republic And Empire

The Roman Republic and Empire looked alike in territory and culture but differed completely in who held power and how the army was used.

Climate

The 10 US Cities With the Longest Summers

Some US cities barely see winter at all. Ranked by NOAA normals, here are the ten with the longest thermal summers, from Honolulu to Fort Lauderdale.

Travel

11 Small Towns in The Northern United States with the Best Downtowns

Some downtowns are worth the whole trip. Meet 11 northern US towns with brick storefronts, lakeside Main Streets, and walkable historic districts.

Lakes

The Shallowest Large Lakes In The United States

The Shallowest Large Lakes In The United States begin with Mattamuskeet in North Carolina, which covers 63 square miles but averages just 18 inches deep.

Lakes

How Many Miles Of Shoreline Do The Great Lakes Have?

How Many Miles Of Shoreline Do The Great Lakes Have? About 10,200 in all, ranging from Lake Ontario's 712 miles to Lake Huron's chart-topping 3,827.

Animals

Banded Sea Krait

Banded Sea Krait is a venomous Indo-Pacific sea snake that hunts eels across the reef yet returns to land to rest, mate, and lay its eggs on shore.

Animals

Indian Python

Indian Python is a heavy-bodied, nonvenomous constrictor of the Indian subcontinent, a patient rodent hunter now listed as Near Threatened in the wild.

Space

Which Planet Has The Longest Year?

As the rhyme goes, Mercury is the one, closest to the shining sun. But which planet is furthest, and which has the longest year?

Ancient World

Why Ancient Greece Never United Into One Empire

Discover how geography, fierce city-state rivalries, and competing governments shaped Ancient Greece: one of history's greatest civilizations.

Travel

10 Small Towns on the Pacific Coast with the Best Downtowns

Skip the famous coastal cities. These Pacific Coast small towns keep their best shops, theaters, and beaches within one walkable downtown.

Animals

Green Tree Python

The green tree python is a nonvenomous, tree-dwelling constrictor of New Guinea and far northern Australia, famous for its tidy looped resting coil.

Space

Which Planet Has The Deepest Canyon?

The deepest canyon in our galaxy is found on Mars, known as Valles Marineris, which plunges nearly seven miles deep and is 2,400 miles long.

Ancient World

Was The Trojan Horse Real?

The Trojan horse is among the world's foremost tales of trickery and deception, which culminated in the fall of Troy. But was it even real?

Ancient World

8 Strange Discoveries About Secret Societies in History

Secret societies have existed for centuries, from Yale University to 18th-century England, resulting in intrigue and rumors.

Space

Which Moon Hides The Biggest Ocean Under Its Ice?

Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon, hides an ocean 60 miles deep beneath 95 miles of ice, likely the biggest body of water in the solar system.

Stories

Britain’s National Archives Mark 250 Years of American Independence

Britain's National Archives Mark 250 Years of American Independence with the war seen from the losing side, drawn from the paperwork Britain filed and kept.

Travel

10 Small Towns in Texas with the Best Downtowns

Ten Texas towns with the best downtowns, from Port Isabel's fish mural to Fredericksburg's Magic Mile and Bandera's cowboy saloons.

Industries

10 Countries with the Largest Uranium Reserves

Australia holds 1.67 million tonnes of recoverable uranium, but Kazakhstan mines the most. How the ten largest resource holders compare.

Stories

A Driving Tour of River Road National Scenic Byway

A Driving Tour of River Road National Scenic Byway winds along Michigan's AuSable River, past sand dunes, high bluffs, and the Lumberman's Monument.

Geography

Country Names With 10 Letters

18 countries have names that contain 10 letters, from Azerbaijan to Uzbekistan. Discover what other countries make the list!

Society

Life Expectancy in Asia

Japan has the highest average life expectancy in Asia, as well as the world.

Geography

What Continent Is Hawaii In?

Although politically Hawaii is considered part of North America, geographically Hawaii is not part of any continent.

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.

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.

Mountains

The Longest Mountain Ranges in Asia

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

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.

Nature

What Is A Cloud Forest?

How cloud forests drink from the clouds, and why Kilimanjaro, Monteverde, Yakushima and the Appalachians all depend on the mist.

Climate

The Driest States In The United States

The driest states in the US aren't all deserts. Some are famous for snow. Ranked by NOAA precipitation data, with the geography that keeps each one dry.

Climate

The Cities With the Lowest Annual Rainfall in the US

The Cities With the Lowest Annual Rainfall in the US are led by Yuma, Arizona, where barely three inches fall in a year, followed by Las Vegas and Phoenix.

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.

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.