WorldAtlas Latest Articles

Oceans

Where Megalodon Teeth Are Found On American Beaches

Megalodon teeth have turned up on beaches in Florida, Maryland, and the Carolinas, including Caspersen Beach, Calvert Cliffs, and North Topsail Beach.

Cities

8 Pacific Coast Small Towns With Unmatched Friendliness

These Pacific Coast small towns have an unmatched friendliness found in their local communities, including Cannon Beach, Friday Harbor, and more.

Lakes

The US Lakes Where Leeches Are Worst

Explore U.S. lakes known for leech encounters, including Minnewaska and Whitefish Lake, and discover why leeches gather near popular swimming spots.

Lakes

What Happens To Lake Mohave If Lake Mead Hits Dead Pool

Lake Mohave sits just below Hoover Dam and lives off Lake Mead’s releases. If Mead hits dead pool, Mohave drains, taking its marinas and endangered fish with it.

Cities

The Towns In California Where Retirees Are Moving To

The Towns In California Where Retirees Are Actually Moving To sit in foothill, valley, and desert counties beside the big metros, as seniors move outward.

Lakes

The US Locks That Lift Boats The Highest

John Day Dam on the Columbia River raises boats 113 ft, the highest lift of any US navigation lock and the lead of a chain of Columbia and Snake River locks.

State Parks

What It Would Take To Visit Every State Park In One State

Visiting every state park across an entire state can range from a weeklong task to a months-long odyssey. New York, for example, has 180 state parks.

Towns

11 Best Rockies Towns For Retirees

Discover 11 Rocky Mountain towns ideal for retirees, offering affordability, healthcare access, community charm, and stunning natural beauty.

Cities

8 Best Towns In The Northern United States To Retire Comfortably

The Northern United States is a great spot for retiring comfortably, featuring affordable home prices and access to great local medical care.

Animals

Kakapo

Kakapo is the world's heaviest parrot and the only one that cannot fly, a nocturnal New Zealand bird so rare that every living individual has a name.

Space

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.

Ancient World

The Most Advanced Ancient Medical Practices

Ancient medical practices, including civilizations such as Mesopotamia and Imperial China, reveal early advances in surgery, wound care, dentistry, and more.

Mountains

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.

Travel

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.

Wildlife By Place

How Far North Armadillos Have Reached

How Far North Armadillos Have Reached. Breeding populations hold near the fortieth parallel, but one wanderer turned up in Indiana just shy of Michigan.

Animals

Green Bush Viper

Green Bush Viper facts, from its rough, dragon-like scales and variable colors to its nighttime ambush hunts in the rainforests of West and Central Africa.

Ancient World

Who Were The Roman Army’s Most Dangerous Enemies?

The Roman army met its match against Carthage, Parthia, the Sasanians, and the Germanic tribes, from Cannae in 216 BCE to the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE.

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.

Animals

Gelada

Gelada is the only primate on Earth that lives almost entirely on grass, grazing the Ethiopian highlands by day and sleeping on cliff ledges at night.

Space

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.

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.

Ancient World

Why Rome Could Never Conquer Nubia

Rome conquered many different civilizations but was never able to establish a permanent foothold in Nubia, a region of great significance in Ancient Egypt.

Travel

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.

Stories

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.

Travel

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.

Space

What New Horizons Is Still Finding In The Kuiper Belt

NASA's New Horizons probe woke from a 321-day hibernation in June 2026, some 6 billion miles from Earth, and continues to study Pluto and the Kuiper Belt.

Ancient World

10 Worst Byzantine Emperors

Ranking the Byzantine emperors whose cruelty, cost-cutting and failed schemes did lasting damage to the Eastern Roman Empire.

Space

Which Planet Could You Survive on Longest?

Mars gives a suited astronaut the best survival odds of any planet beyond Earth, while Venus's heat and the giant planets' crushing depths prove far deadlier.

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.

Travel

10 Underrated South Carolina Towns Worth the Drive in 2026

Oyster roasts in Bluffton, dawn Thoroughbred workouts in Aiken, a 135-foot peach in Gaffney: 10 underrated South Carolina towns worth the drive in 2026.

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.

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.

Geography

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.

GDP

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.

Industries

The Busiest Cargo Ports

Cargo ports allow for mass transportation of goods by sea. Here are the largest and busiest cargo ports in various states.

Geography

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.

Geography

What Is The Thailand-Cambodia Border Dispute

A border drawn more than a century ago still divides Thailand and Cambodia, with disputed temples and territory keeping tensions alive today.

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.

Religion

African Countries With Islam As The Religion Of The Majority

In 19 African countries, Islam serves as the religion of the majority.