WorldAtlas Latest Articles
What Happens If An Astronaut Gets Sick In Space
There is no emergency room 250 miles above Earth. Astronauts rely on trained crewmates, doctors on the ground, and sometimes an early ride home.
2026's 9 Best Small Towns To Visit In Queensland
Two Queensland towns won national tourism titles in 2026, but they're hardly the only small communities making a strong case for a visit.
8 Picture-Perfect Main Streets In The Pacific Northwest
8 Picture-Perfect Main Streets In The Pacific Northwest include Port Townsend’s Victorian Water Street and the Old West storefronts of Sisters, Oregon.
11 Best Attractions To Visit In Southern California
Southern California's 11 best attractions span theme parks, desert and island national parks, a 1776 Spanish mission and an 1888 wooden beach resort.
The First Botanical Garden In America
John Bartram planted America's first botanical garden in Philadelphia in 1728 and shipped seed boxes to London for thirty years.
How Tall Hoover Dam Is Compared To The Empire State Building
Hoover Dam is 726 feet tall. The Empire State Building is 1,454. One is almost exactly half the other, and both built by men out of work in the same decade.
What Happens When The Wind Stops In A Wind-Powered State
When wind output drops in Texas and the Great Plains, gas plants, batteries, regional grids, and demand cuts fill the gap.
The Most Polluted Bay In America
A factory that made Agent Orange dumped dioxin into the river roughly every other week. Forty years and 1.3 billion dollars later Newark Bay is still a Superfund site.
Why Squirrels Forget Where They Bury Their Nuts
Why Squirrels Forget Where They Bury Their Nuts is the wrong question, as squirrels map, sort, and even fake-bury nuts, and lost acorns plant new oaks.
Why Some Rivers Cut Straight Through Mountains
Rivers are a powerful force which essentially never ceases. Over time, they can carve massive channels through seemingly solid rock.
The Largest Bay In The United States
Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the US at 4,480 square miles and the answer most people mean by the largest bay, though Alaska’s Cook Inlet is bigger by area.
The American Mountains With The Most Copperheads
Copperheads in Virginia's Blue Ridge, the Smokies, Missouri's Ozarks, New York's Hudson Highlands, and Connecticut favor rocky slopes and woodland edges.
The American Towns Built Entirely Around A Car Plant
Dearborn, Michigan, grew up around Ford, while Kenosha, Lordstown, and Marysville rose with the AMC, GM, and Honda plants that reshaped their local economies.
US States With the Most Snake Species
The states with the most snake species line the country's southern edge, and eight of the top 10 touch either the Mexican border or the Gulf Coast.
5 Caribbean Islands That Are Affordable In 2026
A $2 ferry in Puerto Rico, a $55 room in Santo Domingo, a $6 bowl of oil down in Grenada: five Caribbean islands where the prices have not caught up yet.
Why Moose Lose Their Antlers Every Winter
Why Moose Lose Their Antlers Every Winter comes down to a falling hormone, as testosterone drops after the rut and the bone holding each antler dissolves.
Why Native Freshwater Turtles Are So Rare In The Southwest
Rare springs and isolated rivers explain why native freshwater turtles survive in only a few pockets of the American Southwest.
How Many Earths Could Fit Inside Jupiter
How Many Earths Could Fit Inside Jupiter? More than a thousand, and this gas giant also holds a storm wider than Earth and a moon bigger than Mercury.
The Non-Italian Emperors Who Ruled Rome
Non-Italians often rose to prominence in Ancient Rome, with some even attaining the highest-ranking position in the empire.
The American Mountains Where Snakebites Happen Most Often
The American Mountains Where Snakebites Happen Most Often include North Carolina’s Blue Ridge, where well-hidden copperheads cause most of the state’s bites.
Every Place In America That Averages Over 200 Inches Of Snow
At just 95 feet above sea level, Valdez averages more snow than some mountain stations, showing why America's 200-inch snow zones aren't all peaks.
The Top Paper-Producing States In America
Paper still runs deep in American manufacturing, with leading states producing everything from packaging and tissue to pulp and specialty grades.
Visiting The Best Spots Along Lake Huron's Shoreline
Lake Huron's 3,827 miles of shoreline run from the Pinery's dunes to Tobermory's shipwrecks and on to Mackinac Island, split between Ontario and Michigan.
The Western Edge Of Water Moccasin Country
The Western Edge Of Water Moccasin Country is set by water, not cold, as cottonmouths vanish where permanent creeks end across central Texas and Oklahoma.
The Roman Generals Who Won Battles But Lost Their Wars
Roman generals achieved some major victories in individual battles. However, these didn’t always translate into success in the larger war.
The Most Hated Roman Emperors In History
Discover the most hated Roman emperors in history, from Caligula and Nero to Commodus, and the cruelty and power struggles behind their infamous reigns.
The American Forests That Supply The Most Timber
See which American forests supply the most timber: Southern pine, Oregon’s Douglas-fir, Appalachian hardwoods, and the working woods of Maine and Idaho.
The 10 Tallest Mountains In New York
Mount Marcy tops New York's 10 tallest mountains, a set of Adirondack summits that includes Algonquin Peak, Olympic-era Whiteface, and remote Basin Mountain.
The 10 Tallest Mountains In The Adirondacks
The Adirondacks' 10 tallest mountains combine ancient geology, challenging hikes, alpine summits, and fascinating historical landmarks.
The 10 Tallest Mountains In Hawaii
Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa top Hawaii's 10 tallest mountains, a list that also takes in Haleakalā on Maui and remote rainforest summits on Kauai and Molokai.
Which Planet Has The Most Extreme Seasons?
Uranus has the most extreme seasons in the solar system, with a sideways tilt, 21-year seasons, and decades of continuous polar darkness.
When Were The Last Egyptian Pyramids Built?
Their size and longevity of the pyamids continue to impress people thousands of years later. It's therefore worth asking when the last pyramids were built.
How Big Yellowstone Is Compared To Small Countries
Of the many wonderful aspects of Yellowstone National Park is its sheer size, equaling or surpassing that of many small countries.
These Lakeside Towns On Lake Champlain Deserve A Long Weekend
From Burlington and Shelburne in Vermont to Essex and Ticonderoga in New York, these Lake Champlain towns make an easy long weekend of history and lake views.
The American Town Where Wi-Fi Is Banned For Radio Astronomy
These days, prioritizing anything beyond wi-fi service is rare. But in one American town, radio astronomy takes precedence.
National Parks And Monuments You’ve Seen In The Movies
Tatooine is Death Valley, the mothership landed by Devils Tower, and the road to the Overlook Hotel runs through Glacier. All are still open to visitors.
The Real Places Behind Panem In Sunrise on the Reaping
The 50th Hunger Games arena is a glacial valley in Asturias. The Capitol is a Berlin airfield, District 12 a Ruhr ironworks, and you can walk into all three.
The Last Coal Plants Still Running In America
US coal plants still produce about 17% of America's electricity. These are the plants and states that still mine coal, and why some closures are delayed.
How Far The Appalachians Run Compared To The Alps
The Appalachians run about 2,000 miles to the Alps' 750, but the Alps are far taller and much younger, formed long after Pangea built the ancient Appalachians
How Far Apart America's Extremes Actually Are
America is a large country, and when its territories are factored in, its geographic extremes become even more prominent.