WorldAtlas Latest Articles

Space

Which Planet Is The Smallest?

Although the context can change the answer to this question, Mercury is the smallest planet, circling closest to the Sun.

Ancient World

The Bloodiest Battles In Ancient History

Gaugamela, Cannae, Carthage, and the Catalaunian Plains: four ancient battles that killed tens of thousands and rewrote the map.

Forests

The National Forests Where Wolves Still Hunt

The National Forests Where Wolves Still Hunt, six wild landscapes across Montana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Washington, and Idaho where gray wolves roam free.

Cities

2026's 11 Best Small Towns To Visit In Australia

Australia's small towns are small in size but big on scenery, food, wildlife, and character. They offer a different way to experience the country.

Forests

The National Forests With The Most Elk

Which national forests have the most elk? From Colorado's White River to Wyoming's Bridger-Teton and Oregon's Roosevelt elk coast, the top US elk forests.

Cities

9 Best Towns In California To Retire Comfortably

The piece contrasts Hollywood’s glamor with quieter, affordable California towns offering cost-effective living, walkability, and charming communities.

County

The Difference Between A County And A Borough

One way or another, in order to rule an area effectively, it must at some point be divided, with clear boundaries. Here's how we got counties and boroughs.

Lakes

How Many Lakes Are Big Enough To Be Seen From Space?

Most of Earth's 117 million lakes vanish from space. Meet the giants big enough to glow from orbit, from the Caspian Sea to Baikal and the Great Lakes.

Lakes

How Much Water Lake Mead Has Lost, Measured In Great Lakes

Lake Mead has lost about 6.5 trillion gallons, a historic collapse. Measured against the Great Lakes, it's only ~5% of Lake Erie. The surprising math of scale.

Bodies of Water

The American Towns Built Directly Below A Dam

Nearly 17,000 US dams are rated high hazard, and the count is rising because towns keep building below them. Oroville, Midland, Rexburg and the risk they live with. (159, would trim)

Stories

Island Hopping Across Lake Erie

Island Hopping Across Lake Erie means ferry-hopping between Pelee, Kelleys, and the Bass Islands, a bi-national run of wineries and glacial grooves.

Lakes

The Largest Lakes West Of The Rockies

Saltier than the ocean, perched on an active earthquake fault, or ringed by polar bears, the largest lakes west of the Rockies defy the alpine postcard.

Travel

11 Small Towns on the Atlantic Coast with the Best Downtowns

From foggy Maine fishing harbors to a Florida reef town, these 11 Atlantic Coast small towns pair a walkable main street with a working waterfront.

Oceans

How Many Undiscovered Species Are In The Sea?

Scientists estimate that half a million to 2 million marine species remain unknown, while much of the deep seafloor has never been seen.

Animals

Caracal

Caracal is a reddish, tuft-eared cat of the dry country of Africa and Asia, built to spring more than ten feet up and pluck birds out of mid-air.

Animals

Serval

Serval is a slender African cat with the longest legs and largest ears of any feline, a sound-hunting rodent specialist that leaps to snatch its prey.

Space

How Long Would It Take To Travel To Each Planet?

Moving at a speed of 50,000-miles per hour, it would take 32-days to reach Venus, the closest planet, and 2,250-days to reach Neptune, the furthest planet.

Ancient World

Where Did The Romans Come From And The Origins Of Rome

A wolf, a murder, and muddy huts on a hilltop: trace where the Romans really came from, from the villages above the Tiber to an empire of 70 million.

Animals

Mugger Crocodile

Mugger Crocodile is a broad-snouted freshwater crocodile of the Indian subcontinent, known for digging burrows, waiting out droughts, and trekking overland.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

Religion

African Countries With Islam As The Religion Of The Majority

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

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.