WorldAtlas Latest Articles

Cities

9 of the Friendliest Towns To Retire In Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland towns like Portstewart, Rostrevor, and Armagh pair welcoming communities with golf, folk festivals, and busy event calendars for retirees.

Cities

11 Main Streets Where England Comes Alive

England's historic main streets bring centuries of stories to life, from medieval markets and Tudor houses to coastal inns and village shops.

Cities

2026's 9 Most Scenic Towns In Sweden

Sweden's scenic small towns range from walled Visby on Gotland to Kiruna above the Arctic Circle, with Åre ski slopes and seal safaris off Fjällbacka between.

Wildlife By Place

How Far North Wild Hogs Have Spread

How Far North Wild Hogs Have Spread reaches northern Fennoscandia, while cold-hardy super pigs that dig snow dens spread across the Canadian prairies.

Animals

Philippine Cobra

Philippine Cobra venom can stop a person’s breathing within minutes, and this rice-field snake of the northern Philippines can also spit it at the eyes.

Ancient World

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.

Places

10 Great Road Trips to Take on the Pacific Coast

Ten Pacific Coast road trips in Oregon, Washington, and California, including the Redwood Highway, North Cascades Highway, and Olympic Peninsula Loop.

Geography

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.

Bodies of Water

The Free Ferries Still Running In America

Eight US ferries still charge nothing to ride, including New York's Staten Island Ferry, Texas's Galveston-Port Bolivar route, and Wisconsin's Merrimac Ferry.

Lakes

The Lake Powell Marinas That Have Closed Because Of Low Water

Low water on Lake Powell in Utah has shut Dangling Rope and Hite marinas, towed Bullfrog's docks to deeper water, and left the Charles Hall Ferry idle.

Oceans

The Largest Squid Ever Filmed

A squid surfaced off Japan on a fishing line, giving scientists rare footage of a living giant. Then an Antarctic heavyweight entered the picture.

Rivers

5 US Rivers With The Most Copperheads

Copperheads are commonly seen in West Virginia’s New River Gorge, were radio-tracked in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, and are Missouri’s top venomous snake.

Bodies of Water

The Day The Teton Dam Burst

Idaho's Teton Dam failed as it first filled in June 1976, flooding Wilford, Sugar City, and Rexburg, killing 11 people, and prompting a new dam safety law.

Destinations

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.

Animals

Papuan Taipan

Papuan Taipan venom ranks among the most toxic of any land snake, and this fast hunter of southern New Guinea can strike several times in quick succession.

Space

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.

Ancient World

Who Were The Huns?

While the Huns can’t purely be blamed for the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, they certainly weakened it and made its fall in 476 CE more likely.

Ancient World

The Biggest Myths About Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt myths, corrected: paid laborers built the pyramids, Tutankhamun was a minor king, and Cleopatra was Greek rather than ethnically Egyptian.

Stories

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.

Mountains

How High Up A Mountain Rattlesnakes Can Live

Western rattlesnakes climb to about 11,000 feet in California, and Yosemite's northern Pacific rattlesnakes range up to roughly 9,000 feet high.

Mountains

The 10 Tallest Mountains East Of The Mississippi

The 10 Tallest Mountains East Of The Mississippi all rise near the North Carolina-Tennessee line, led by Mount Mitchell in the rugged Black Mountains.

Destinations

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.

Travel

10 Underrated North Carolina Towns Worth the Drive in 2026

From mountain trails to pickle festivals, these 10 underrated North Carolina towns offer historic landmarks, local culture, and coastal escapes.

Animals

Why Coyotes Are Showing Up In Big Cities

Why Coyotes Are Showing Up In Big Cities comes down to food, cover, and safety, which help thousands of coyotes thrive in Chicago and Los Angeles.

Space

Which Moon Rains Methane?

Titan, Saturn's largest moon, has methane rain, rivers, and seas. Learn how its weather cycle mirrors Earth's and what Cassini and Huygens revealed.

Ancient World

The Roman Cities Buried Under The Sahara

The Roman empire expanded well beyond Europe, finding its way into a broad swathe of North Africa. Here are the Roman cities buried beneath the Sahara.

Mountains

The Lowest Mountain Range In The United States

The Lowest Mountain Range In The United States is New Jersey’s Watchungs, low basalt ridges built by ancient lava that sheltered George Washington’s army.

Stories

In Seoraksan National Park Staircases Pierce The Clouds

Steel staircases climb to Daecheongbong, South Korea's third-highest summit, in a park that also holds Sinheungsa Temple, Ulsanbawi Rock and ribbon waterfalls

Space

Why Mercury Has Ice Even Though It’s Closest To The Sun

Mercury reaches 800°F by day, yet water ice survives in permanently shadowed craters near its poles, as NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft confirmed from orbit.

Ancient World

The Real History Behind The Battle Of Thermopylae

The Battle of Thermopylae in Greece pitted Leonidas against Xerxes in 480 BCE. Here is who really fought in the pass and how it shaped the Greco-Persian Wars.

Space

How Many Moons Are In The Solar System

Saturn has more known moons than every other planet combined. A planet-by-planet look at the solar system's moon count and why the total is still rising.

Mountains

The Longest Mountain Range In The United States

The Rockies run some 3,000 miles from British Columbia to New Mexico, crossing six western states and feeding the Colorado, Rio Grande and Missouri.

Industries

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.

Geography

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

Industries

The States With The Most Farmland Per Person

Montana leads the US with about 50 acres of farmland per resident, while Wyoming, the Dakotas, and Nebraska fill out the top five in 2025 USDA estimates.

Geography

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.

Geography

How Big The Great Plains Is Compared To All Of Western Europe

The Great Plains could fit Western Europe twice with room for Texas. See how this vast region compares with European countries, from France to Austria.

Geography

How Long America's Rivers Are Compared To The Nile

The Mississippi runs about 57% of the Nile's length, and the Missouri-Mississippi nearly 90%, with the Yukon, Rio Grande, Colorado, and Columbia even shorter.

Industries

The Top Semiconductor States In America

Semiconductors are some of the most coveted materials on the planet, currently. Here are the top semiconductor states in America.

GDP

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