Geography - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

47 Items Tagged

Geography

Share Tweet
Muhammad al-Idrisi made much better maps than this (we promise).
maps

The Father of Medieval Geography Is Unfairly Blamed for One Very, Very Bad Map

He also made the most accurate world map of that time—and left out the sea monsters.
Frank Jacobs, Big Think September 1, 2023
This vintage map, published in 1864 by H.H. Lloyd of New York, reflects anti-secession sentiment by taking secession to an extreme conclusion.
maps

A Map of the 'Disunited States' Shows the Fears of Civil War–Era America

A nation divided into not two—but four—took the idea of secession to an extreme.
Frank Jacobs, Big Think August 4, 2023
All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura
maps

Puzzle Monday: On the Map Crossword

AO Puzzles July 31, 2023
A map of West Africa features the world's roundest country (which is also the 14th most rectangular). Can you spot it? What about the eighth most rectangular?
maps

What Are the World’s Roundest and Most Rectangular Countries?

Mind-boggling as it is, they're often one and the same.
Frank Jacobs, Big Think June 30, 2023
maps

Podcast: Moose Boulder

How far would you go to find the largest island in the largest lake on the largest island in the largest lake on the largest island in the largest lake in the United States?
The Podcast Team April 27, 2023
murder

Podcast: Yellowstone's Zone of Death

Can a legal loophole make it possible to get away with murder?
The Podcast Team April 5, 2023
Landenberg, Pennsylvania

Delaware-Maryland-Pennsylvania Tri-State Point

The meeting of the northwestern corner of Delaware, the northeastern corner of Maryland, and the southern edge of Pennsylvania.
Bruère-Allichamps Borne
Bruère-Allichamps, France

Bruère-Allichamps Borne Milliaire

Designed to mark the geographical center of France.
Sign for Wilson's Stone Igloo
List

An Explorer's Guide to Exploration Itself

10 of our favorite monuments to the search for new frontiers.
Jonathan Carey September 8, 2022
First rung.
Alicante, Spain

Alicante Zero Level

Once used to calculate the various levels around the country.
1915 Michigan border post
List

15 Places Where Borders Get a Little Strange

Sometimes they're more than just a line on a map.
Jonathan Carey August 26, 2022
podcast

Podcast: Trevor Paglen and Experimental Geography

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team August 9, 2022
Burr Point
Ballyhalbert, Northern Ireland

Burr Point

The easternmost point on the island of Ireland.
Geodetic Midpoint of Denmark
Copenhagen, Denmark

Geodetic Midpoint of Denmark

Once a meeting point for great thinkers, and the midpoint of the country.
India's Nanda Devi, once thought to be the world's tallest mountain, tops out at 25,643 feet, more than 3,000 feet shorter than Mt. Everest.
exploration

The Long History of the Quest to Find a Peak Taller Than Everest

Ain't no mountain high enough.
Katie Ives October 7, 2021
Tequisquiapan, Mexico

Péndulo de Tequisquiapan

This monument marking the center of Mexico might be more political than geographical.
From Maple Beach in Point Roberts, Washington, locals have a clear view of Canada to the north.
maps

A Border Town Is Now Isolated From Both the U.S. and Canada

Ever since COVID-19 shut down the border, Point Roberts has been neither here nor there.
Atlas Obscura August 11, 2020
Piazza San Rufo, with the marker in the foreground.
Rieti, Italy

Umbilicus Italiae

The disputed geographic center, or "navel," of Italy.