62 Items Tagged

Geography

Walhain, Belgium

Geographic Center of Belgium

This metal monument marking the middle of Belgium represents three regions coming together to form one country.

Leuven, Belgium

Middelpunt van Leuven

This unassuming stone bollard is a centuries-old marker denoting the center of the city.

Buggenhout, Belgium

Middelpunt van Vlaanderen

The geographic midpoint of the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium.

Pointe de Almadies

This beach in Senegal marks the westernmost point on the African continent.

‘The Travellers’ Tour Through the United States’ is the earliest known board game to depict a map of the U.S.

America's First Board Game Was an Idealized 'Travellers' Tour' Through a Young Nation

The 1822 board game, the first to feature a map of the United States, was forgotten for nearly a century.

Matthew Wynn Sivils July 29, 2024

Kinnarodden (Cape Nordkinn)

Remote and wild, Kinnarodden is the northernmost point of mainland Europe.

Ushuaia, Argentina

Postal del Fin del Mundo

The southernmost postal office in South America.

Cape Town, South Africa

The Most Southwestern Point of Africa

The Cape of Good Hope is not quite as low as you can go on the African continent, but it's still geographically significant.

You're more likely to end up in the ocean than another country.

Dig a Tunnel Through the Center of the Earth to… Where?

If you, hypothetically, ignore the molten lava core.

Frank Jacobs April 19, 2024

Math and dessert are a match made in heaven.

Celebrate Pi Day With These Mathematical Tales

Plus pie recipes, of course.

April White March 8, 2024

Belle Fourche, South Dakota

Geographical Center of the Entire United States

Despite monuments in other locations, this spot in a South Dakota field is recognized by the U.S. National Geodetic Survey as the center of the 50 states.

How the Great Lakes Formed—And the Mystery of Who Watched It Happen

Skilled hunters adapted to the changing landscape and left tantalizing clues to who they were.

Gemma Tarlach January 11, 2024

The challenge began before any route existed.

In Estonia, It’s Possible to Ski Across 20 Mountains in One Day

What started as a scientific expedition has turned into a wild tradition.

Tom Peeters January 2, 2024

Midwestern nice? Southern charm? Grumpy New England?

Your Personality Depends on Which U.S. State You Live In

A map of confidence and kindness from California to New York.

Frank Jacobs November 10, 2023

Von Schmidt Monument

An iron monument on the 120th meridian as surveyed, one of only four marking the boundary between Nevada and California north of Lake Tahoe.

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

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 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.

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 August 4, 2023

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

Puzzle Monday: On the Map Crossword

AO Puzzles July 31, 2023