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Geneva, Switzerland

Repère Pierre du Niton

This stone in Lake Geneva was once the reference point used to determine altitude in Switzerland.
maps

Podcast: Getting Lost in Golden Gate Park

Learn more about orienteering, the sport that forces you to navigate with just old-fashioned maps and compasses—no GPS allowed.
The Podcast Team September 19, 2023
The sun sets over West Bali National Park, ushering in the first of three twilights that herald night the world over.
sailors

Why Are There Three Twilights?

And we’re not talking about vampire books.
Gemma Tarlach July 5, 2023
A master of natural navigation noticed a feature found on nearly every tree can help us find our way.
forests

Tree Eyes Can Help Us Find Our Way

Natural navigation expert Tristan Gooley made a surprise discovery exploring a rewilded WWII airfield.
Tristan Gooley April 28, 2023
flight

Podcast: Arrows Across America

Need directions? Look down.
The Podcast Team April 4, 2023
Wadjemup Lighthouse
Rottnest Island, Australia

Wadjemup Lighthouse

Ships still use this historic lighthouse to navigate dangerous, island waters.
Lowther Hill Radar Station
Wanlockhead, Scotland

Lowther Hill Radar Station

Though it looks like a golf ball teed up for a hit, this hilltop station is actually used to monitor air traffic.
Tip of the arrow, looking back west. The skylined mountains are Boca Ridge in California. The blue paint is _not_ original.
Reno, Nevada

Airmail Arrow

A concrete arrow from a 1920s network of airmail beacons is still preserved at the western edge of suburban Reno.
The Naze Tower on the Naze
Essex, England

The Naze and Naze Tower

This crumbling coast and its teetering tower are literally filled with history, but they are also at great risk of becoming history themselves.
Davies found himself in a sticky situation in a bog in Norway.
maps

Meet the Man Who Walks Across Entire Countries in a Straight Line

YouTube star GeoWizard, aka Tom Davies, shares some straight talk about his linear style of adventure.
Oliver-James Campbell February 16, 2021
Anclote Key, Florida

Anclote Key Lighthouse

Though it may look like it’s missing its outer shell, this skeletal cast-iron tower was built to withstand wind and waves.
El Hierro, Spain

Monumento Meridiano Cero (Zero Meridian Monument)

What many consider the original prime meridian and westernmost point of the old world.
The lower day marker.
Telise, Estonia

Telise Marker Towers

These two strange cones are actually a system of old nautical navigation beacons.
Livorno, Italy

Meloria Tower

A strange-looking 18th-century tower sits on a tiny islet just off Livorno.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Normaal Amsterdams Peil (Amsterdam Ordnance Datum)

Europe's official "zero-level," the equator of elevation.
The Belfast light switched on in 2018
Belfast, Northern Ireland

The Great Light

One of the largest lenses of its kind ever created, this former ship beacon has been brought down to Earth.
Magdalena Peninsula.
Santander, Spain

Magdalena Peninsula

This beautiful spit of land was once the summer playground of the king of Spain.
Researchers testing for wind in the lab.
insects

When the Sun Is High, Dung Beetles Navigate With the Wind

There's more than one way to get from point A to point B while rolling a ball of dung.
Evan Nicole Brown June 25, 2019