Explore 71 Geography Collections - Atlas Obscura
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underwater

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.
maps

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?
psychology

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
Verdi, Nevada

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).
medieval

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.
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 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 June 30, 2023
Screenshot of the wilderness surrounding Buffalo Lake, which is located within the “Zone of Death.”
murder

In the Yellowstone National Park Zone of Death, You Might Legally Get Away With Murder

A 50-square-mile patch of Yellowstone National Park in Idaho might just be the perfect place to commit a crime, thanks to a legal loophole.
The Podcast Team June 3, 2025
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
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.