The Outer Limits Of The U.S. Are Really Out There
It's Geography Awareness Week, so we wanted to find the furthest points in each direction that are part of the United States, along with the geographical center.
Earth Has Five Oceans Now, But Also Just One Ocean, It’s Complicated
The National Geographic Society has recognized a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, on earth. How the oceans got their names - and why we don't think of them as one big ocean, which is what it is - is a long and fascinating story.
The Keyboard Made From Plants
A Spanish tech startup called Bioo has built an installation in which plants serve as the keys of a kind of "green piano."
The US Almost Had A 49th State Called Absaroka
In 1939 some ranchers in the West proposed taking parts out of Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana and creating a new state, called Absaroka. It never won approval from Congress but it did have its own license plates and beauty pageant.
Every Town Has A Name, Even Nameless, Texas
A town in the Texas Hill Country wanted a post office but couldn't get the feds to agree to any of their suggested names, until they said, let it be nameless!
Every Six Months This Island Switches Countries
Change is in the air in the border region between Spain and France. A small island there called Pheasant Island is about to change countries, as it does twice a year.
What Do You Call People In Each State?
Vivid Maps released a map of the U.S. by demonym, which is the term for a word that describes people from a certain place. Some are straightforward, but there are also plenty of surprises.
Canada Was Almost Named “Borealia”
Canada was only one name out of many that were suggested for the new country.
The Time Samoa Didn’t Have Time For December 30th
Eight years ago Samoa skipped a day on the calendar, owing to the International Date Line and some business involving its key trading partners. There just wasn't a December 30th, 2011 there!
The Mountain That’s Higher Than The Highest Mountain
This is Geography Awareness Week, and on our fascinating planet Mount Everest is the tallest mountain - but it's not actually the highest point on earth. That's actually Mount Chimborazo, in Ecuador.