Geography & Travel
Mini Monarchies: 6 Small Kingdoms
There are still a significant number of countries that retain monarchies, but few if any are as small as these.
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Where Is "Old" Zealand?
The world map is littered with place names that are derived from older place names. So, where did New Zealand get its name from?
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Editor's Picks
5 Transit Stations Worth Seeing
Transit stations are often a place to be passed through on the way to somewhere else. Several, though, are notable enough to warrant a visit. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these transit stations first appeared in 1001 Amazing Places You Must See Before You Die, edited by Richard Cavendish
Is Mount Everest Really the Tallest Mountain in the World?
Mount Everest is best described as the highest mountain in the world. In other words: it has the greatest elevation, at more than 29,000 feet (about 8,850 meters) above sea level. Other mountains, though, have made claims on being the tallest when measured from points other than sea level.
All the World’s a Stage: 6 Places in Shakespeare, Then and Now
Like any playwright, William Shakespeare made stuff up. More often than not, though, he used real-life places as the settings for his plays. From England to Egypt, here’s what’s going on in some of those places today. list, encyclopedia, britannica, encyclopedia britannica, list, lists, literature,
Brazil
Brazil, country of South America that occupies half the continent’s landmass. It is the fifth largest country in the world, exceeded in size only by Russia, Canada, China, and the United States, though its area is greater than that of the 48 conterminous U.S. states. Brazil faces the Atlantic Ocean
23 Must-See Buildings for Your First Trip to India
The Taj Mahal may be India’s most iconic monument, but it’s just one of many of the country’s significant buildings. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die, edited by Mark Irving (2016). Writers’ names appear in
Philippines
Philippines, island country of Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. It is an archipelago consisting of more than 7,000 islands and islets lying about 500 miles (800 km) off the coast of Vietnam. Manila is the capital, but nearby Quezon City is the country’s most-populous city. Both are part
28 Places to See on Your California Road Trip
California has been a hotbed of architectural changes and innovation. From the wacky to the sublime, this list shows the wide range of architectural experimentation and aesthetics in the Golden State. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must
7 Significant Stadiums
Stadiums have their roots in ancient Greece, where they were a place for footraces. Modern stadiums are home to a much wider variety of sports and purposes. Here are seven significant ones. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these sports structures first appeared in 1001 Amazing Places You
Spotlight: Antarctica
Antarctica is not only the world's southernmost continent. It is also the world's highest, driest, windiest, coldest, and iciest continent. How icy? There's about 7 million cubic miles of it (or 29 million cubic km), representing about 90 percent of the world's ice and 80 percent of its fresh water.
Quizzes
Which Country Is Larger? Quiz
See how these countries measure up.
Name That World Flag!
Our salute to flags from around the world. Can you name the countries they belong to?
Wonders of the World Quiz
Covering the ancient, new, and natural—prove you are no one-hit wonder.
A World of Food Quiz
In what country might you sit down to a smorgasbord? Why is durian fruit banned in several places? Take a trip around the world in this study of global cuisine.
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Ancient Ruins
Petra
Petra, ancient city, center of an Arab kingdom in Hellenistic and Roman times, the ruins of which are in southwest Jordan. The city was built on a terrace, pierced from east to west by the Wadi Mūsā (the Valley of Moses)—one of the places where, according to tradition, the Israelite leader Moses
Roman Baths
Roman Baths, well-preserved public bathing facility built about 70 CE on the site of geothermal springs in Roman Britain, now in Bath, England, U.K. The hot mineral springs bubble up from the ground at temperatures well above 104 °F (40 °C), and the main one produces more than 300,000 gallons (1.3
Borobudur
Borobudur, massive Buddhist monument in central Java, Indonesia, 26 miles (42 km) northwest of Yogyakarta. The Borobudur monument combines the symbolic forms of the stupa (a Buddhist commemorative mound usually containing holy relics), the temple mountain (based on Mount Meru of Hindu mythology),
Chan Chan
Chan Chan, great ruined and abandoned city, the capital of the Chimú kingdom (c. 1100–1470 ce) and the largest city in pre-Columbian America. It is situated on the northern coast of present-day Peru, about 300 miles (480 km) north of Lima in the Moche valley, between the Pacific Ocean and the city
Religious Sites
Mahabodhi Temple
Mahabodhi Temple, one of the holiest sites of Buddhism, marking the spot of the Buddha’s Enlightenment (Bodhi). It is located in Bodh Gaya (in central Bihar state, northeastern India) on the banks of the Niranjana River. The Mahabodhi Temple is one of the oldest brick temples in India. The original
Mount Athos
Mount Athos, mountain in northern Greece, site of a semiautonomous republic of Greek Orthodox monks inhabiting 20 monasteries and dependencies (skítes), some of which are larger than the parent monasteries. It occupies the easternmost of the three promontories of the Chalcidice (Khalkidhikí)
Pashupatinath Temple
Pashupatinath Temple, place of worship in the Kathmandu Valley on the Baghmati River, on the eastern outskirts of the city of Kathmandu, that is the holiest site in Nepal. It is devoted to the Hindu god Shiva in his form as Pashupati, protector of animals. There has been a religious foundation here
Dome of the Rock
Dome of the Rock, shrine in Jerusalem built by the Umayyad caliph ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān in the late 7th century ce. It is the oldest extant Islamic monument. The structure is situated on a flat elevated plaza known to Muslims as al-Ḥaram al-Sharīf (“The Noble Sanctuary”) and to Jews as the
Natural Wonders
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, waterfall on the Niagara River in northeastern North America, one of the continent’s most famous spectacles. The falls lie on the border between Ontario, Canada, and New York state, U.S. For many decades the falls were an attraction for honeymooners and for such stunts as walking
Dead Sea
Dead Sea, landlocked salt lake between Israel and Jordan in southwestern Asia. Its eastern shore belongs to Jordan, and the southern half of its western shore belongs to Israel. The northern half of the western shore lies within the Palestinian West Bank and has been under Israeli occupation since
Uluru/Ayers Rock
Uluru/Ayers Rock, giant monolith, one of the tors (isolated masses of weathered rock) in southwestern Northern Territory, central Australia. It has long been revered by a variety of Australian Aboriginal peoples of the region, who call it Uluru. The rock was sighted in 1872 by explorer Ernest Giles
Iguaçu Falls
Iguaçu Falls, series of cataracts on the Iguaçu River, 14 miles (23 km) above its confluence with the Alto (Upper) Paraná River, at the Argentina-Brazil border. The falls resemble an elongated horseshoe that extends for 1.7 miles (2.7 km)—nearly three times wider than Niagara Falls in North America