Geography & Travel
5 Famous Border Walls
From the Great Wall of China to Belfast, here are some of the more notable border walls in history..
© wusuowei/Fotolia
© alvidia/Fotolia
The Largest Islands in the World
Quite a few islands around the world are very large, and many of them are countries. Here are 10 of the biggest.
© alvidia/Fotolia
Editor's Picks
How Deadly Is Quicksand?
Quicksand is a staple of adventure movies, but how dangerous is it in real life?
5 Buildings to See in Istanbul
Know before you go.
Why Are Some Time Zones 30 Minutes Off Instead of an Hour?
Learn why the world’s time zones can be disorderly.
Painted Desert
Painted Desert, section of the high plateau in north-central and northeast-central Arizona, U.S. The Painted Desert extends from the Grand Canyon in a southeasterly direction along the north side of the Little Colorado River to Holbrook. It is approximately 150 miles (240 km) long and 15 to 50
7 (or 8) Summits: The World’s Highest Mountains by Continent
Climbing each continent’s highest mountain is a major mountaineering achievement. Read this list to learn more about the peaks known as the Seven Summits, plus one.
Is Australia an Island?
What’s the difference between an island and a continent anyway?
How Many Countries Are There in the World?
Find out how many countries there are.
9 Cemeteries to Die For
Shopping for an earthly place in which to spend eternity.
Spotlight: Australia
It's the smallest continent and one of the largest countries on Earth, lying between the Pacific and Indian oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. It's replete with natural beauty, like the Great Barrier Reef, and animals that don't exist anywhere else. And it's waiting to be explored.
Quizzes
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.
Wonders of the World Quiz
Covering the ancient, new, and natural—prove you are no one-hit wonder.
Where on Earth Is That? Vol. 2 Quiz
Try to get high marks identifying these landmarks.
Which Is Taller? Quiz
Twenty questions of epic proportions.
Videos
Explore the mesmerizing island of Bora-Bora
Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz
Galleries
Colorado River
Buenos Aires
Mount Fuji
Sahara
Angkor
United States
Featured Categories
Ancient Ruins
Petra
Petra, ancient city, centre 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. ad 1100–1470) 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