The blue whale is the largest animal on Earth. It’s also the biggest creature to have ever lived. This includes every dinosaur species that has ever existed. Adult blue whales typically reach 80 to 100 feet (24 to 30 meters) in length…
American cities are not built around a single center. They are built around movement. What most people call a “city” in the United States is usually a region. Jobs, housing, schools, and daily life spread across dozens of municipalities tied together by…
Cities were never meant to be this big. Most began as river crossings, ports, or market towns. Over time, people kept arriving. Roads filled. Housing stacked higher and tighter. Eventually, the city stopped being a place and became a system that never…
Summit night on Mount Kilimanjaro brings excitement along with anxiety for most people. The thought of ascending to 19,341 feet during the night in freezing temperatures is daunting. In a previous article, we discussed 10 tips that make summit night easier. This…
Endurance is not about speed. It is the ability to sustain effort over distance and duration. Whether migrating across continents, hunting for hours, or traveling for weeks without rest, in the animal world, endurance determines survival. Some species excel because of biology….
Where is the Eiger Located? The Eiger is located in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, near the village of Grindelwald. The mountain is famous for its north face, one of the most challenging and dangerous climbs in the world. The Eiger is…
Rivers are the great movers of the natural world. They cut through mountains, carve valleys, and carry life across entire continents. Wherever a river flows, people, animals, and plants gather. Civilizations have risen and thrived on their banks, relying on them for…
Alcohol consumption is widespread. Over half the world’s population, about 2.5 billion people, drink alcohol. At sea level, moderate drinking is usually tolerated, but at altitude the same amount can impair acclimatization and increase health risks. How the Body Adapts to Altitude…
Most of the hottest nations are in the tropics, clustered near the equator or within vast desert belts. These regions receive the sun’s rays almost directly overhead year-round. As a result, they experience consistently high solar radiation and little seasonal variation in…
Most of the coldest nations are in the Northern Hemisphere, either inside or near the Arctic Circle. Areas that are inside the Arctic Circle, designated as north of 66°33′ N latitude, receive very little solar energy. The sun stays low in the…
When people hear the phrase “climbing Kilimanjaro,” they typically picture technical mountaineering. That is, they imagine ice axes in hand, crampons on boots, ropes tied to harnesses, and people hanging on vertical rock and ice. This picture is wrong. Though Mount Kilimanjaro…
Mountaineering’s legitimacy as a “sport” is often questioned. Unlike conventional sports, which are played in controlled areas, mountaineering takes place in the wilderness, where storms, avalanches, and rockfall occur. To some, the battle between humans and untamed environments represents courage, strength, and…
Natalia Nagovitsyna was a Russian mountaineer who died after becoming stranded on Victory Peak, one of the deadliest mountains on Earth. Victory Peak, also known as Jengish Chokusu or Pobeda, is the highest mountain in the Tien Shan range at 24,406 ft…
Both cannabis (marijuana) and CBD are illegal in Tanzania. If you are considering bringing cannabis products – flower (buds), concentrates, edibles, tinctures, topicals – on your trip, DON’T DO IT! Tanzania enforces a zero-tolerance policy toward drugs. The Drug Control and Enforcement Act criminalizes possession, use,…
Mountains shape our world in many ways. Some reach the highest places on the planet while others stretch for thousands of miles across continents. They influence weather, give rise to rivers, and serve as homes to plants, animals, and people. Here are…
The average modern country was born in the 20th century. But a few have roots that go back thousands of years. Most rankings focus on continuous sovereignty, or how long a state has ruled itself without interruption. But civilizations can survive without…
