Buildings & Architecture
Tatev Monastery, Armenia
Perched on a basalt plateau at the edge of the Vorotan River gorge in Syunik Province, Tatev Monastery is one of Armenia’s most dramatic medieval sites. Its fortified…
GeographyPin
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Quizzes
The Dead Sea Quiz: 18 Geography Questions
Test your knowledge with this Dead Sea quiz: 18 multiple-choice questions about a lake where geology, chemistry and environmental change meet. Explore its location, unusual brine, wildlife, natural…
Landforms & Water
Hydrothermal Vents
Far beneath the waves, seawater slips into cracks in new ocean crust, heats up near magma, and blasts back out as mineral-rich hot springs. These are hydrothermal vents.…
Regions, Borders & Chokepoints
South Ossetia
South Ossetia is often described as a frozen territorial dispute, but that label hides the people who lived through it. The central question is not only who controls…
Explainers & Big Questions
What Is the Primary Reason the Dead Sea Is Known for Its High Salinity?
The Dead Sea sits in the Jordan Rift Valley at roughly 1,443 feet (440 meters) below sea level, making it Earth’s lowest exposed land. It has no natural…
Landforms & Water
Gulf vs. Bay vs. Fjord
Stand on a windy headland and scan the coastline: some inlets are open and sweeping, others curl inward like a clasped hand, and a few cut like narrow…
Buildings & Architecture
Gonio Fortress
Wave-swept air from the Black Sea meets citrus-scented foothills at the mouth of the Chorokhi River, 12–15 km south of Batumi. Here, a near-rectangular stone enclosure still reads…
Countries
Turkey: Country Profile
At dawn along the Bosporus, seagulls wheel over fishing boats glinting in soft light—an everyday ritual that speaks to this country’s blend of the ancient and the modern.…
Landforms & Water
Where Is the Black Sea?
Where Is the Black Sea?It sits at the crossroads of Southeastern Europe and Western Asia. Specifically, it spans roughly 40.9°–46.5° N latitude and 27.5°–41.7° E longitude. In doing…
Flora & Fauna
Georgian Grape Varieties
The scent of fermenting chakvad (grape must) rising from buried qvevri is part of Georgia’s wine identity, but the country’s deeper distinction is its extraordinary vine diversity. Saperavi…