Oman · Cities & capitals · Map guides
Muscat lies on the Gulf of Oman, with the Hajar Mountains forming its rugged backdrop. Oman’s capital occupies a coastal setting where rocky hills, bays and flatter land…
Cities & capitals · Map guides
A photograph of Cape Town often shows a mountain rising behind a waterfront. That view is memorable, but it leaves out much of the city’s geography: the low…
Lakes · Place guides
The Rhône links three very different landscapes: an Alpine valley, a large lake and a Mediterranean delta. Following the water through all three prevents a common map-reading mistake:…
Landforms · Map guides
A mountain pass is a lower crossing through a ridge, not necessarily a road. In Georgia, confusing the landform with a highway, a tunnel or a hiking route…
Countries & regions · Map guides
A Rocky Mountains map needs to show more than a stripe through Colorado. The system crosses an international border, includes several distinct mountain groups, and contains basins that…
Landforms · Map guides
A map that stops at Maine leaves out a substantial part of the Appalachians. A map of “Appalachia” may show a completely different boundary. The key is to…
Landforms · Map guides
Europe’s mountains and drainage systems do not stop at national borders. This map emphasizes the terrain from the Atlantic to the Urals, with selected rivers and broad landform…
United States · Landforms · Map guides
Follow terrain and water rather than state lines. The shaded-relief map shows selected mountain systems, plains, rivers and lakes, with separate views for Alaska and Hawaii.The key distinctionA…
Kazbegi · Mountains · Place guides
Plan a Kazbegi trip from Stepantsminda: Gergeti Church, Juta or Truso, transport, where to stay, and a flexible itinerary with realistic mountain-access advice.
Geography basics · Lists & data
The Caucasus is one of those mountain regions many readers recognize immediately but place only vaguely. The usual confusion is not just about location; it is also about…
Armenia · Climate · Explainers
Armenia (the modern Republic of Armenia in the South Caucasus) is compact on a world map—about 11,484 square miles (29,743 square kilometers)—but it behaves like a much larger…
Iran · Countries & regions · Country profiles
This profile covers the modern state of Iran (the Islamic Republic of Iran) in West Asia. “Persia” is a historical and cultural label that still appears in language…