Cities
The peculiar logic behind how metropolises grow, die, and reinvent themselves.
72 articlesLatest Cities
Zheleznogorsk/Krasnoyarsk-26: Siberia’s Secret Nuclear City
Explore the hidden history of Krasnoyarsk-26, a Soviet secret city built to produce weapons-grade plutonium, its luxurious gilded cage existence, and the devastating environmental legacy that outlasted the Cold War.
The Most Extreme Prison in Russia
Discover Black Dolphin, Russia's most notorious supermax prison. From its brutal conditions to its depraved inmates, explore what makes this modern-day gulag inescapable.
Alnwick Poison Garden: The Deadliest Plants in the World
Explore England's Alnwick Poison Garden, where deadly plants require government permission to grow and visitors risk fainting among nature's most dangerous killers.
The Boötes Void: The Biggest, Emptiest Thing in the Universe
Discover the Boötes Void, a 330 million light-year expanse of near-nothingness that changed our understanding of cosmic structure, and explore the theories behind this mysterious region of space.
Cactus Dome: The Nuclear Tomb in Paradise
The Cactus Dome on Runit Island contains 111,000 cubic yards of radioactive waste from US nuclear testing. As sea levels rise and concrete cracks, this Cold War tomb threatens to release its poison into the Pacific.
The Caribbean Capital City... That is a Ghost Town
How Mariupol, Ukraine's tenth-largest city, was besieged, destroyed, and rebuilt as a Russian city—erasing its people, culture, and identity in one of the most brutal urban campaigns of the 21st century.
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The Corner House: Latvia's KGB Headquarters
Discover the dark history of Riga's Corner House, the KGB headquarters where thousands of Latvians were imprisoned, tortured, and executed during five decades of Soviet occupation.
The Darién Gap: The Deadliest Place on Earth
The Darién Gap is a lethal stretch of jungle between Colombia and Panama, now a desperate migration route for half a million people annually. Explore its dangers, history, and humanitarian crisis.
The Forgotten Worlds of Eastern Europe.
Explore the abandoned towns and monuments of Eastern Europe left behind after the Soviet collapse, from Georgia's decaying spa resorts to Bulgaria's vilified communist monument and Latvia's secret military ghost towns.
The Great Blue Sinkhole: A Diver's Worst Nightmare
Explore Belize's Great Blue Hole, the world's largest underwater sinkhole. Discover its stunning beauty, deadly diving dangers, and the mysteries lurking in its depths.
The Most Dangerous City in the World...
Colima, Mexico has the highest murder rate on Earth at 140.32 per 100,000 people. Discover how geography, cartel wars, and failed government policies turned this once-peaceful state into the world's most dangerous place.
The Region That Can't Stop Poisoning Itself
The World Health Organisation calls it the greatest mass poisoning in human history. How India's arsenic belt became a nationwide catastrophe—and why it's been so hard to fix.