It’s easy to take maps for granted. After all, most of us have a pretty good map in our pockets at all times, ready to show us how to get anywhere on the globe. But to make a map useful, you have to ...

As people move from place to place, the populations of towns and cities also rise and fall—sometimes significantly. New York City, for example, has been the largest city in the United States since ...

State boundaries can be iconic. Many were drawn by human hands, but some of the most recognizable contours were shaped by nature: the boot of southeastern Louisiana, carved by the Mississippi River, ...