The Bight's top geographies of 2026

A new tradition maybe?

I may be a little too biased towards the northern hemisphere…

Geography is literally my life these days. I have the luxury of studying, reading about, and visiting some truly insane geographies because this is literally my job. If I don’t do this, I’ll starve! Well not quite, but you get my drift. My point being is that, every day I basically just stare at the world and try to find fun and unique stories. And this means that I come across a lot of weird places, places that fascinate me, and places that are very cool but hiding in plain sight.

Because of this, I’ve decided that I’m going to create an updated article every year with my top geographies from the past year. Places that I thought were unique or interesting, but for one reason or another, we don’t really talk about all that often.

Now, because we’re talking about geography, this can take the shape of any kind of geographic feature:

• A politically defined state, country, or region

• A mountain, mountain range, or cave system

• A river, estuary, or delta,

• A sea, ocean, gulf

• And so on

Basically, as geographers, we owe it to ourselves to talk about things on all manner of scales. That’s kind of the whole point. So, without further delay, let’s get to the list.

Also, I’m not trying to bog you down in details. So each one just has a short summary for why I picked it. We can discuss the places on the list in greater detail in the comments.

These are in order of scale, smallest to largest.

Bermuda

Photo by Kinø on Unsplash

• Type: Volcanic archipelago and coral island

• Location: North Atlantic Ocean (roughly 650 miles east of North Carolina)

I never knew just how weird Bermuda was until recently. And apparently most of you didn’t either because when I made a video out of it it almost immediately hit millions of views. Anyways, sitting atop an extinct volcanic seamount, Bermuda is a hook-shaped archipelago famous for its pink-sand beaches and treacherous surrounding coral reefs. The island’s unique limestone geology is highly porous which means they have no natural water. And this is also why they have those funny rooftops! They’re designed to catch water. SO COOL!

Isthmus of Chignecto

I couldn’t find a photo from the ground… do you have one? 🤓

• Type: Isthmus (obviously)

• Location: Between the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada

Another place that has fascinated me as it’s the long and tiny connector keeping Nova Scotia from becoming an island. Flanked by the Northumberland Strait and the massive, record-breaking tides of the Bay of Fundy, the isthmus is mostly marsheland from what I can tell. Still, I think I just really wanted an isthmus to make my list and this one popped in my head first.

Vilnius, Lithuania

Photo by Julia Karnavusha on Unsplash

• Type: River confluence and urban landscape

• Location: Southeastern Lithuania, Baltic region of Europe

Guys there is SOMETHING about Vilnius that I can’t shake. When I visited last year, it instantly became one of my favorite cities in Europe. It was beautiful without being showy. It was peaceful, but still lively. Maybe it’s because, unlike many major Baltic cities, it sits far inland and is surrounded by a dense network of pine forests and glacial lakes. Regardless, I had to include it because I want to go back so bad.

Paraná River

Photo by Douglas Lopez on Unsplash

• Type: River and watershed

• Location: South America (flowing through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina)

As the second-longest river in South America, the Paraná weaves through massive floodplains and dense subtropical forests on its journey to the Atlantic Ocean. It merges with the Paraguay and Uruguay rivers to form the Río de la Plata estuary, creating an immense watershed that supports spectacular biodiversity. But what I really like about it is the Santa Cruz de la Sierra Agreement which mandates that the entire river be treated like international waters. Got a boat… you can sail right on down if you want. To hell with the borders!

Fergana Valley

Finding legal pictures I can use is hard 😢

• Type: Intermontane depression and river valley

• Location: Central Asia (split between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan)

Okay this one is here mostly because of its current geoplitical situation. Encircled by the Tien Shan mountains, the Fergana Valley is a massive, fertile depression that serves as the agricultural heartland of Central Asia. And it’s divided between three different countries in a swirling whirlpool of borders and exclaves. That’s right, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan all have just a little bit of it and that makes things COMPLICATED.

Lake Victoria

Photo by Evans Dims on Unsplash

• Type: Tropical freshwater lake

• Location: East Africa (bordered by Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya)

Occupying a shallow basin between the branches of the Great Rift Valley, Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake and the second-largest freshwater body in the world by surface area. I mean there really doesn’t need to be anything more said, right? It’s one of the largest lakes in the world but we rarely ever talk about it. It’s also home to very weird oddities like Migingo Island.

Shikoku and the Yoshino River

You can literally see it get squeezed down by the mountains.

• Type: Island and river system

• Location: Southwestern Japan

Kind of a twofer, but come on… this is one bizarre place! As Japan’s smallest main island, Shikoku, is very rugged and thickly forested. And cutting directly through these mountains is the Yoshino River, renowned for carving steep gorges, boasting pristine emerald waters. But the REAL reason I chose it eas because of that bizarre urban complex squeezed in between the mountains all the way to the coast. I gotta go see it for myself someday.

Baja California

Photo by Constanza S. Mora on Unsplash

• Type: Peninsula

• Location: Northwestern Mexico

This one was super fun because, tomorrow, I have a brand new video coming out all about Baja California. And you should definitely go watch it! Tomorrow… because it’s not out yet. Anyways, this 775-mile-long peninsula does NOT get the attention it deserves. Its interior is sharply divided by rugged granite mountain ranges, such as the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir, which plummet dramatically into the sea. And it’s home to very unique forms of cacti and succulents. Also, the Gulf of California is also seriously cool.

Greenland

Photo by Visit Greenland on Unsplash

• Type: Island and continental ice sheet

• Location: Between the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans

Few places have commanded as much attention this past year as Greenland. But for all the wrong reasons! Because, as the world’s largest non-continental island, Greenland is defined by a colossal, ancient ice sheet that covers roughly 80% of its landmass. Its dramatic, deeply indented coastline is carved by massive glaciers and fjords, with rocky, ice-free tundra hugging the edges of the sea. So here’s a little light on Greenland for its geography… not its geopolitics.

Indian Ocean

Photo by Jeremy Ducray on Unsplash

• Type: Ocean

• Location: Bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west, and Australia to the east

I think the Indian Ocean is the weirdest ocean of them all. It’s not the biggest (like the Pacific). It’s not the most trafficked (like the Atlantic). It’s not the coldest or more remote (Arctic and Southern). And right in the middle of it? Almost nothing. Even the Atlantic Ocean has tiny islands scattered about but the Indian Ocean is just empty. Its super weird!

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What do you think? Did I miss something you think should have bee included? Got a comment or question about one of the places. Comment! 👇

Oh and you can scroll around and view that map at the top right here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1vq1cEyGiiZJbyyjqQPvxk6KiP-qBZH4&ll=24.1743879536205%2C5.772003099999978&z=2