Atlases-Maps : National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition

National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition

CDN$ 150.53


When National Geographic published its first Atlas of the World more than 35 years ago, the world was indeed a different place. In order to cover today s world--including its oceans, stars, climate, natural resources, and more--National Geographic has published its seventh edition of the Atlas of the World. With each new edition, National Geographic strives to make its atlas more than just maps. You ll learn that the coldest place in the world is the Plateau Station in Antarctica, where the average daily temperature is minus 56.7 degrees Celsius, the most populated continent is Asia, with more than 3.6 billion people, or 60.8 percent of the world s population, the driest place on earth is the Atacama Desert in Chile, a flight from New Delhi to Rio de Janeiro covers 14,080 kilometers, life expectancy in the Republic of Zambia is 37 years, and the literacy rate in Turkmenistan is 98 percent. Flip through the pages of this impressive book and you will feel as though the world is literally at your fingertips. Full-page spreads are devoted to more than 75 political and physical maps (political maps show borders, physical maps show mountains, water, valleys, and vegetation). There are many new touches to be found in this edition, including increased usage of satellite images, an especially helpful feature when researching the most remote regions of the earth, more than 50 updated political maps that record the impact of wars, revolutions, treaties, elections, and other events, and the use of the latest research on topics such as tectonics, oceanography, climate, and natural resources. The sheer size of the atlas s index--134 pages--offers insight into just how much information is packed into 260-plus pages. The book is so physically large, in fact, that when it s open, the reader is staring at three square feet of information, a surface area larger than many television screens. The potential uses of this book for a family are vast, from settling a friendly argument to completing a school report. In the end, though, the atlas is still mostly about maps. Pages and pages of maps. Maps that force us to see how wonderful and dynamic our world is. Maps that remind us of where we ve been and where we d still like to go. --John Russell

Best of best - Having researched most atlases at both public and university libraries, I am in the position to state this is the best atlas in the world, best of the best. Although I am only talking about the atlas quality and not the price.

What is going on? - This is a beautiful book, one which I almost passed over because of the very low rating.Does no one at Amazon edit these reviews? Virtually all of the 1 or 2 star ratings are about one (possibly inappropriately-applied) name that provoked intense nationalistic fervor and a semi-comprehensible rant which has nothing to do with the overall quality of the atlas. Some of them even accused National Geographic of having been bought out by enemies of certain nations. Get a grip...

National Geographic has made changes - In December 2004, National Geographic (NG) updated the Persian Gulf plate (Plate 75) to accomodate the controversies surrounding the place-names used in the 8th edition. Here is my understanding of the changes made:1. The term ",Arabian Gulf", in parenthesis has been deleted. Instead, there is a small note that reads: ",Historically and commonly known as the Persian Gulf, this body of water is also referred by some as the Arabian Gulf.",2. Persian names of all Iranian islands are used. (Kish instead of Qeys, Lavan alone instead of adding Sheykh Sha eyb in parenthesis)3. Deletion of ",Occupied by Iran (Claimed by U.A.E.)", in reference to the islands Abu Musa, and Greater and Lesser Tunbs.These changes already appear on the website (www.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine) and will apply to further printings or editions of the NG Atlas. Also, on the password-protected website for NG Atlas owners, there is a ",brief summary of the historical origin of the term Persian Gulf",. There is also a note on the place-naming policy of NG. (The online update feature is great - you can download and/or print updated plates and put them in your atlas. This not new for NG Atlases, except that they used to send updates by mail.)Overall, I am impressed with NG s response to this situation. I am also very impressed with the quality of the atlas and its contents, except for the outermost/superficial binding paper. I have had the atlas for about 6 months, and with moderate use, the paper around the bottom of the spine has frayed. The binding itself is intact, though.

Reviews are helpful written in English - I d agree that the book could use some revision. It s funny that most people complaining about the content seem to have difficulty forming actual sentences! Maybe you had difficulty reading the book in general?

Not accurate! - To remain a valid international reference, this book is supposed to be more accurate in names(such as Persian Gulf)and indifferent about false data!




National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition