Newly revised, and completely up-to-date, this fifth edition of the Illustrated Atlas of the Worldremains an invaluable reference source. Bartholomew, world-class cartographers, designed this value-priced atlas especially for Reader’s Digest with 80 scrupulously revised reference maps, organized by continent—featuring an all-new insert of satellite images from around the world. Using state-of-the-art cartographic technology, the easy-to-use reference maps provide coverage of the entire world and illuminate every vital detail. A comprehensive index of over 30,000 place names makes every location instantly accessible.

The classic atlas -- now revised and updated to reflect political and population changes around the world.

To meet the ongoing need for up-to-date information as the world continues to change, this popular and affordable world atlas has once again been completely revised. Eighty newly revised reference maps use color to clarify details and highlight special features. The index contains more than 30,000 place names. A special section covers climactic zones, currents, endangered wildlife, and human impact on the environment. 150 photos.

"The education of girls and women is important not only as a matter of respecting a basic human right for half the population but as a powerful force for economic development and achieving social goals such as enhanced health, nutrition and civic involvement. This Atlas presents the latest data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics on trends in educational access and progression, from pre-primary through tertiary levels and adult literacy, with special attention to the all-important issue of gender equality. These trends are depicted through colour-coded maps that make it easy for readers to visualize global and regional trends and to understand how they are shaped by factors such as national wealth and geographic location." -- P. [4] of cover.

Think of all the political changes that have altered world maps in recent months: unified Germany, renamed Russian cities, independent Baltic states, a new capital for Nigeria. This brand new, updated atlas contains all of the latest information, with 80 pages of color maps and data comprehensive enough to satisfy everyone's needs.

Why is there a maple leaf in the center of the Canadian flag?What is the eagle on the Mexican flag carrying in its beak? A flag is more than a rectangle of fabric; it's a symbol of all a country stands for. This vibrantly illustrated atlas presents every national flag in the world, continent by continent, along with information on their colors, patterns, characteristics, and history.

In Rhumb Lines and Map Wars, Mark Monmonier offers an insightful, richly illustrated account of the controversies surrounding Flemish cartographer Gerard Mercator's legacy. He takes us back to 1569, when Mercator announced a clever method of portraying the earth on a flat surface, creating the first projection to take into account the earth's roundness. As Monmonier shows, mariners benefited most from Mercator's projection, which allowed for easy navigation of the high seas with rhumb lines—clear-cut routes with a constant compass bearing—for true direction. But the projection's popularity among nineteenth-century sailors led to its overuse—often in inappropriate, non-navigational ways—for wall maps, world atlases, and geopolitical propaganda. Because it distorts the proportionate size of countries, the Mercator map was criticized for inflating Europe and North America in a promotion of colonialism. In 1974, German historian Arno Peters proffered his own map, on which countries were ostensibly drawn in true proportion to one another. In the ensuing "map wars" of the 1970s and 1980s, these dueling projections vied for public support—with varying degrees of success. Widely acclaimed for his accessible, intelligent books on maps and mapping, Monmonier here examines the uses and limitations of one of cartography's most significant innovations. With informed skepticism, he offers insightful interpretations of why well-intentioned clerics and development advocates rallied around the Peters projection, which flagrantly distorted the shape of Third World nations; why journalists covering the controversy ignored alternative world maps and other key issues; and how a few postmodern writers defended the Peters worldview with a self-serving overstatement of the power of maps. Rhumb Lines and Map Wars is vintage Monmonier: historically rich, beautifully written, and fully engaged with the issues of our time.