National Geographic Atlas of the World, Ninth Edition showcases the Earth in stunning detail, through a magnificent collection of world, continental, and regional maps that represent up-to-the-minute political geography. Throughout the Ninth Edition, state-of-the-art cartographic technologies and thousands of updates deliver accuracy and quality. Innovative new physical and thematic sections address the most compelling issues facing our world today. Preeminent scientists and experts in geographical specialty fields have consulted on all topics, to ensure that the maps, graphs, and text convey significant trends and findings relevant to modern science. Innovative design makes the wide-ranging content wonderfully accessible, resulting in an accurate, useful, and user-friendly reference to the world.

Map coverage in the Ninth Edition is more comprehensive and up-to-date than ever before:

· Newly generated regional maps reveal in great detail the geography of places in the news today, strengthening the reference aspect of the Atlas in its coverage of newsworthy developments, from conflict in the Middle East to global warming in North America.
· Dramatic, state-of-the-art ocean floor maps show more detail, more features, and more soundings than in any other atlas.
· Extraterrestrial maps chart the Northern and Southern skies, the Solar System, the Milky Way, and the Universe, with new maps of Mars and the Moon that denote physical features, spacecraft landings, and impact sites.

Twenty new thematic spreads illustrate crucial aspects of the human and physical world: population, urbanization, and their environmental impact, as well as human rights, health and wellness, culture, climate, technology, and many other topics. In this section, world maps appear in the same scale and projection to make it easier for the reader to compare layers of information. Plus, new highlighted notes called "connections" point out the interrelationships between topics.

The reference value of the National Geographic Atlas of the World, Ninth Edition is unparalleled, with the place-name index now exceeding 150,000 entries to incorporate the thousands of features covered on the new spreads. Simple, straightforward index design provides readers with ease of navigation in finding the places they want to explore.

This blend of mapping expertise, comprehensive coverage, and award-winning design places the National Geographic Atlas of the World, Ninth Edition in a class by itself.

Free gift: The Atlas of the World, Ninth Edition also comes with two free frameable map prints! This premium map is a two-piece, antique-styled map of the Western and Eastern Hemispheres, reflecting current political boundaries. The two sheets can be mounted separately or together in one frame. Dimensions for each sheet are: 11-1/2" x 14-5/8".