A comprehensive atlas of the world features more than 240 pages of meticulously detailed full-color maps, cross-reference locator maps on every spread, colorful landscape and satellite photographs, and an index encompassing more than 100,000 entries.



Bertelsmann Cartographic Institute/ GeoData has created this atlas from a database of fully digitized cartography that allows continuous updating to reflect geopolitcal changes. The atlas features uniform scale throughout the world, with an additional section in closer scale for the United States and southern Canada. There are, however, no close-up maps of major metropolitan areas, which results in the complete omission of Hackensack, New Jersey, the seat of Bergen County (1990 population: 37,049) but the inclusion of Hackensack, Minnesota (1990 population: 5000). Uniform scale in Europe means that the user will not find Zupanja, Croatia, where U.S. peacekeepers bridged the Sava, or Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a major site for pilgrimage. Aside from a "Continental Ecological Zones" map, there are no other thematic maps. Country-by-country data are not provided for reference purposes, and there is no mention of population. The National Geographic Atlas of the World (1995. 6th ed., 2d rev.) provides much more extensive geopolitical information, albeit at a higher price. The real emphasis of the Macmillan World Atlas is on global transportation networks with clearly marked and numbered roadways. Thus, this publication is not recommended for most reference collections since its usefulness is limited to users who need a general world highway atlas.?Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Sys., Ft. Pierce, Fla.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.