National Geographic Visual Atlas of the World
*Starred Review* A major publisher of geographic sources has produced an atlas with a twist. It has the usual atlas features but emphasizes the more than 850 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In 1987 National Geographic published Our World’s Heritage, describing the sites at that time. They now celebrate in more detail “the great cultural, natural and human diversity of the planet.”   In appearance, the atlas is reminiscent of DK atlases. Double-page spreads of regional maps are framed with four to six color photographs of the heritage sites that are indicated on the map. Introductory topical material is standard—climate and climate change, weather, languages, economy, food, conflict, biodiversity, etc., illustrated with maps, bar graphs, tables, pie charts, and time lines. This section ends with heritage sites indicated on a world map and also listed by country.   The main map section begins with North America and ends with Australia and Oceania. Each continent has physical and political maps and a two-page spread of thematic maps showing energy consumption, population density, economy, climate, water availability, and natural events. Perhaps because of the relative number of heritage sites, there are more regional maps for Africa, South America, and Europe than for North America. There is a two-page spread devoted to Greece and the Aegean, ringed with small topical maps, text, and color photographs of six heritage sites, including Meteora and Mount Athos.   Every atlas has unique features, and this atlas has the most detailed maps of the Islands of Oceania this reviewer has ever seen in a world atlas. There are four pages of individual maps of these islands—Chuuk, Tarawa, Palau, Manihiki, etc.; a total of 53 maps. Place-names, roads, and physical features are indicated. Another interesting feature is the large map of the world that indicates the limits of oceans and seas, with an alphabetical list keyed to their location on the map. There is also a fascinating section on space, with maps of the moon and Mars showing where satellites have landed.   Atlases are yet to be replaced by online sources. Yes, you can find a map of Yap on Wikipedia and search Google Earth to see your mother-in law’s house. But beautiful color photography and clear topical material combined with detailed maps of areas not covered as well in other world atlases make the Visual Atlas a recommended purchase. This is a first choice for any library needing a new medium-priced atlas.