A complete geographical reference work, "Philip's Encyclopedic World Atlas" provides authoritative full-colour maps, detailed gazetteer entries and up-to-date statistics for every country in the world. Arranged alphabetically from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, each country is profiled in a depth appropriate to its economic or political importance. A concise text describes the main features of each country's geography, climate, history, politics and economy. Tables highlight the key statistics of area, population, government, ethnic groups, languages, religions and currency in a format that allows for comparisons to be drawn between countries. Over 400 national flags are shown in colour, with a summary of their origin and significance, while over 300 climate graphs with informative commentaries provide a detailed analysis of local climatic conditions. Each entry is accompanied by a detailed, full-colour topographical map. Cities, towns, major communication routes and international airports are marked, as well as major topographic features such as rivers, lakes, mountain ranges. The main atlas section puts the national maps into their global context with 96 pages of physical and political maps, giving a balanced coverage of the world at scales. The maps are drawn in the style for which Philip's is internationally famous, combining layer-coloured contours with hill shading to provide an accurate visual impression of the land surface. The atlas is completed by an index of 35,000 names using local spellings and including geographical features such as mountains, lakes and deserts, as well as towns, cities, provinces and counties. The 48-page World Cities section provides urban area and city centre maps marking tourist sites for 67 of the world's most important cities, backed by a comprehensive index. In addition, full-page satellite images for the most spectacular cities give stunning views of their locations as seen from space.
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