Philip's best-selling Concise World Atlas has been fully revised and updated for 2005-2006, and the handsomely illustrated introduction to world geography - 'The Earth in Space' - has been attractively redesigned with more and newer colour images. With 128 pages of authoritative world mapping, and a comprehensive index, this atlas is highly recommended both for home reference and as a gift.The physical maps give a balanced coverage of the world at well-chosen scales. Highly detailed, the cartography has been acclaimed by the Daily Mail as 'clearer than The Times'. The hill-shading on the physical maps provides an exceptionally vivid portrayal of landforms.The 48-page 'The Earth in Space' section, illustrated with informative photographs, maps and diagrams, covers such topics as the Universe, stars and constellations, the Solar System and Earth, earthquakes and volcanoes, forces of nature, oceans and ice, atmosphere and climate, natural environments, population, international organizations, agriculture, energy and minerals, trade and commerce, world economies, travel and communications, and the world today.Topical maps are provided for 'Regions in the News' including Iraq, Israel and the South-east Asia tsunami.The extensive alpha-numeric index of 55,000 names includes geographical features such as mountains, rivers, lakes and deserts, as well as provinces, towns and cities.Main map scale: