ATLAS 4TH EDITION
ATLAS
LONDON, NEW YORK, MELBOURNE, MUNICH, AND DELHI
2
LONDON, NEW YORK, MELBOURNE, MUNICH, AND ...
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ATLAS 4TH EDITION
ATLAS
LONDON, NEW YORK, MELBOURNE, MUNICH, AND DELHI
2
LONDON, NEW YORK, MELBOURNE, MUNICH, AND DELHI FOR THE FOURTH EDITION Cartographic Manager David Roberts Senior Cartographic Editor Simon Mumford Cartographers Paul Eames, Encompass Graphics Limited Designers Nimbus Design Editors Ben Hoare, Margaret Parrish, Cambridge International Reference on Current Affairs (CIRCA) 3D Globes Planetary Visions Ltd., London Systems Co-ordinator Philip Rowles Production Imogen Boase Art Director Bryn Walls Publisher Jonathan Metcalf Associate Publisher Liz Wheeler FOR PREVIOUS EDITIONS Cartographic Director Andrew Heritage Cartography Roger Bullen, Rob Stokes, Iorwerth Watkins Project Editor Sam Atkinson Art Editor Karen Gregory First published in Great Britain in 2001 by Dorling Kindersley Limited, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL A Penguin Company Fourth Edition 2010 Previously published as the Ultimate Pocket Book of the World Atlas & Factfile Copyright © 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any other means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the copyright owner. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-4053-5039-6 Printed and bound in Singapore by Star Standard Discover more at
www.dk.com
Key to map symbols ELEVATION 6000m / 19,686ft 4000m / 13,124ft 2000m / 6562ft 1000m / 3281ft
DRAINAGE FEATURES River Seasonal river Canal
500m / 1640ft 250m / 820ft 100m / 328ft 0 Below sea level
Mountain Depression
BORDERS Full international Disputed de facto
Lake Seasonal lake
SETTLEMENTS Capital city Major town Minor town Major port
COMMUNICATIONS
Territorial claim
Major road
Cease-fire line
Rail
Undefined State/Province
International airport
Insight; facts, figures, and amazing information from around the world
3
4
Atlas contents
The Political World . . . . . . . . . . 8-9 The Physical World . . . . . . . . 10-11 Time Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13 Atlas Opener . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-15
North & Central America 16–17 Western Canada & Alaska . . . 18-19 Eastern Canada . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21 USA: The Northeast . . . . . . . . 22-23 USA: Central States . . . . . . . . 24-25 USA: The West . . . . . . . . . . . 26-27 USA: The Southwest . . . . . . . 28-29 USA: The Southeast . . . . . . . . 30-31 Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-33 Central America . . . . . . . . . . 34-35 The Caribbean. . . . . . . . . . . . 36-37
South America 38–39 Northern South America . . . . 40-41 Peru, Bolivia, & North Brazil 42-43 Paraguay, Uruguay, & South Brazil. . . . . . . . . . . 44-45 Southern South America . . . . 46-47
The Atlantic Ocean . . . . . . . . 48-49
Africa 50–51 Northwest Africa . . . . . . . . . . 52-53 Northeast Africa . . . . . . . . . . 54-55 West Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56-57 Central Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . 58-59 Southern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . 60-61
Europe 62–63 The North Atlantic. . . . . . . . . 64-65 Scandinavia & Finland. . . . . . 66-67 The Low Countries . . . . . . . . 68-69 The British Isles . . . . . . . . . . . 70-71 France, Andorra, & Monaco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72-73 Spain & Portugal . . . . . . . . . . 74-75 Germany & the Alpine States . . . . . . . . . 76-77 Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78-79 Central Europe . . . . . . . . . . . 80-81 Southeast Europe. . . . . . . . . . 82-83 The Mediterranean . . . . . . . . 84-85
Atlas contents Bulgaria & Greece. . . . . . . . . 86-87 The Baltic States & Belarus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88-89 Ukraine, Moldova, & Romania . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90-91 European Russia . . . . . . . . . . 92-93
5
Mainland Southeast Asia . . 118-119 Maritime Southeast Asia . . 120-121 The Indian Ocean . . . . . . . 122-123
Australasia & Oceania 124–125 North & West Asia 94–95 Russia & Kazakhstan . . . . . . . 96-97 Turkey & the Caucasus . . . . . 98-99 The Near East & West Bank . . . . . . . . . . 100-101 The Middle East . . . . . . . . 102-103 Central Asia. . . . . . . . . . . . 104-105
South & East Asia 106–107
The Southwest Pacific . . . . 126-127 Western Australia . . . . . . . 128-129 Eastern Australia . . . . . . . . 130-131 New Zealand . . . . . . . . . . 132-133 The Pacific Ocean . . . . . . . 134-135 Antarctica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Arctic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Country Factfiles 138–359 See overleaf for contents
Western China & Mongolia. . . . . . . . . . . 108-109 Eastern China & Korea. . . . 110-111 Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112-113 South India & Sri Lanka. . . 114-115 North India & Pakistan . . . 116-117
Overseas territories . . . . . . 360-365 International organizations . . . 366 Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368-432
6
Factfile contents A
Afghanistan . . . . . . . . 153 Albania . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Algeria. . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Andorra . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Angola. . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Antarctica . . . . . . . . . 158 Antigua & Barbuda . . 159 Argentina. . . . . . . . . . 160 Armenia . . . . . . . . . . 161 Australia . . . . . . 162–163 Austria. . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Azerbaijan. . . . . . . . . 165
B
Chad . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Chile . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 China . . . . . . . . . 192-193 Colombia . . . . . . . . . 194 Comoros . . . . . . . . . . 195 Congo . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 Congo, Dem. Rep. . . 197 Costa Rica . . . . . . . . . 198 Côte d’Ivoire . . . . . . . 199 Croatia . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Cuba . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 Cyprus. . . . . . . . . . . . 202 Czech Republic . . . . . 203
D
Bahamas . . . . . . . . . . 166 Bahrain . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Bangladesh . . . . . . . . 168 Barbados . . . . . . . . . . 169 Belarus . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Belgium. . . . . . . . . . . 171 Belize . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Benin. . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Bhutan. . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Bolivia. . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Bosnia & Herzegovina . . . . 176 Botswana. . . . . . . . . . 177 Brazil. . . . . . . . . . 178-179 Brunei . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Bulgaria. . . . . . . . . . . 181 Burkina . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Burma . . . . . see Myanmar Burundi . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Denmark . . . . . . . . . . Djibouti. . . . . . . . . . . Dominica . . . . . . . . . Dominican Republic .
C
Gabon . . . . . . . . . . . . Gambia . . . . . . . . . . . Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . Germany . . . . . . . . . . Ghana . . . . . . . . . . . . Greece . . . . . . . . . . . Grenada . . . . . . . . . .
Cambodia . . . . . . . . . 184 Cameroon . . . . . . . . . 185 Canada . . . . . . . . 186-187 Cape Verde . . . . . . . . 188 Central African Republic . . . . . . . . . 189
204 205 206 207
E East Timor . . . . . . . . . Ecuador . . . . . . . . . . . Egypt . . . . . . . . . . . . . El Salvador . . . . . . . . Equatorial Guinea . . . Eritrea . . . . . . . . . . . . Estonia. . . . . . . . . . . . Ethiopia . . . . . . . . . . .
208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215
F Fiji. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Finland . . . . . . . . . . . 217 France . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
G 219 220 221 222 223 224 225
Guatemala. . . . . . . . . Guinea . . . . . . . . . . . Guinea–Bissau. . . . . . Guyana . . . . . . . . . . .
226 227 228 229
H Haiti . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Honduras . . . . . . . . . 231 Hungary . . . . . . . . . . 232
I Iceland . . . . . . . . . . . 233 India . . . . . . . . . . 234-235 Indonesia. . . . . . . 236-237 Iran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 Iraq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Ireland. . . . . . . . . . . . 240 Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
J Jamaica . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Japan . . . . . . . . . . 244-245 Jordan . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
K Kazakhstan . . . . . . . . Kenya . . . . . . . . . . . . Kiribati . . . . . . . . . . . Korea, North . . . . . . . Korea, South . . . . . . . Kosovo . . . . . . . . . . . Kuwait . . . . . . . . . . . . Kyrgyzstan . . . . . . . . .
247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254
L Laos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Latvia . . . . . . . . . . . . Lebanon . . . . . . . . . . Lesotho . . . . . . . . . . . Liberia . . . . . . . . . . . .
255 256 257 258 259
Factfile contents Libya . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liechtenstein . . . . . . . Lithuania . . . . . . . . . . Luxembourg . . . . . . .
260 261 262 263
M Macedonia . . . . . . . . Madagascar . . . . . . . . Malawi . . . . . . . . . . . Malaysia . . . . . . . . . . Maldives . . . . . . . . . . Mali. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Malta. . . . . . . . . . . . . Marshall Islands . . . . Mauritania. . . . . . . . . Mauritius . . . . . . . . . . Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . Micronesia . . . . . . . . Moldova . . . . . . . . . . Monaco. . . . . . . . . . . Mongolia. . . . . . . . . . Montenegro. . . . . . . . Morocco . . . . . . . . . . Mozambique . . . . . . . Myanmar (Burma) . . .
264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282
N Namibia . . . . . . . . . . Nauru . . . . . . . . . . . . Nepal . . . . . . . . . . . . Netherlands. . . . . . . . New Zealand . . . . . . Nicaragua . . . . . . . . . Niger . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nigeria . . . . . . . . . . . Norway . . . . . . . . . . .
283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291
O Oman . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
P Pakistan . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Palau . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Panama . . . . . . . . . . . Papua New Guinea . . Paraguay . . . . . . . . . . Peru. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Philippines . . . . . . . . Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . Portugal . . . . . . . . . . .
295 296 297 298 299 300 301
Q Qatar. . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
R Romania . . . . . . . . . . 303 Russian Federation . . . . . 304-305 Rwanda . . . . . . . . . . . 306
S St. Kitts & Nevis . . . . St. Lucia . . . . . . . . . . St. Vincent & the Grenadines . . . . . . . Samoa . . . . . . . . . . . . San Marino . . . . . . . . São Tomé & Príncipe . Saudi Arabia . . . . . . . Senegal . . . . . . . . . . . Serbia . . . . . . . . . . . . Seychelles . . . . . . . . . Sierra Leone . . . . . . . Singapore . . . . . . . . . Slovakia. . . . . . . . . . . Slovenia . . . . . . . . . . Solomon Islands . . . . Somalia . . . . . . . . . . . South Africa. . . . . . . . Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sri Lanka . . . . . . . . . . Sudan . . . . . . . . . . . . Suriname . . . . . . . . . . Swaziland . . . . . . . . .
307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328
7
Sweden . . . . . . . . . . . 329 Switzerland . . . . . . . . 330 Syria . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
T Taiwan. . . . . . . . . . . . Tajikistan . . . . . . . . . . Tanzania . . . . . . . . . . Thailand . . . . . . . . . . Togo . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tonga . . . . . . . . . . . . Trinidad & Tobago . . . Tunisia. . . . . . . . . . . . Turkey . . . . . . . . . . . . Turkmenistan . . . . . . . Tuvalu . . . . . . . . . . . .
332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342
U Uganda . . . . . . . . . . . 343 Ukraine . . . . . . . . . . . 344 United Arab Emirates. 345 United Kingdom . 346-347 United States . . . . 348-350 Uruguay . . . . . . . . . . 351 Uzbekistan . . . . . . . . 352
V Vanuatu. . . . . . . . . . . Vatican City. . . . . . . . Venezuela . . . . . . . . . Vietnam. . . . . . . . . . .
353 354 355 356
Y Yemen . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Z Zambia . . . . . . . . . . . 358 Zimbabwe . . . . . . . . . 359
8
The Political World A
B
C
D Severnaya Zemlya
Svalbard
Franz Josef Land
(Norway)
New Siberian Islands Novaya Zemlya
1
Jan Mayen
RW UNITED KINGDOM
IRELAND
NETH.
2
DE
O N
(Denmark)
N
S WE
DENMARK Faeroe Islands
D FINLAN
AY
(Norway) ICELAND
1 2
POLAND
R U S S I A N
F E D E R A T I O N
ESTONIA LATVIA LITHUANIA BELARUS
UKRAINE 3 5 MOLDOVA KA Z A KH S TA N 4 6 MON G OLIA ROMANIA 7 8 GEORGIA FRANCE UZBEKISTAN 13 119 10 12 BULGARIA ANDORRA 14 KYRGZSTAN ALB. ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN SPAIN PORTUGAL MONACO ITALY MAC. TURKEY TURKMEN. TAJIKISTAN
BELGIUM LUXEMBOURG SWITZERLAND
N. KOREA
AZ. S. KOREA JAPAN SYRIA C H I N A AFGHANISTAN LEBANON BHUTAN IRAQ I R A N NEPAL MYANMAR KUWAIT I ALGERIA L I B Y A JORDAN (BURMA) QATAR PAK WESTERN EGYPT BAHRAIN INDIA SAHARA TAIWAN LAOS U.A.E. (disputed) SAUDI ARABIA Northern Mariana CAPE MAURITANIA OMAN BANGLADESH ERITREA Islands (US) MALI NIGER VERDE YEMEN SENEGAL CHAD DJIBOUTI THAILAND BURKINA GAMBIA SUDAN PHILIPPINES Guam (US) NIGERIA GUINEACAMBODIA GUINEA BENIN BISSAU ETHIOPIA MICRONESIA C.A.R. BRUNEI SRI CAMEROON SIERRA LEONE
ST AN
GREECE TUNISIA MALTA CYPRUS MOROCCO ISRAEL
VI
ET
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
AT L A N T I C
GABON Cabinda (Angola)
OCEAN Tropic of Capricorn
O NG
CO
TOGO LIBERIA GHANA CÔTE D’IVOIRE SAO TOME & PRINCIPE
O
M
ALI
A
N AM
3
ANGOLA
S MALDIVES KENYA RWANDA BURUNDI SEYCHELLES TANZANIA
UGANDA
DEM. REP. CONGO
ZAMBIA MALAWI
ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA BOTS.
4
5
1. Germany 2. Liechtenstein 3. Czech Republic 4. Austria 5. Slovakia 6. Hungary 7. Slovenia 8. Croatia 9. Bosnia & Herzegovina 10. Serbia 11. Montenegro 12. Kosovo (disputed) 13. San Marino 14. Vatican City
A
SOUTH AFRICA
PALAU
MALAYSIA
SINGAPORE
INDONESIA
SWAZILAND LESOTHO
EAST TIMOR
COMOROS
I N D I A N
A U S T R A L I A
O C E A N
French Southern & Antarctic Territories (France)
S O U T H E R N
O C E A N ANTARCT ICA
B
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MADAGASCAR MAURITIUS
MOZAMBIQUE
KEY TO NUMBERS
LANKA
C
D
9 E
F
G
H
A R C T I C Greenland (Denmark)
O C E A N
1
Arctic Circle
Alaska (US)
C Aleutian Islands
(U
A
N
A
D
A
AT LAN T IC
S)
OCE AN 2
P A C I F I C
U N I T E D S TAT E S OF AMERICA
O C E A N
Bermuda (UK)
EX IC
KIRIBATI
ECUADOR
TONGA
American Samoa (us)
New Caledonia (France)
French Polynesia (France)
Equator
SURINAME
BOLIVIA
Pitcairn Islands (UK)
PARAGUAY
CHILE
Tropic of Capricorn
P A C I F I C
SAMOA
EN ARG
CONTINENTAL KEY North & Central America South America
Falkland Islands (UK)
Europe CHILE
NW/SE Asia
South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands (UK)
Australasia & Oceania
Africa
Antarctic Circle
E
F
4
URUGUAY
TI
O C E A N NEW ZEALAND
3
B R A Z I L
NA
Niue (NZ)
Tropic of Cancer DOMINICA ST LUCIA BARBADOS ST VINCENT & THE GRENADINES GRENADA TRINIDAD & TOBAGO French Guiana (France)
RU
FIJI
CUBA
PE
VANUATU
BELIZE
O
Tokelau (NZ) Cook Islands (NZ)
SOLOMON ISLANDS
BAHAMAS
HAITI GUATEMALA JAMAICA EL SALVADOR COSTA RICA HONDURAS NICARAGUA VENEZUELA PANAMA Galapagos Islands COLOMBIA (Ecuador) GUYANA
MARSHALL Wallis & Futuna (France) ISLANDS Palmyra Atoll (US)
TUVALU
ST KITTS & NEVIS ANTIGUA & BARBUDA
M
Hawaii (US)
NAURU
Puerto Rico (US)
DOM. REP.
Midway Islands (US)
G
H
5
10
The Physical World B
C Franz Josef Land
lps
Da
n ube
Cau ca
Black Sea
sus
Z
Madeira
N
e
il
Red
Tropic of Cancer
l
Angola Basin
dge cRi
nti
d-A
Cape of Good Hope
Mi
So
ut
h
s we
tI
nd
ia
Lena
Sea of Japan (East Sea)
O C E A N dg
Honshu East Kyushu China Sea
Taiwan
South China Sea
Philippine Sea
M
e
So Kerguelen
E a s t Java
I n d i e s New
Java Sea
Guinea
Timor Sea
G
Great Sandy Desert
la Nul
ain rbor Pl
S O U T H E R N
Antarctic Circle
he
Tasmania
as
t I nd
ian R idge
O C E A N ANTARCTICA
A
B
C
g lin
A U S T R A ut
South Indian Basin
5
el a
Malay Peninsula Sri Lanka Borneo Celebes Sumatra
Mauritius Réunion
n
ver
Sakhalin Manchurian Hokkaido Plain
Yan g t z e
layas
Bay of Bengal
I N D I A N
Ri
i
b
ing Range vid Di
tla
mbezi Za
t eser
Cape Basin
Somali
Lake Victoria Basin Kilimanjaro Seychelles 19,340ft (5895m)
Kalahari Desert
Sea of Okhotsk ur
at re
bD
Tropic of Capricorn
4
Nami
OCEAN
G
o
A
n ge Mount Everest s 29,035ft (8850m) Deccan
Arabian Peninsula
Great Rift Valle y Mo zam biq ue C han ne Mada gasc l ar
go
on
Congo Basin
C
ma
Ga
Arabian Ethiopian Sea Highlands Horn of
r Gulf of Guinea
ATLANTIC
Mo lt un ai tai n Shan s n e Ti
ush P l a t e a u o f Y e l l o uK nd H Tibet i
Africa Equator
a
ine lipp Phi lands Is
e
Aral Sea
I
g
h
SA
kon Me
a
ge Ni
S
Cape Verde Islands
Sea
A F R I C A
Kh re b et C her sko go
i Lake Baikal
A
Caspian
Anatolia Sea Mediterr Iranian an ts. ag Plateau ean Sea s M r a l o sM Syrian At ts . Desert S a h a r a
r
Ri
A
Iberian Peninsula
Canary Islands
3
Volg a
b’
e
w
ro
la
b
Ridge
Eu
nP
iO
Ninetyeast
r th
a pe
S
Indu s
No
y
E U R O P E
Bay of Biscay Azores
Ba
Bare nt s Se a
ia
Ural Mountains
North Sea
British Isles
v na
in
an
Iceland
2
di
Sc
D
N orw eg i an Sea
Hi
t
l t i c Se a
rai
en
m
St
k ar
Laptev Sea
K ar a Se a
e Yenis
Arctic Circle
New Siberian Islands
Novaya Zemlya
G reenl an d Sea
1
A R C T I C
Severnaya Zemlya
Am
Spitsbergen
D
Da r
A
D
11 E
F
G
O C E A N
Ellesmere Island Queen Elizabeth Islands
Bea uf o rt Sea
Grand Banks of Newfoundland
We s t I n d i e s
n
d
s
3 Equator
SOUTH AMERICA
Brazil Basin
á
Tropic of Capricorn
4
Pa ra
Pa mp
as
Pa t a g s sa Drak e Pa
Argentine Basin
Falkland Islands
ge
Antarctic Peninsula
G
2
Tropic of Cancer
G C h ra ac n o n
e
Cerro Aconcagua 22,831ft (6959m)
Basin
F
e
n A m a zo Amazon Basin
Tierra del Fuego Cape Horn
E
dg
OCEAN
A
a
East Pacific Rise
i
Pacific
Easter Island
an
Ri
ATLANTIC
a
s
a
Southwest
Peru Basin
tl
ti c
M
Basin
-A
North American
Galapagos Islands
O C E A N
New Caledonia
New Zealand
t s. M
oni
tka
n
e
si
South Island
P A C I F I C
Fiji
Tasman North Sea Island L A S I A
n ia ch la
Caribbean Sea
n
ne Coral Sea
Gulf of Mexico
y
ro a
Solomon Islands
Arctic Circle
Labrador Sea
Great Lakes
Miss issi pp i
ra St
a t R
l
ic
M ou nt ain s
Ha w Isl aiia an n ds
nd
Hudson Bay
AMERICA
ns lai
Coas
o
M
si
P s at a i n n t re s ou ge
M
P
la
1
NORTH
y
No rth we s t P a c if i c Basin
ne
G
Gulf of Alaska
ck
s nd
Great Slave Lake
in s nta ou
Aleutian Isla
(Denali) 20,322ft (6194m)
o
Bering Sea
tM
C Mount McKinley oas
R
Ka mc ha
g
Is
Great Bear Lake
zie en
rin Be
in
Baffin Bay
id
M ac k
Brooks Range
it
Chukchi Sea
Greenland Baff
Ap pa
East Siberian Sea
Mi d-P aci fic
H
South Georgia
South Sandwich Islands
5
Antarctic Circle
H
12
Time Zones A
–2
B
–1
0
+1
C
+2
+3
+4
D
+5
+6
1
0 –3 –1
+7 +7
+1
+8
+9
+10
A R C T I C O C E A N +10
+3 +1 0
+11
+2
+9
+7
+5 +3
0
2
+6
+2 +2
–1 –1
+1
0
+3
+6 +2
0
+8 +7
+4
+8 +9
+10 +11
+8
+61/2 Greenwich Meridian
4
+3
+9
+8 +31/2 +41/2 +53/4 +6 +5 +3 +6 +61/2 +4 +51/2 +7
0
ATLANTIC OCEAN
+10
+5
0
–1
3
+8
+4 +2 +1
+10
+3 +1
+8
I N D I A N O C E A N
+2
+91/2
+10
+5 +5
+5
5 11:00
A
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
B
16:00
17:00
18:00
C
19:00
20:00
21:00
D
22:00
13 E
–11
na l natio Inter line Date
+11
F
–10
G
–9
–8
–7
–6
H
–5
–4
–3
–2 1
0
–4 –3
–1
–9 +12 –10
–8
–7
–6
–5
–4
2
–31/2
P A C I F I C O C E A N
ATLANTIC OCEAN
–11
–5
–10 +12
–4 3
–10
–41/2 Equator
+14
+13
–5 –91/2
+11
+13
–4 –3
–10
–10
–8
+111/2
–6
4
–4
+101/2 +12
P A C I F I C O C E A N
+123/4
–3
–4
–3
–2
5 23:00
24:00
01:00
02:00
03:00
04:00
05:00
06:00
07:00
08:00
09:00
10:00
–3 E
F
G
H
14
The world's regions
15
ian
OCEAN
Sn
Gulf of Alaska
ake
Mount McKinley (Denali) 20,322ft (6194m)
ALASKA(US)
Yuk o n
C A
R o c k y
Lake Winnipeg
D
A
Labrador Sea
E
le
62
ICELAND
Jan Mayen (to Norway)
rc Ci tic Arc
(Denmark)
ad
U
Svalbard (to Norway)
Greenland
or an nti ns e r i u La unta Mo
d
A
Hudson Bay
n
E
Franz Josef Land (to Russia)
br
N
Reindeer Lake
Lake Athabasca
ffi
94
D
Baffin Bay
North Pole
Ba
Queen Elizabeth Islands
OCEAN
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Great Bear Lake Great Slave Lake
Beaufort Sea
le irc cC cti Ar
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an
Is l
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4
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134
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95
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2
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A
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16
North & Central America
NORTH AMERICA
G r e
M o u
C
dr e O
o
s
ac
an
D
GRENADA
Netherlands Antilles (Neth.)
A M E R I C A
S O U T H
Aruba (Neth.)
B
C
Martinique (France)
DOMINICA
E
Equator
48
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
BARBADOS
ST LUCIA
Guadeloupe (France)
ST KITTS & NEVIS ANTIGUA & BARBUDA
British Virgin Islands (UK) Anguilla (UK)
Virgin Islands (US)
Montserrat (UK)
Puerto Rico (US)
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Turks & Caicos Islands (UK)
Sargasso Sea
Bermuda (UK)
ATLANTIC OCEAN
St Pierre & Miquelon (France)
ST VINCENT & THE GRENADINES
38
Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)
PANAMA
NICARAGUA
COSTA RICA
w
HAITI
BAHAMAS
C U BA
hi
Lake Erie
Cayman Islands (UK)
l pa
io
Ap
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Gulf of Mexico
i
r
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Lake Huron Lake Ontario
La
135
1000
nsa
EL SALVADOR
OC E A N 1000
ka
Lake Michigan
Great Lakes
BELIZE JAMAICA GUATEMALA HONDURAS
O
P AC I F IC
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OF AMERICA
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Clipperton Island (French Polynesia)
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n s n
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St
s
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UNITED STATES
r
A
5
P l a e
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Mount Whitney 14,495ft (4418m)
8
7
6
5
NORTH AMERICA
17
NORTH AMERICA
18
Western Canada & Alaska A
B
C
D
97
e rcl Ci
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Wrangel I.
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In 1867 William Henry Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia for the price of $7,200,000, which amounted to around two cents per acre (0.4 hectares).
2
A R C T I C
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
1
Bering Sea
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135 Br
St. Lawrence I.
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400
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Queen Charlotte Sound
Port Hardy Vancouver I.
VICTORIA
135 B
Ro
Prince Rupert Queen Charlotte Is.
On July 9, 1958, a massive landslide dropped 40 million cubic yards (30.6 million cu m) of rock into Lituya Bay, creating a wave 1720 ft (524 m) high.
400
JUNEAU
Ketchikan
O C E A N
0 miles
YUKON TERRITORY WHITEHORSE
Gulf of Alaska
P A C I F I C
0 km
ge
Valdez
135
5
Fairbanks
Kodiak Cordova
The Aleutian Islands span some 1200 miles (1800 km) and by crossing the 180º line of longitude, form both the most easterly and westerly extents of the United States. 4
nge
(part of USA)
Anchorage Kodiak I.
Ra
ALASKA
n
Alaska Ran
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Prudhoe Bay
ks
Mt McKinley (Denali) 20,322ft (6194m)
Is la Umnak I. nd s Dutch Harbor
3
ko
oo
C
D
NORTH AMERICA E
F
G
Greenland
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a liz
be
th
Ellesmere Axel Island Heiberg Island
Despite an area of 808,109 sq miles (2,092,993 sq km), the northerly province of Nunavut has only 530 miles (850 km) of roads and highway.
Devon Bathurst I. nd Island Melville S ou ster Island a Resolute L nc a Somerset Viscount Banks Melville Prince Island Island Sound of
Beaufort Sea
Baffin Bay Davi
Baffin
Wales I.
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Inuvik
King William I.
Kugluktuk (Coppermine)
1
(Danish external territory)
s
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64
O C E A N
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NUNAVUT
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3
Southampton I.
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ken
YELLOWKNIFE zie
Great Slave Lake
Hay River
Fort Smith
M
ou
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C
Rankin Inlet
Hudson Bay
Churchill
Fort McMurray
20
4
SASKATCHEWAN M A N I T O B A
A
N
A
ai
Thompson Flin Flon Grande Prairie an Prince EDMONTON tc he w a George Lake sk Prince Albert Leduc Winnipeg Saskatoon Red Deer Kamloops Yorkton WINNIPEG Vancouver Calgary REGINA Brandon Kelowna Lethbridge Estevan Sa
ns
E
QUÉBEC
Lake Athabasca
ALBERTA Fort St. John
D u ba w
M
nt
TERRITORIES
F
DO N T A R I A O Only just over 1% of Canada’s 3.5 million sq miles (9.1 million sq km) land area is devoted to grain production, yet this yields around 25 million tons (tonnes) of wheat every year.
25 G
U S A H
5
NORTH AMERICA
20
Eastern Canada A
B
C
D
Southampton I.
19
Salisbury I. Nottingham I.
Coats I.
1
NU NA VU T
2
Se ver
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A
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James Bay
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N
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A
Akimiski I. (Nunavut)
Cochrane
Lake Superior
North Bay
Lake Huron
Lake Michigan M I C H I G A N
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
B
OTTAWA
Peterborough
Oshawa
TORONTO
Kingston
Lake Ontario
Kitchener NEW Hamilton YORK London Lake Erie Windsor St. Catharines
ILLINOIS
22
wa
ta
Sudbury
Sault Sainte Marie
WISCONSIN
A
Rés. Gouin
Wawa Ot
Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world, covering an area of 31,820 sq miles (82,413 sq km).
5
L. Mistassini
Timmins
25
IOWA
Eas tma i n
Q U É
Moosonee
Armstrong
Thunder Bay
MINNESOTA
4
Inukjuak (Port Harrison)
Kuujjuarapik (Poste-de-la-Baleine)
Peawanuck
Wi n i s k
Lake of the Woods
d'Ungava
Belcher Is. (Nunavut)
The Trans-Canada Highway, running from St. John’s in the east to Victoria in the west, is 4990 miles (8030 km) long.
3
Péninsule
The largest hydroelectric complex in Canada at James Bay produces over 16,000 megawatts of power.
MANITOBA
19
Ivujivik Mansel I.
Hudson Bay
INDIANA
O H I O
C
PENNSYLVANIA
D
NORTH AMERICA E
F
G
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64
Akpatok I. (Nunavut)
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e
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PRINCE Bathurst Chicoutimi EDWARD ISLAND NEW QUÉBEC BRUNSWICK Moncton FREDERICTON Trois-Rivières Saint John Sherbrooke MAINE
NEW HAMPSHIRE VERMONT MASSACHUSETTS RHODE ISLAND CONNECTICUT
nc e ab
Channel-Portaux-Basques
C
St
ot
St Pierre & Miquelon t (French territorial Sydney collectivity)
St
Cape Race
CHARLOTTETOWN
48
NOVASCOTIA
Dartmouth HALIFAX Yarmouth
4
A T L A N T I C
The Bay of Fundy has the world’s highest tidal range, with water’s rising 20–56 ft (5–17 m) every high tide as around 115 billion tons (tonnes) of water flows into the bay.
F
3
rai
O C E A N
48 E
2
Strait of Belle Isle
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48
Cartwright
NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
A r aw
O C E A N
Hopedale Makkovik
Sept-Îles
L. Saint-Jean
Montréal
1
Canada has the world’s longest coastline (including tens of thousands of islands), with a total length of 151,019 miles (243,042 km).
Ungava Bay
B E C
H
L a b r a d o r S e a
on Strai t
D
21
G
0 km
5
300
0 miles
300
H
NORTH AMERICA
22
USA: The Northeast A
B
C
D
20
MINNESOTA
C
L ak e S up e rio r
1
A
O N T A R I O
Superior Ironwood
Marquette Sault Ste Marie Iron Mountain
Ladysmith
2
Cheboygan
Lake Huron
WISCONSIN
25
MICHIGAN
Eau Claire M
is
Green Bay
Traverse City
s is
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La Crosse
pi
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Lake Michigan
MADISON
Bay City
Grand Rapids
Milwaukee
Saginaw
Flint
LANSING
The Chicago River Waukegan Rockford originally flowed into Ann Arbor Lake Michigan, but was Chicago Aurora reversed in 1900 by South Joliet the completion of Bend Rock Island Gary a canal. Galesburg
Fort Wayne
Peoria
INDIANA
ILLINOIS
Muncie
Champaign
SPRINGFIELD 4
25
Decatur
INDIANAPOLIS
ash
W
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Carbondale
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M I S S O U R I
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East St Louis Mt. Vernon
5
Paducah
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30 A
B
Lake Erie
Mansfield Canton Wheeling
O H I O
COLUMBUS
Cincinnati
Bloomington
Louisville FRANKFORT Owensboro
Huntington CHARLESTON
Lexington Richmond
WEST VIRGINIA
KENTUCKY Hopkinsville
Erie
Toledo Cleveland Youngstown Akron
Dayton
Terre Haute
Effingham
Detroit
Ohio
3
Bowling Green
C
London
D
NORTH AMERICA E
21
A
Presque Isle
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V E R M O N T NEW HAM PS H I R E
Burlington
Watertown
1
dy
MAINE
At times of peak flow, around 45 million US gallons (170 million litres) of water plunge over the167 ft (52 m) drop of Niagara Falls every minute. Ogdensburg
NEW BRUNSWICK
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2
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PENNSYLVANIA
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PROVIDENCE RHODE ISLAND CONNECTICUT
Wilmington
Cumberland
Baltimore
pp a M la ou ch nt ia ai n ns
Arlington
A
VIRGINIA Danville
48
DELAWARE
4
ANNAPOLIS
WASHINGTON, D.C.
MARYLAND
The Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia, contains nearly 100,000 miles (161,000 km) of telephone cable, enough to go around the circumference of the Earth almost four times.
Newport News Norfolk
0 km
200
5
0 miles
200
31
NORTH CAROLINA E
In 1626, the Dutch bought Manhattan Island from the local Native Americans in exchange for goods worth around US$1000. Today, this would buy around 50 sq in (325 sq cm) of prime New York City real estate.
DOVER Atlantic City
Fredericksburg Charlottesville RICHMOND Chesapeake Bay
Roanoke
3
New Haven New York Long Island
a Allentown pp A HARRISBURG TRENTON NEW JERSEY Gettysburg Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Gu
Utica io ATLANTIC Manchester Lake Ont a r Syracuse BOSTON Rochester ALBANY Worcester Cape Cod O C E A N Buffalo N E W Y O R K Springfield Niagara MASSACHUSETTS
F
G
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NORTH AMERICA
24
USA: Central States A
B
BR I TI SH CO L UM BI A 1
C
D
19
A L B E R T A
WASHINGTON
S A S K A T C H E WA N Havre
Missoula
M O N T A N A
er wd
Sheridan
SOUTH
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Black H i l l s Rapid City
do
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Scottsbluff
Torrington
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NEB
CHEYENNE Ogallala
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s
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27
CA LI FO
Lakewood
DENVER
Aurora
COLORADO Colorado Springs
Pueblo
A r ka n s
as
Durango
A R I Z O N A
RN
5
Dickinson Miles City
Casper
Rock Springs
U T A H
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n or gh s. Bi Mt
The world’s largest known organism is a Great 100 acre (43 hectare) Ogden Salt Lake grove of aspen trees in Utah. Derived from a single tree, it contains SALT LAKE Orem CITY over 47,000 stems Provo and weighs over 6000 tons (tonnes).
N E VA D A
o
WYOMING
3
4
Billings
n a i n t M o u
The Great Salt Lake is a remnant of the prehistoric Lake Bonneville, which once covered almost 20,000 square miles (51,800 sq km) of western Utah.
Bozeman
y c k
I D A H O
Y el l o w s t
Po
Butte
NORTH
ne
HELENA
o
26
OREGON
Minot Williston Fort Peck L. L. Sakakawea Glendive
M i s s o u ri
Great Falls
R
2
Malta
Kalispell
At 20,016 ft (6104 m), or almost 4 miles (6 km) in length, the Fort Peck Dam is the largest earthfilled hydraulic dam in the United States.
IA 28 A
B
N E W
M E X I C O TEXAS
C
D
NORTH AMERICA E
F
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A
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A
1
O N T A R I O
Lake
22
Duluth
Moorhead Fargo
Access to the St. Lawrence Seaway via the Great Lakes makes Duluth the most westerly Atlantic port in the US, some 1100 miles (1770 km) from the Atlantic ocean.
Brainerd
St Cloud
SAINT PAUL
Minneapolis
M
Dubuque
Cedar Rapids
I O W A
Sioux City
RASKA
I L L I N O I S Davenport
DES MOINES
Columbus Council Bluffs
Omaha
M is
sis
Kirksville
si
St Joseph Hays
Kansas City
Independence
TOPEKA
Kansas City
Pratt
4
22
Saint Louis
JEFFERSON CITY
KENTUCKY
MISSOURI
Wichita Springfield Ar ka
ns
Oz
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O K L A H O M A E
i
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K A N S A S Dodge City
pp
3
OHIO
INDIANA
The deadliest tornado in US history struck Missouri on March 18, 1925. Leaving a continuous 219 mile (352 km) track, the tornado crossed three states and killed 695 people.
Burlington
LINCOLN
Hastings
Oakley
AN
Mason City
Missouri
e
IC
IG
Sioux Falls
2
H
W I S C O N S I N Lake Rochester Michigan
Watertown
PIERRE Mitchell
Pl a t t
Su pe r ior
Virginia
Aberdeen
North Platte
20
A
MINNESOTA
Grand Forks
DAKOTA
D
H
Lake of the Woods
DAKOTA BISMARCK
G
25
ark
Pla
teau
A R K A N S A S F
5
TENNESSEE 30
0 km
200
0 miles
G
200
H
4
3
2
Astoria
Aberdeen
Crescent City
Bandon
OLYMPIA
Everett Bellevue
SALEM Albany
Portland
Springfield Bend
Walla Walla
Alturas
Goose Lake
Klamath Falls
Weed
Medford
t s.
D
Great Basin
Twin Falls
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BOISE
24
Hells Canyon is the deepest in the US, with cliffs up to 7993 ft (2436 m) high.
MONTANA
American Falls Res.
Pocatello
Idaho Falls
I D A H O
Hells Canyon
Lewiston
AL BE RTA
E
The Boeing aircraft factory in Everett is the world’s largest building by volume at 472 million cu ft (13.3 million cu m), covering 100 acres (40 hectares).
A
19
D
Coeur d'Alene
Caldwell Nampa
Baker
La Grande
M
Spokane
Burns
Pendleton
Kennewick
Richland
Ellensburg
Vancouver C o l um b i a
Longview
A
C OL U MB I A
N
O R E G O N
Eugene
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B R I TI S H
A
Bellingham
C
C
W A S HYakima I N G T O N
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135
Seattle Tacoma
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USA: The West
NORTH AMERICA
C o a s t
al
The Golden Gate Bridge, completed in 1937, has 80,000 miles (129,000 km) of wire in its two main cables, weighing a total of 22,200 tons (tonnes). Santa Barbara
A
0 miles
0 km
200
e
Visalia
s
Mojave
Long Beach
Barstow San Bernardino
Salton Sea
Lake Mead
D
B
MEXICO
San Diego
32 C
Chula Vista
San Clemente I.
UTAH At Black Rock Desert on October 15, 1997, ThrustSSC, driven by Andy Green, became the first land vehicle to break the sound barrier by achieving a speed of 763 mph (1228 km/h).
do
8
E
7
28
6
5
Death Valley is not only the lowest point in North America, at 282 ft (86 m) below sea level, it is also the hottest, with a maximum air temperature of 134ºF (57ºC) recorded in 1913.
ARIZONA
Las Vegas
Palm Springs
Oceanside
Santa Ana
Riverside
Ely
32
200
San Nicolas I.
Lancaster
Mojave Desert
Pasadena
C h a n n e l Huntington Beach I s l a n d s Santa Catalina I.
Santa Rosa I.
Elko
Death Valley
Tonopah
Mt Whitney 14,495 ft (4418m) -282 ft (-86m)
Bakersfield
Oxnard Los Angeles
g
OCEAN
n
P ACI FIC
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a
135
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Fresno
Bishop
Hawthorne
Lake Tahoe CARSON CITY
Fallon
CALIFORNIA
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V
8
t as C o a n
7
Jo
Salinas
n
i qu
Monterey
Sa
Santa Cruz
Reno
Stockton Oakland Modesto
Yuba City
S
N
San Jose
Berkeley San Francisco
SACRAMENTO Santa Rosa
Ukiah
r
a
6
5
Pyramid Lake Chico
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Susanville
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NORTH AMERICA
27
NORTH AMERICA
28
USA: The Southwest C
UTAH N E V A D A 24 L. Powell The Colorado River has cut down some 6242 ft Pa (2000 m) into the nd Cany o in ra n Colorado Plateau te to form the Grand L. Mead Colorado Canyon, exposing rock strata over Plateau 2 billion years old. Flagstaff
D
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27
Co
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S o n o ra n Yuma D esert
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A R I Z O N A PHOENIX
N E W M E X I C O
Scottsdale Mesa
Roswell Alamogordo
Casa Grande
Artesia
Tucson
Las Cruces
3
Ri
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The first atomic bomb was tested at Trinity Site near Alamogordo on July 16, 1945, yielding an explosive force equivalent to 20,000 tons (tonnes) of TNT from around 2.2 lbs (1 kg) of plutonium-239.
Gr
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135
Carlsbad
El Paso
Douglas
Meteor Crater was formed when a meteor about 150 ft (46 m) across struck the desert at about 40,000 mph (64,372 km/h) creating a bowl-shaped depression 4,150 ft (1,265 m) wide and 570 ft (174 m) deep.
4
os
Albuquerque
Prescott
Glendale
CALIFORNIA
n de
COLORADO
G
1
B
Gra
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5
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PACIFIC OCEAN 200
0 miles
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32 B
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NORTH AMERICA E
F
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29
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25
K A N S A S Ponca City Enid
Tulsa
OKLAHOMA Can
Borger
adian
Amarillo
OKLAHOMA CITY Pampa Norman Red R iv
Clovis
1
Broken Arrow
Shawnee
A R K A N S A S 30
Lawton
2 On January 10, 1901, Vernon the Lucas Gusher blew Paris oil 150 ft (46 m) into the Wichita Falls Lubbock air, flowing at 100,000 Denton barrels a day until it was Brownfield Arlington Longview eventually capped nine Fort Worth Dallas days later. Hobbs Abilene Tyler Br Sweetwater Jacksonville Big Spring Toledo Bend Res. 3 Midland Odessa Waco N e ch Col orado San Angelo Pecos River Red
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Texas City Galveston Freeport
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30
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Port Arthur
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T
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33 G
H
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NORTH AMERICA
30
USA: The Southeast B
C ILLINOIS
25
Fort Smith
Clarksville
Walnut Ridge
Fayetteville
see
OKLAHOMA
K E N T U C K Y
M I S S O U R I
ARKANSAS
Memphis
Te n
1
D
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North Little Rock LITTLE ROCK ka Hot Springs ns as Pine Bluff
TENNESSEE Chattanooga
Ar
Florence
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Texarkana
ita
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Lake Charles
BATON ROUGE
Hattiesburg
Gulfport
Lafayette
Metairie
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Columbus
ALABAMA
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JACKSON
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T E X A S
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MISSISSIPPI
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pi
Monroe
ATLANTA
Columbus
Ya zo o
a
29
Huntsville Gadsden
Ou
2
NASHVILLE Murfreesboro
Dothan
Mobile Biloxi
New Orleans
TALLAHASSEE Pensacola Panama City
Mississippi Delta
4
In August 2005 Hurricane Katrina cut a swath through New Orleans with winds of up to 175 mph (278 km/h). At least 1836 people lost their lives and the area sustained over US$100 billion of damage.
29
0 km
The Mississippi/Missouri river system drains around one-third of the US, covering 1,245,000 sq miles (3,225,000 sq km) including 31 states and two Canadian provinces.
G u l f o f M e x i c o
200
0 miles
200
5
33 A
B
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NORTH AMERICA F
G
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.
E
31
ts
V I R G I N I A
M an
Kingsport
Knoxville
A
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Durham
Ro
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ano
NORTH CAROLINA Charlotte
Cape Hatteras
Fayetteville
Havelock
Spartanburg
COLUMBIA Athens
Wilmington
Florence
SOUTH CAROLINA
Cape Fear
L. Marion
Augusta
Sava
Macon
1
ke
RALEIGH
Greensboro
Asheville Gastonia Greenville
WinstonSalem
nn
Charleston h
a
GEORGIA
Savannah
Albany Brunswick
Valdosta
A T L A N T I C
Jacksonville
Daytona Beach
During the Apollo Space Program NASA launched a total of 13 Saturn V rockets from the Kennedy Space Center. Each rocket was 363 ft (111 m) high, weighed around 3000 tons (tonnes) and generated 7,648,000 lbs (34 MN) of thrust at launch.
Orlando Cape Canaveral Melbourne
Tampa St Petersburg Lake Okeechobee Fort Myers
2
3
O C E A N
FLORIDA
Clearwater
48
The carnivorous Venus flytrap plant, found only on the wet coastal plains of North and South Carolina, can count. It requires two separate stimuli on trigger hairs before the trap is sprung to avoid “false alarms” caused by raindrops, twigs, etc.
48
4
West Palm Beach
The Everglades
Pompano Beach
Grand Bahama I.
Fort Lauderdale Miami Beach
BAHAMAS
Fl
or
id
a
Miami
Key West
E
Fl
Ke orida
ys
St
ra
F
it s
of
5
New Providence Andros I.
36 G
H
NORTH AMERICA
32
Mexico A
Mexicali Tijuana Ensenada
1
Desierto de Altar
B
C
28
NEW MEXICO
ARIZONA
D
Ciudad Juárez
UNITED
Ri o
Gr ande
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Yaqui
135 B
re
200
d
200
A
M
0 km
Durango
en
Gray whales have one of the longest migrations of any mammal, traveling some 12,500 miles (20,000 km) every year from the Arctic Ocean to their winter breeding grounds in the Golfo de California.
0 miles
ra er Si
id Mazatlán
O C E A N
E
cc
Culiacán La Paz
Islas Marías
ta
l
Tepic
Fresnillo Zacatecas
X
Aguascalientes
Guadalajara Puerto Vallarta L. de Chapala
PA C I F I C
5
Torreón
O
a
135
Gómez Palacio
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ni
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Los Mochis
Tropic of Cancer
4
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Ciudad Obregón
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C
3
Large examples of the Saguaro cactus, found in the Altar Desert, can take nearly 150 years to grow to their full height of around 45 ft (14 m), and can hold several tons (tonnes) of water.
Chihuahua
er
Go
a
135
aj
2
Si
B I. Cedros
I. Ángel de la Guarda Hermosillo
Islas Revillagigedo (part of Mexico)
The cliff divers of Acapulco must time their dive from the 148 ft (45 m) cliff at La Quebrada to coincide with the incoming swells to avoid being dashed on the rocks in the shallow inlet.
C
D
NORTH AMERICA E
F
G
33
H
30
STATES OF AMERICA
LOUISIANA
1
TEXAS oG Ri e nd ra
In spring 2001, the Rio Grande stopped flowing into the Gulf of Mexico for the first time in recorded history, allowing illegal immigrants to simply walk into the US.
Nuevo Laredo
36 2
Reynosa
G
Matamoros
M
Saltillo
en
Ciudad Victoria
ta l
San Luis Potosí
Tampico Ciudad Valles Río Verde Dolores Hidalgo Campeche Poza Rica Bahía de Campeche Querétaro Tulancingo Pachuca Xalapa Veracruz MEXICO
Morelia Cuernavaca Uruapan
Sie
It is thought that “The Ballgame,” a ritual sport played by Maya and Aztec civilizations, and a forerunner of volleyball, often ended with members of the losing team being sacrificed. Mérida
B a ls a
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Acapulco
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Puebla
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CITY
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Isla Cozumel
Yucatan Peninsula 34
Villahermosa
Tuxtla
Golfo de Tehuantepec
Cancún
4
B E L IZ E
I
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of Can
ALA
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34 G
HONDURAS
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Monterrey
G
EL SALVADOR H
5
NORTH AMERICA
34
Central America A
B
C
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33
M E X I C O
Belize City U
su
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Flores
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San Ignacio
ta
A
in
GUATE
Cobán
Huehuetenango 2
Quezaltenango
33
M
A
BELIZE
L
Lago de Izabal
Zacapa
Gu l Puerto Barrios
Islas de la Bahía f of H ondur as Puerto Cortés Trujillo
San Pedro La Ceiba Sula
León
Granada
Matagalpa
Juigalpa
Lago de Nicaragua
Rivas
For many years it was thought that the sharks in Lake Nicaragua were a unique freshwater species. However, research has shown that they are in fact Bull Sharks that have swum 120 miles (190 km) up the San Juan River from the Caribbean Sea.
135
Somoto Jinotega
RAGUA
4
Estelí
MANAGUA
O C E A N
San
0 km
A
200
135 B
C
an
SAN JOSÉ
200
0 miles
Ju
Liberia Península de Alajuela Nicoya Puntarenas
The strongest living creature is the Rhinoceros Beetle, found in the jungles of Costa Rica. It can support up to 850 times it’s own body weight, equivalent to a human carrying about 70 tons (tonnes). 5
C oc o
TEGUCIGALPA
EL SALVADOR
Choluteca ca onse o f FChinandega f l Gu Corinto
tu
Juticalpa
CA NI
Santa Ana SAN SALVADOR San Miguel
P A C I F I C
Pa
HONDURAS
Santa Rosa de Copán Comayagua La Esperanza Escuintla
GUATEMALA CITY
3
ca
1
D
NORTH AMERICA E
F
G
35
H
36 The Great Blue Hole in Lighthouse Reef, a submerged cave some 1000 ft (303 m) in diameter and 400 ft (120 m) deep, was originally explored by Jacques Cousteau, co-inventor of the aqualung.
Gr ea HAITI te r A nti lles
JAMAICA
Islas Santanilla (part of Honduras)
C oast
Bajo Nuevo (part of Colombia)
36
2
C a r i b b e a n
Cayos Miskitos
Mos quito
1
S e a
I. de Providencia (part of Colombia)
3
I. de San Andrés (part of Colombia)
Islas del Maíz Bluefields
Each chamber at Gatun Locks on the Panama Canal is 110 ft (33 m) wide and 1000 ft (303 m) long. The locks took four years to build and required 2 million cubic yards (1.5 million cu m) of concrete.
COSTA RICA
40
4
Limón
Cartago
C Colón de ord Ta i ll e lam ra PANAMA CITY anc a David Penonomé Panama Isla del
PA N A M A
Canal
G u lf of Darien
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CO
Santiago Golfo Chitré Go l f o de de C h ir iqu í Las Tablas P a na m á
L
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40 E
F
G
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NORTH AMERICA
36
The Caribbean A
B
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31
Grand Freeport Bahama I. Great Abaco
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Great a n n Exuma I. el
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Santa Clara
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New Providence Eleuthera I.
NASSAU
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at
33
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B
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G u l f UNITED STATES o f OF AMERICA M e x i c o
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Great Inagua
Guantánamo
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Cap-Haïtien Santiago Cayman Islands George Town Gonaïves de Cuba (UK dependent HAITI territory) PORT-AU-PRINCE Montego Bay KINGSTON The Bee Hummingbird, found in Cuba, Jérémie Jacmel is the smallest bird in the world. An adult male measures around 2 inches (5 cm) JAMAICA from beak to tail and weighs about Navassa Island 0.06 oz (1.8 gms). (US unincorporated territory)
3
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A n t i l
C a r i b b e a n
HONDURAS 35
S e a
G
U
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4
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AR
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0 km 0 miles
5
200 200
COLOMBIA
35 A
B
C
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NORTH AMERICA E
F
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37
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48
A T L A N T I C
1
nc er Tr op ic of Ca
O C E A N Milwaukee Deep, which lies 84 miles (135 km) off the north coast of Puerto Rico, is the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean. It is 28,231 ft (8605 m), or just over 5 miles (8 km), below sea level.
Turks & Caicos Islands (UK dependent territory)
48
2
Monte Cristi
L e e British Virgin w a r d Islands (UK dependent Anguilla I s territory) DOMINICAN REPUBLIC l (UK dependent territory) a Road The Valley San Juan Town ANTIGUA Charlotte La Romana Barbuda SANTO & BARBUDA Amalie DOMINGO Puerto Rico Antigua BASSETERRE (US commonwealth ST JOHN'S ST KITTS & NEVIS territory) Montserrat Plymouth Guadeloupe (UK dependent territory) (French overseas Basse-Terre department) The deadliest volcanic eruption DOMINICA ROSEAU of the 20th century took place on Martinique May 8, 1902, when Mount Pelee Fort-de-France (French overseas erupted on Martinique, killing department) ST LUCIA 30,000 people, around 15% CASTRIES of the island’s population. Puerto Plata
Santiago
Virgin Islands (US unincorporated territory)
n
3
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48
4
d
ST VINCENT & THE GRENADINES
er A ntilles
VENEZUELA E
ST GEORGE'S
Tobago
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
5
PORT-OF-SPAIN
41 F
BRIDGETOWN
GRENADA
nds
Netherlands Antilles (autonomous part of Netherlands) Isla de Margarita
BARBADOS
KINGSTOWN
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Oranjestad Willemstad
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L Aruba (autonomous part of Netherlands)
G
San Fernando
H
4
3
2
at
er lles
Chimborazo 20,702ft (6310m)
Ma
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N
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s
Içá
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COLOMBIA
ca
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17
Hispa
Anti
Caribbean Sea
ECUADOR
Equator
17
re
Jamaica
G
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(claimed by Venezuela)
T r inidad
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48
D
I
Planalto de Mato Grosso
L
OCEAN
ATLANTIC
French VENEZUELA Guiana GUYANA G (France) u i a n SURINAME a H i g h l a n d s
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49
ão F r a n
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s
Planalto da Borborema
E
Represa de Sobradinho
S
4
3
2
1
38
South America
SOUTH AMERICA
co
al
8
7
6
5
135
A
C
Cerro Ojos del Salado 22,572ft (6880m)
Cerro Aconcagua 22,835ft (6959m)
p
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P a ra n
Dr a
á
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(UK)
Plat a
South Georgia (UK)
1000
OCEAN
136 D
B
South Sandwich Islands (UK) South Orkney Islands
0 miles
0 km
E
49
1000
Tropic of Capricorn
ATLANTIC
136 C
Scotia Sea
East Falkland
Lagoa dos Patos
r Ma do rra e S
Mirim Lagoon
URUGUAY
Ne g r
ay
Falkland Islands
e ag as s ke P
Cape Horn
Tierra del Fuego
West Falkland
Bahía Grande
South Shetland Islands
co
De s Gulf of San Jorge ead o
hi
ma
Col o R ío r a d o Bahía Blanca Ne gr o Golfo San Matías
m Pa
ANT ARC TI CA
Strait of Magellan
Isla de Chiloé
Islas Juan Fernández (Chile)
OCEAN
PACIFIC
H
Isla San Ambrosio (Chile) Isla San Félix (Chile)
I
L
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Atacama Desert
C
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Tropic of Capricorn
8
7
6
5
SOUTH AMERICA
39
SOUTH AMERICA
40
Northern South America A
B
Lesser Gulf of Ríohacha Coro Venezuela Santa Marta Maicao Barranquilla CARACAS Maracaibo Valledupar Cartagena Maracay Cabimas
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Ma g
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Ca
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2
35
A pu
A rau c a Bucaramanga Barrancaberneja
Bello Medellín
Itagüí
Quibdó
PA C I F I C
Valencia Acarigua Valera Juan Mérida Guanare de losSan Morros an a r e Barinas Cúcuta L San Cristóbal Gu
P
Ciudad Ojeda Lago de Barquisimeto Maracaibo
Sincelejo Montería
AMA AN
D
36
Caribbean Sea
1
C
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e
M
B
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OCE
Neiva
Equator
Portoviejo Guayaquil Golfo de Guayaquil
Ambato Riobamba Milagro
Cuenca Machala Loja
5
U EC
A
P ER U
Ne
qu
et
P u t u mayo
Nestling between snow capped peaks, at 9350 ft (2850 m) Quito is the second highest capital in the world.
The first coffee seedlings were brought to Colombia in 1804 by Jesuit missionaries; today, Colombia produces over 700,000 tons (tonnes) of coffee beans every year.
42 A
B
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Santo Domingo de los Colorados
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Mitú
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A
QUITO
135
A gu
D
4
Tulcán
Ibarra
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O
n
Florencia Mocoa
Pasto Esmeraldas
San José del Guaviare
A G uav
o
Popayán
I
M
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3
VENE
Puerto Carreño
Yopal
Manizales Pereira BOGOTÁ AN Armenia Ibagué Buenaventura Villavicencio Cali
San Fernando
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Arauca
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Tunja
l
C
D
SOUTH AMERICA E
F
Antilles
GRENADA
37
n
o
Tucupita
s Or
inoc
o
ZUELA Cau
a
Ciudad Guayana
Embalse de Guri
(claimed by Venezuela)
Cuyu n
Nieuw
i
r
í
Pa
on
GUYANA
ra gu
Cour
an ty
Ac
A m a z o n
B
R
A
Z
CAYENNE
French Guiana
(French overseas department)
ne
Angel Falls (Salto Ángel) ar plunge a total ai M ts. of 3212 ft (979 m) to form the world’s (claimed by highest waterfall. Suriname)
I
2
Sinnamary Kourou
W.J. van Blommesteinmeer
SURINAME
E ss eq u i b o
a
G u i a n a H i g h l a n d s
O r ino c o
49
GEORGETOWN Amsterdam New Amsterdam St.-LaurentBartica du-Maroni PARAMARIBO Rockstone Linden
Salto Ángel
Car
1
The Guiana Shield is one of the Earth’s oldest surfaces, formed around 2 billion years ago.
th ou M
Barcelona Maturín
Ciudad Bolívar
A T L A N T I C O C E A N
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
The S erpe nt' s
a r o wijne
Isla de Margarita Carúpano
El Tigre
H
3
M
Cumaná
a
G
41
(claimed by Suriname)
The European Space Agency launch facility at Kourou takes advantage of the Earth's spin near the Equator equator to gain 10 percent more payload than an equivalent launch at Cape Canaveral in the US.
L
4
43
B a s i n 2.47 acres (one hectare) of Amazon rain forest can contain more than 750 types of trees and 1500 plant species, amounting to around 900 tons (tonnes) of living plant material.
0 km
200
0 miles
200
43 E
F
G
H
5
SOUTH AMERICA
42
Peru, Bolivia & North Brazil A
B
C
C O L O M B I A 0 km
400
Boa Vista
0 miles
lands
400
Rio Ne g r o
Equ ator Ama zo
o
Iquitos
Manaus a
B a s i n
Pucallpa Huaraz Huánuco La Oroya
Rio Branco
135
PACIFIC OCEAN
Huancayo Ayacucho
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LA PAZ Cochabamba Montero Santa Cruz Oruro Puerto Suárez SUCRE Lago Poopó Potosí Tupiza Tarija
RA
GU
Y
A
B
Gu
Lake Titicaca
E
46
Riberalta
PA
administrative capital legal capital
os
B O L IV I A
CHIL
La Paz - legislative and
Di
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Puno
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BOLIVIA'S TWO CAPITALS
A
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Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America at 3220 sq miles (8340 sq km). Tacna With an altitude of 12,500 ft (3810 m) it is also the world’s highest navigable lake.
5
r
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3
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135
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40 1
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ARGENTINA C
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SOUTH AMERICA E
F
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(French overseas department)
E
The Amazon River is 4049 miles (6516 km) long, with an average flow of 7.7 million cubic feet (219,000 cu m) of water entering the Atlantic Ocean every second.
ATLANTIC
Ilha Caviana de Fora Ilha de Marajó
Belém
zon Ama
São Luís
Santarém s
ajó
Ta p
Xin
Imperatriz
Sa
Represa de Sobradinho
Taguatinga
Mato Grosso
Anápolis Goiânia
o Fran c
is
Recife
co
3
Juàzeiro
Maceió Aracaju
Feira de Santana
Salvador Itabuna
BRASÍLIA
Highlands Montes Claros
2
Natal João Pessoa
Campina Grande
Brazilian Cuiabá
49
Mossoró
Juàzeiro do Norte
A ra
s
To c a n t i
ire
gu a
sP
ia
ns
L
Equ ato r
San Fernando de Noronha (part of Brazil)
Teresina
gu
Carolina
I
1
OCEAN Paranaíba
Fortaleza
Represa de Tucuruí
Z Te l e
H
48
French Guiana
Macapá
43
49
Vitória da Conquista
4
Governador Valadares
ra
ná
Uberlândia Uberaba Belo Horizonte Divinópolis Campo Vitória Ribeirão Preto Grande Campos Nova Marília Campinas Iguaçu Juiz de Fora Londrina Sorocaba Taubaté Rio de Janeiro 44 São Paulo Pa
5
E
F
G
Tropic of Capri
corn
H
SOUTH AMERICA
44
Paraguay, Uruguay & South Brazil A
B
C
42
B
c
o
BOLIVIA
R
A
a
1
C
h
São José do Rio Preto Campo Grande
General Eugenio A. Garay
a ar
Bauru Ourinhos
Concepción
Ciudad del Este
ug
ay
Erechim
Florianópolis Lajes
Carazinho São Borja Caxias
Passo Fundo do Sul e
Ur
Blumenau
Pelotas
Uruguaiana
S
Santa Maria
Canoas Porto Alegre
Artigas
4
Rivera
46
Salto
Bagé
Lagoa dos Patos
Pelotas
Tacuarembó
gr
o
ARGENTINA
Ne
Paysandú
Melo
URUGUAY
Fray Bentos Mercedes Trinidad 5
A
B
Río
Rio Grande Mirim Lagoon
Chuy
Durazno
MONTEVIDEO 46
M a r
Joinville
á r Pa Encarnación
Pilar
u
Curitiba
Iguaçu
Caazapá San Juan Bautista
The Itaipú hydroelectric project is able to produce more power than 10 average nuclear reactors; it supplies 19% of the electrical power consumption of Brazil and 90% for Paraguay.
Ponta Grossa Guarapuava
Villarrica
Lambaré
do
Coronel Oviedo
an
Formed by river deposits washed down from the Andes and Brazilian Shield, the Gran Chaco is virtually free of stones. It is composed of sand and silt sediments that are up to 10,000 ft (3050 m) thick.
Londrina
Maringá
a gu a y
yo
ra
Pozo Colorado Pi lco ma
ASUNCIÓN
3
P
Pa r
Tropic of Capricorn
Presidente Prudente Marília
ná
Dourados
r
G
r
a
n
Fuerte Olimpo
Mariscal Estigarribia
PARAGUAY
46 2
D
Las Piedras San Carlos
de la Pla ta
C
D
SOUTH AMERICA E
F
Uberlândia
Z Uberaba Rio
Gr
an
Franca
de
I
G
H
43
Governador Valadares
L
45
1
Belo Horizonte Divinópolis
Vitória
Represa de Furnas
Ribeirão Preto Cachoeiro de Itapemirim Juiz de Fora Campos Volta Redonda Nova Iguaçu Campinas Sorocaba Taubaté São Paulo
49
Rio de Janeiro
2
Tropic of Ca
pricorn
Santos
The famous statue of Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer), built on top of the 2300 ft (700 m) Corcovado Mountain in 1931, stands 100 ft (30 m) tall and weighs 700 tons (tonnes). The population of greater Sao Paulo is close to 22,000,000, over twice the entire population of Portugal, the country that originally colonized Brazil in the 16th century.
3
A T L A N T I C O C E A N 49
Lagoa dos Patos is the largest lagoon in Brazil and the second largest in South America. The lagoon is 180 miles (290 km) long and up to 40 miles (64 km) wide, with an area of more than 3900 sq miles (10,100 sq km).
0 km
4
400
0 miles
400
5
49 E
F
G
H
4
3
2
1
Islas Juan Fernández (to Chile)
Calama
Cerro Aconcagua 22,831ft (6959m)
ay
Gran C h a c o Be
o
rm
P A R
A
G
U
A
Y
La Rioja
Vera Laguna Mar Chiquita
ay
Linares
Santa Rosa
Olavarría
Azul
A R G E N T I N A
Chillán
44
Tropic of Ca pricorn
B
ío d e la Plata Dolores
R
e jo San Miguel Formosa de Tucumán P a ran á Resistencia Santiago Corrientes Posadas del Estero
Salta
San Salvador de Jujuy
B OLIVIA Chuquicamata
R
E
One of the world’s largest copper mines at Chuquicamata has produced around 29 million tons (tonnes) of copper over its 90-year history. The huge opencast pit is 2.6 miles (4.3 km) long, 2 miles (3 km) wide, and over 2788 ft (850 m) deep.
B
San Juan Illapel Concordia Córdoba Santa Fe Paraná La Ligua Mendoza Rosario URUGUAY Viña del Mar Río Godoy Cruz Valparaíso Cuarto Gualeguaychú SANTIAGO San Antonio Junín Rancagua Villa Mercedes BUENOS AIRES Pilchilemu Pampas La Plata Talca Curicó R
Coquimbo
La Serena
CHILE
Vallenar
Copiapó
Chañaral
Antofagasta
Tocopilla
Iquique
Talcahuano
pricorn Tropic of Ca
135
OCEAN
PACIFIC
Arica
44 The driest place on Earth is the Atacama Desert in Chile, with an average rainfall of 0.004 inches (0.1 mm) per year. Until recently, some places had received no rain for over 400 years.
n
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42
D
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Desierto de Atacama
A
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46
Southern South America
SOUTH AMERICA
8
A
400
OCEAN
Viedma
do
Rawson
D
B
C
136
Cabo de Hornos (Cape Horn)
Ushuaia
Stanley East Falkland
(UK dependent territory)
Falkland Islands
E
49
A group of 150 Welsh settlers arrived in Patagonia on July 28, 1865, seeking a new life away from cultural and religious oppression in the UK. Today the area has one of the largest Welsh populations outside of Wales.
O C E A N
A T L A N T I C
The Strait of Magellan was named after Ferdinand Magellan, who passed through the straits during the first circumnavigation of the globe in 1520. Of the five vessels and 237 men that set out, only one ship and 18 survivors returned to Spain after the three-year voyage. Magellan himself was killed in the Philippines.
West Falkland
Puerto San Julián
Puerto Deseado
Mar del Plata Necochea
136
400
a
Tierra del Fuego
Porvenir
Strait of Magellan
se
o
Península Valdés
gr
ora
Ne
ol
Bahía Blanca
Tres Arroyos
Comodoro Rivadavia Caleta Olivia
Trelew
Río Gallegos
De
Lago Musters
Punta Arenas
Puerto Natales
PACIFIC
0 miles
0 km
135
El Calafate
Isla Wellington
Ch
do
7
Esquel
Archipiélago de los Chonos Puerto Aisén Coihaique Lago Buenos Aires Chile Chico Cochrane
Castro Isla de Chiloé
Osorno Puerto Montt
Río
C
Bahía Blanca
San Antonio Oeste San Carlos de Bariloche
Neuquén
ut
6
5
Temuco Valdivia
And
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ub
Pat a g on ia
Concepción Lebu
8
7
6
5
SOUTH AMERICA
47
4
3
2
1
Da
Baffin Bay
a n d B a n k s Newfoundland Basin
Caribbean Sea
Sargasso Sea
Bermuda (UK)
t ra kS
it
Canary Is. (Spain) ary an in as
Madeira (Portugal)
CAPE VERDE Ca pe V er de Basin
i
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a
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la At
Gibraltar
Azores (Portugal)
Ba
av
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ia
a
an
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Lake Chad
Black Sea
Tropic of Cancer
Port Said
Sea
anu
ea n
D
A F R I C A
h
ps
M edite
Al
94
Arctic Circle
Barents Sea
E U R O P E
Rotterdam
North Sea
Faeroe Is. (Denmark)
Jan Mayen (Norway)
Svalbard (Norway)
E
Re
Cristóbal
Tropic of Cancer
Gulf of Mexico
Gr
ar
137
D
Greenland Sea
OC E AN
C
The North Atlantic Deep Water Current is an oceanic “river” that moves around 20 million cubic yards (15.3 million cubic m) of water every second.
(Denmark)
Greenland
AR C T I C
The Gulf Stream travels across the Atlantic Ocean at up to 135 miles (217 km) a day.
New York
AMERICA
137
B
Labrador Sea
vis
Great Lakes St Lawrence
NORTH
Hudson Bay
16
Arctic Circle
pi
M i s s i ssip
nm De
n
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an
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ti c
R
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t
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4
3
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1
48 OCEANS
The Atlantic Ocean ea dS
8
A
en
t
B
136
An
go
St Helena (UK)
Ascension Island (St Helena)
C
Cape Basin
ge
Tristan da Cunha (St Helena) Gough Island (Tristan da Cunha)
South Sandwich Is. (UK)
2000
C
Weddell Sea
0 miles
Lagos Gulf of Guinea
136
2000
Cape Town
Antarctic Circle
ian Basin
123
D
E
A N T A R C T I C A
Atlantic-Ind
ic Atlant Bouvet Island (Norway)
Equator
Tropic of Capricorn
Lake Nyasa
Lake Victoria
Cape of Good Hope
go on
In 2001, the Caledonian Star was damaged by a 100 ft (30 m) “rogue wave” in the South Atlantic. Once thought to be a ge mythical occurrence, these giant waves are now a id R recognized phenomenon and represent a major n a di hazard to even the largest ships. -In
as ine B in
Scotia Sea
0 km
Ilha da Trindade (Brazil)
Brazil Basin
Rio Grande Rise
South Georgia (UK)
Falkland Is. (UK)
rg
Rio de Janeiro
Buenos Aires
Cape Horn
Be l l i n gs h a u s e n Sea
135
OCEAN
PACIFIC
s
Fernando de Noronha (Brazil)
lantic Ridge d-At Mi
7
6
Tropic of Capricorn
e
n
S O U T H A M E R I C A
An d e s
5
Am a zo
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aná
A
A T L A N T I C O C E A N
vis
d Wal
sin Ba
la
An Ri d
Equator
8
7
6
5
OCEANS
49
Madeira
S
a
Equator
P E
r
h
r
ig
er
Y
A
C H A D
Tibesti
a
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CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC U ele C on g o
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TOGO
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S u d d
S U D A N
E G Y P T
eN
EQUATORIAL GUINEA Guinea SAO TOME & PRINCIPE
N
l
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e
N I G E R
a
I
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Gulf of
ge
BURKINA
a
CÔTE D'IVOIRE
S
Ni
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L
L i b y a n D e s e r t
S e a
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A 94
en
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Lake Turkana
She
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recognized)
SO
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ETHIOPIA
Ethiopian (not internationally
SOMALILAND
d fA DJIBOUTI G u l f o
ERITREA
Peninsula
Arabian
Tropic of Cancer
uca
S
Ca
S y r i a n De se r t
A
Black Sea
63
D
W
( I VO R Y LIBERIA C O AS T )
SIERRA LEONE
SENEGAL GAMBIA GUINEABISSAU GUINEA
S e n eg
a
Ahaggar
A L G E R I A
as Atl
MAURITANIA
Tropic of Cancer
WESTERN SAHARA (disputed)
(Spain)
Islas Canarias
(Portugal)
U
O
M e d i t e Sicily Ceuta Melilla (Spain) r r s (Spain) n a n ai TUNISIA t e a MOR OC C O o u n n M
E
R
C
le
4
3
2
48
Ib e r ia n Pe ni ns u la
ATLANTIC OCEAN
62
B
BE NI N
1
l
Ni
M
A
B lu e
GHANA
a S e
Equator
LI
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R e d
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ian rs f Pe Gul
CA M
an S e a
GO
spi
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Ca
A
4
3
2
1
50 AFRICA
Africa
A
0 miles
0 km
1000
ZIMBABWE
D
E
OCE AN
I NDI AN
SWAZILAND LESOTHO
B
S OUT H AF R I C A
r
Lake Nyasa COMOROS Mayotte (France)
MALAWI
Za mb ez i
136 C
tV a
136
1000
Gough Island (Tristan da Cunha)
Tristan da Cunha (St Helena)
Cape of Good Hope
rt
8
49
O CE A N
O r a n g e Ri ve
Kilimanjaro 19,341ft (5895m)
TANZANIA Lake Tanganyika
ZAMBIA
BOTSWANA Kalahari Desert
NAMIBIA
Bi é Pl a t e a u
ANGOLA
Dese
AT L AN T IC
Tropic of Capricorn
St Helena (UK)
Ascension I. (St Helena)
mib
7
6
5
Cabinda (Angola)
N O
Lake Victoria
BURUNDI
RWANDA
R
DEM. REP. CONGO
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Q
BI M
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123
Tropic of Capricorn
GAS
Grea if
MAD A
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8
7
6
5
AFRICA
51
AFRICA
52
Northwest Africa A
B
D
SPAIN
74
ATLANTIC OCEAN
1
C
ALGIERS
On March 27, 1977, two Boeing 747s collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport on Tenerife with the loss of 583 lives, making this the world’s worst ever air disaster. Madeira (Portugal)
2
48
Essaouira
(Spain) Tenerife Gran Canaria
Mellal
a
Ghardaïa
Béchar d
A
L
G
E
I-n-Salah
The region of Tidikelt in Algeria once went for 10 years without a drop of rain.
Ad Dakhla
S
a
h
48 The Sahara Desert is one of the harshest environments on Earth. With an area of around 3,500,000 sq miles (9,000,000 sq km), roughly the same as Europe, it has a population of only around 2 million people compared to Europe’s population of 731 million people.
MAURITANIA 5 0 km
M A L I
400
0 miles
400
A
l
Reggane
(disputed territory under Moroccan occupation)
Lagouira
g
ta
R
Tindouf
WESTERN SAHARA
4
r
Tan-Tan
Smara
Tropic of Can cer
E
n n ra de G ci Oc
Lanzarote Fuerteventura
LAÂYOUNE
3
Atl
Er Rachidia Marrakech Agadir M O R O C C O
Islas Canarias La Palma
Mostaganem
Ceuta (Spain) Blida Tanger Oran Tetouan Melilla Sidi Bel (Spain) Abbès Kénitra Fès RABAT Oujda Tlemcen n s i Casablanca ta Khouribga u n Laghouat o Safi Benis M Figuig
56 B
C
D
AFRICA E
F
G
I T A L Y
Kairouan
87
G R E E C E
1
Crete
MALTA
Constantine Sousse Sétif
H
Sicily
Bizerte TUNIS
Annaba
53
Mediterranean
Batna
The hottest place on earth is Al ‘Aziziyah, Libya, where on September 13, 1922, an air temperature of 136ºF (57ºC) was recorded. Darnah Al Bayçá’ ◊ubruq Banghází Al Marj Al Khums 54 Mi∞rátah Gharyán Khalíj Surt Yafran Ajdábiyá Surt
Sea Sfax Zuwárah Chott Gabès Az Záwiyah Melghir Tozeur TRIPOLI Médenine TUNISIA
Touggourt Ouargla rg E l nd ta a n r G rie O
I
Great Sand Sea
L
A
I
Y
A
Birák Sabhá
Awbárí
Tass
B
Murzuq
ili
-n
L
i
b
y
a
3
n Al Kufrah
-A
jj
er
a
Ahaggar
Tropic
r
a
D
e
s
e
r
c of Can
er
t 54
b Ti
Tamanrasset
2
E G Y P T
Gafsa Biskra
4
esti
Libya has the largest proven oil reserves in Africa, estimated at 41.5 billion barrels in 2008. With production running at around 1.8 million barrels per day, these reserves are expected to last for another 60 years.
N
I
G
E
R
C H A D
5
58 E
F
G
H
Sinai
Hurghada
D
Nyala
El Geneina
a
r
D
N
Port Sudan
Atbara
A
an
Dilling
El Obeid il Blue N
Buré
Desé
Mek’elé
Ethiopian
Gonder
Himora
ASMARA
Mits’iwa
ERITREA Teseney
Bahir Dar
Omdurman Kassala KHARTOUM Wad Medani Gedaref
Kadugli
El Fasher
r
U
le
bi
sert
(administered by Sudan)
ea
fu
S
Dongola
u
De
Lake Nasser (administered by Egypt)
si
Gulf
of Boosaaso DJIBOUTI Berbera SOMALILAND
DJIBOUTI
‘Aseb
Y E M E N
A R A B I A
S A U D I
Ad
en
Tropic of Cancer
102
When first opened in 1869, the Suez Canal consisted of a channel 26 ft (8 m) deep and 200 to 300 ft (60 to 90 m) wide at the surface. Construction involved the excavation and dredging of 97 million cubic yards (74 million cubic metres) of material.
I R A N
E
an G ul For thousands of years the Nile has supported f cultivation in the Aswan region, despite it being one of the driest places on Earth, with an average of only 0.02 inches (0.5 mm) of rain per year.
S
4
3
Suez Canal
As Suways (Suez) Baní Suwayf
Wadi Halfa
102
S Y R I A
I R A Q
D
AN JORD (Port Said)
Sawháj Qiná Al Uq∞ur (Luxor) L i b y a n Isná Al Khárijah Idfú D e s e r t Tropic of Cancer Aswán
53
CHAD
C
Al Ismá’ílíya
Búr Sa’íd
ISRAEL
LEBANON
E G Asyúπ Y P T
Al Minyá
(Giza)
N
2
L I B YA
-436ft (-133m)
Munkhafaç al Qaœœárah
Nile Delta
CAIRO Al Jízah
(Alexandria)
Al Iskandaríyah
Mediterranean Sea
CYPRUS
87
B
il e
i
1
A
N
R ed
N
er
i te N ile
P
Wh
4
3
2
1
54
Northeast Africa
AFRICA
e
59
Equator
Arua
Juba Gulu
KAMPALA
Mbale
Ri
Mbeya
ea
t
ZAMBIA
O
C
0 miles
0 km
400 400
D
61 E
IN D IAN O CEAN
MADAGASCAR
COMOROS
SEYCHELLES
122
The shortest war on record, between Britain and Zanzibar in 1896, lasted just 38 minutes.
The Somali language did not become a written language until 1972.
MOGADISHU Equator
SOMALIA Beledweyne
Kismaayo
Zanzibar Dar es Salaam
Lindi Mtwara
i
Garoowe Gaalkacyo
Baydhabo Wanlaweyn
bel
Marka
Sh e
g a den
(not internationally
Hargeysa recognized)
Mombasa Tanga
Malindi
Kilimanjaro 19,341ft (5895m)
MOZAMB IQUE
Songea
Lake Nyasa
AW
B
60
ft The Great Rift Valley is one Va l l e y of the most extensive rifts on the Earth's surface, extending from Jordan southward through eastern Africa to Mozambique. The system is some 4,000 miles (6,400 km) long and averages 30–40 miles (48–64 km) wide.
Iringa
Morogoro
DODOMA Lake Rukwa
Jamaame Garissa
NAIROBI
Masai Moshi Steppe
Arusha
Meru
Nyeri
TA N Z A N I A
MAL
A
Eldoret Nakuru
Tabora
Negélé
KENYA
Lokitaung Lake Turkana
Mwanza
Shinyanga
Lake Tanganyika Sumbawanga
Kigoma
BURUNDI
BUJUMBURA
RWANDA
Highlands
Nazrét
Diré Dawa
E T H I O P I A
Jíma
Lake Edward Entebbe Lake Kisumu Kabale Victoria Lake Kivu KIGALI
Gr
8
7
6
Yambio
Rumbek
Elemi Triangle (adminstered by Kenya)
Goré
ADDIS ABABA
Lira D EM . R E P. Lake Albert UGANDA CO N G O Masindi
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Malakal
Gr ea
5
Wau
le
y
Ni
Val le
te
ift
W
hi
tR
S u d d
8
7
6
5
AFRICA
55
I
AFRICA
56
West Africa B 400
Tropic of
400
Mauritania and Madagascar are the only countries in the world not to use a decimal-based currency.The basic unit of currency, the ouguiyal, is divided into five khoums.
(disputed territory under Moroccan occupation)
Fdérik
Ilhas de Bar l
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nt
NOUAKCHOTT
h kc
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El
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an
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Saint Louis
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Kaédi
S E NE GAL DAKAR BANJUL
Mbaké Diourbel Kaolack
GAMBIA G a
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Bignona BAMAKO BISSAU Gambia is only around 20 miles (32 km) Gaoual wide and 200 miles (320 km) long; r e GUINEA- Boké g Labé Ni Bougouni Boboits unusual shape and size are down BISSAU G U I N E A Siguiri Dioulasso to territorial compromises arising from Kindia 19th-century Anglo-French rivalry Kankan Odienné in western Africa. CONAKRY CÔTE S I E R R A 48 D’IVOIRE FREETOWN LEONE (IVORY COAST) Bo Lac de Tubmanburg L I B E R I A Kossou YAMOUSSOUKRO A Rüppell’s Vulture collided with a commercial S MONROVIA airliner at 37,000 ft (11,277 m) above Gagnoa Buchanan Zwedru Côte d’Ivoire to earn the posthumous distinction Abidjan of the highest flying bird ever recorded. B a g oé
g
4
Erg
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A T L A N T I C O C E A N
Se n
al
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MAURITANIA Rkîz
Sal Boa Vista
Santiago Maio Fogo
rg
Zouérat
Akjoujt
o
Ilha
ave
São Vicente
São Nicolau
3
A
CAPE VERDE
48
'E
K
Nouâdhibou 2
Bîr Mogreïn
WESTERN SAHARA
Cancer
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i
52
0 miles
1
D
gu
0 km
C
k
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as
sa
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5
Harper
49 A
B
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AFRICA E
F
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ch
A L G E R I A
H
53
L I B Y A
The Niger River begins in Guinea just 150 miles (240 km) from the Atlantic coast but then heads inland on a 3000-mile (4100-km) journey before finally reaching the Gulf of Guinea some 1200 miles (2000 km) to the east.
e C
h
57
1
er
Tropic of Canc
Taoudenni
a
r
Tessalit -n g I Adrar des ‘E r Ifôghas Araouane uâ o a Az
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d
I
Lac Faguibine Tombouctou Gao Lac Ansongo Niangay Hombori Mopti
a
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Natitingou Parakou
Sokodé Ilorin
Nig
58
Jos Plateau
M
o
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a
ut
F
59 G
C
4
C.A.R.
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Lake Volta is one of the largest man-made o f t h e Niger EQUATORIAL lakes in the world, covering 3283 sq miles GUINEA (8502 sq km), or 3.6% of Ghana’s area. E
3
Nguigmi
er ABUJA ue Ben Ogbomosho el s Sunyani Ede Abomey Lake ot in G nt a Volta Ibadan Benin Enugu u Kumasi City V Lagos Nsawam olt Onitsha LOMÉ PORTOAsamankese NOVO Sapele Aba Calabar ACCRA B i g h t o f B e n i Gulf of Guinea n Port Harcourt hs
GHANA
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Sokoto Katsina H a d e j Maiduguri Gusau Kano Kainji Reservoir
BENIN Oti
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58
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A
Massif de l'Aïr
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Ténéré du Tafassâsset
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4
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53
B
Bamenda Nkongsamba
Garoua
Banyo
Bafoussam
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h
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B
Mao
ri
Bouar
Bossangoa
M
es fd Ndélé
si as
Am Timan
Mongo
Bong
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Bambari
REPUBLIC
Bria
S U D A N
54
Tropic of Cancer
E G Y P T
E
o
Obo
Pygmies who inhabit the Congo Basin grow to be only 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 m) tall at adulthood. The name is derived from the Greek word “pygmê,” which referred to a unit of measurement equivalent to the length of a forearm.
a
CENTRAL AFRICAN
Goré
Sarh
Bongor Laï
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NDJAMENA
Biltine Abéché
r
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53
D
The eye of an ostrich is bigger than it’s brain. They are the largest bird on Earth. An adult male can stand 8 ft (2.5 m) tall, weigh up to 300 lbs (135 kg), and run at around 30 mph (48 km/h).
Y A
C H A D
Moundou
Guider
Ngaoundéré
NIGERIA
Kousséri
Maroua
I
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a
L
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Bol Lake Chad Ati
The vast sand flats surrounding Lake Chad were once covered by water. Changing climatic patterns caused the lake to shrink and desert now covers much of its previous area.
S
N I G E R
A L G E R I A
Tropic of Cancer
A
4
3
2
1
58
Central Africa
AFRICA
A
Dilolo
Likasi
L. Mweru
Manono
Kalemie
Z A M B I A
D
C
Equator A ND GA
Lake Albert Bunia
Goma Lake Kivu RWANDA Bukavu Kindu BURUNDI Kasongo
Lubumbashi
Kolwezi
B
400
Isiro
Butembo Lake Edward
Mbuji-Mayi
60
400
e
E
Kabinda Lake Tanganyika
Kamina
MweneDitu
Kananga
Ilebo
Lodja
60
0 miles
sa i
Tshikapa
Ka
A N G O L A
o
OCEAN
Kikwit
ng
ATLANTIC
Matadi Kw a
0 km
Boma
Kisangani
go
D E M . R E P. C ON G O Bandundu
KINSHASA
o
on
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55
A
8
49
(Angola)
Cabinda
BRAZZAVILLE
Dolisie Pointe-Noire
Djambala Mossendjo
Massoukou
G A B O N
Mbandaka
Congo Basin
Bumba
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The only major river that flows both north and south of the equator is the Congo. It crosses the equator twice, which means that at least part of its catchment area is always experiencing a rainy season.
Port-Gentil
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59
AFRICA
60
Southern Africa A
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49
ATLANTIC OCEAN
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59
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Tshwane / Pretoria - administrative capital Cape Town - legislative capital Bloemfontein - financial capital
SOUTH AFRICA
136 A
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122 Coco de Mer, or the double coconut Inner Islands palm, produces some of the largest seeds in the plant kingdom. Weighing VICTORIA Mahé up to 60 lbs (27 kg), they take Amirante SEYCHELLES around 10 years to ripen. Islands
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Amboasary
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Thought to have been extinct for 70 million years, a living coelacanth was netted in the Indian Ocean in 1938. They are powerful predators, averaging 5 feet (1.5 m) in length and weighing about 100 lbs (45 kg).
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rna l te r r it ory)
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The Jakobshavn Glacier is among the world´s fastest glaciers, often moving 100 feet (30 m) a day, and calves around 20 billion tons (tonnes) of icebergs every year.
21
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QUÉBEC
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Baffin Bay
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Qaanaaq
At 836,100 sq miles (2,166,600 sq km), Greenland is the largest island in the world. However, 677,700 sq miles (1,756,000 sq km) of this is a massive ice sheet so heavy that the central land area has sunk to form to a basin more than 1000 ft (300 m) below sea level.
Hudson Bay
4
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F
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137
ARCTIC
Kap Morris Jesup
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Svalbard (Norwegian dependency)
Kong Karls Land
Greenland Sea
Edgeøya fj o
With temperatures ranging from 59º F (15º C) in the summer to -40º F (-40º C) in the winter, vegetation on Svalbard consists mostly of lichens and mosses; the only trees are the tiny polar willow and the dwarf birch.
or
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D
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Even though only one-twentieth of Iceland’s potential geothermal power has been harnessed, around 89% of houses are heated geothermally.
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3
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Norwegian Sea
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62
Barents Sea Greenland's deeply indented coastline is 24,430 miles (39,330 km) long, a distance roughly equivalent to the Earth's circumference at the equator.
Ka
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t
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65
70
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66
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92
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Oulu Skellefteå
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Barents Sea
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Trondheim
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Scandinavia is still recovering from the last ice age, when the Lofoten land was depressed 2000 ft (600 m) by the weight of the ice. Bodø Today, the Earth’s crust is “rebounding” at the rate of 0.3 inches (9 mm) a year Mo i Rana in the Gulf of Bothnia.
Harstad
N o rw e g i an S ea Vesterålen
The sun is continuously visible from late May to late July in Tromsø because of its position well north of the Arctic Circle.
200
O C E A N
137
D
The North Cape Current warms the northern coasts of Norway, Finland, and Russia’s Kola Peninsula with water temperatures of 39–54º F (4–12º C), allowing this area of the Barents Sea to remain free of pack ice throughout the winter.
A R C T I C
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P O L A N D 80 D
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88
The sauna is a Finnish institution, with some 2 million sauna facilities to serve a population of just 5 million people.
76
The 10 mile (16 km) bridge and tunnel link across the Oresund Sound is one of the largest infrastructure projects in European history. It connects the Danish capital Copenhagen to the Swedish port of Malmö.
Nykøbing
Aabenrå Sjælland
Odense
Turku
Riihimäki
Joensuu Varkaus
Saimaa Imatra Lappeenranta
Jyväskylä
Hämeenlinna
Tampere
Seinäjoki
Vantaa Kotka HELSINKI Åland Espoo Finland Mariehamn lf of Gu
Visby Gotland
Norrköping Linköping
Växjö Halmstad Öland Randers Silkeborg Kalmar 70 Herning Helsingborg Århus Karlskrona COPENHAGEN Esbjerg Vejle Kristianstad
DENMARK
Jylland
Borås
Frederikshavn
Göteborg
Hjørring
Skag e r r a k
Borlänge
Falun
Pori
Vaasa
Rauma
Gulf of Bothnia
Sundsvall
Östersund Örnsköldsvik
Uppsala Västerås STOCKHOLM Örebro
Karlstad
Halden Vänern Arendal Skövde Trollhättan Kristiansand Vättern
Porsgrunn
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OSLO
Gjøvik Mjøsa Hønefoss
Drammen
Stavanger
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Sognefjorde
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8
7
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67
4
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Roosendaal
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Almelo
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76
GERMANY
Nijmegen ’s-Hertogenbosch
Oss
W aa l
Apeldoorn Enschede Amersfoort Utrecht Ede Arnhem
Hilversum
IJ
Meppel
Lelystad
AMSTERDAM
Purmerend
Breda Tilburg
Gouda Lek
Leeuwarden
Delfzijl
E
NETHERLANDS
Zoetermeer
Dordrecht
Rotterdam
Delft
THE HAGUE
The port of Rotterdam, combined with Europoort (which handles vessels too Haarlem large to reach Rotterdam), is one of the largest in the world in terms of capacity, handling around 375 million Leiden tons (tonnes) of cargo every year.
North Sea
Texel
Alkmaar
The inner city of Amsterdam is divided by its network of canals into some 90 “islands” linked together by approximately 1300 bridges and viaducts.
Amsterdam - Capital The Hague - Seat of government
67
D
e n Schiermonnikoog land nei Ameland d e Terschelling d a e W nze de Vlieland ad W
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Den Helder
The Netherlands is the lowest country in the world. It is estimated that 30% of the land is below sea level, with the lowest point some 23 ft (6.7 m) below sea level.
67
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THE NETHERLAND'S TWO CAPITALS
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4
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The Low Countries
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BRUSSELS
Tournai
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72 D
72 B
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77
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Belgium and the Netherlands have an underground boundary that differs from the surface boundary Genk shown on maps. In Heerlen Hasselt 1950, the two countries Leuven agreed to move the Maastricht underground boundary Tienen so as not to divide coal mines between Liège the two countries. Seraing Verviers e us e M
Antwerpen
Echternach is the home of the only religious dancing procession remaining in the Western world. Every year since the 15th century, thousands of pilgrims have marched down the streets of the town performing a ritual dance involving specific movements, music, and prayers.
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Brugge
On August 23, 1914, three weeks after Britain entered World War I, the 70,000 strong British Expeditionary Force encountered the advancing 72 German army for the first time at the battle of Mons.
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8
7
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69
4
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48
Faeroe Islands
Barra
South Uist
North Uist
Outer Hebrides
Isle of Lewis Stornoway
Midges have the fastest wing-beat of any insect, and are able to flap their wings at around 20,000 beats per minute.
OCEAN
ATLANTIC
65
B
Ben Nevis
Grampian Mts.
SCOTLAND
Loch Ness
Fort William
Isle of Skye
Thurso
Kirkwall
Orkney Islands
NORTHERN IRELAND
Stranraer
Dumfries
Carlisle
UNITED KINGDOM
F
Londonderry
E
67
With a depth of 788 ft (240 m) and a length of about 23 miles
After the surrender of the German fleet in 1918 and its internment in Scapa Flow, over 50 ships were scuttled by the German crews on June 21, 1919, to prevent them falling into British hands.
Lerwick
65
D
Newcastle upon Tyne Sunderland
N o r t h S e a
the largest volume of fresh water in Great Britain.
Aberdeen (36 km), Loch Ness contains
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4406ft (1343m) The Giant’s Causeway comprises Isle of approximately 37,000 interlocking Dundee Mull Oban or Perth dark basalt polygonal columns; th Loch Lomond Stirling Firth of Forth Jura they were formed by volcanic Greenock activity some 55 million EDINBURGH Glasgow Islay years ago. Isle of Southern Arran Uplands Ayr
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The British Isles
8
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Chester
Lincoln
ENGLAND
The Wash
Swansea Bath Salisbury Taunton
Newport Swindon Bristol
CARDIFF Barnstaple Exmoor
Milford Haven
48
A
0 miles
0 km
100 100
Channel Islands
A
D
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(UK crown dependency) St. Peter Port Guernsey St. Helier Jersey
72
Land's End
74
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Isles of Scilly
C E
E
68
Channel Tunnel
Canterbury Dover
Ipswich Southendon-Sea
Colchester
a m e sLONDON
Reading
Th
Stratfordupon-Avon Brecon Gloucester Severn Oxford Beacons
Stokeon-Trent Derby Nottingham Norwich The Leicester Fens Shrewsbury Cardigan W A L E S Peterborough Bay Birmingham Coventry Aberystwyth Cambridge Worcester
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Holyhead Bangor
Fishguard
Waterford
Wexford
Wicklow Mts.
Every year over 1.8 billion pints (0.561 litres) of Guinness® Irish stout are consumed in over 100 countries around the world.
Cork
fe y
DUBLIN
Southampton Brighton Exeter Portsmouth The River Severn has the second highest tidal range Bournemouth l Dartmoor in the world, as much as 50 ft (15 m), often giving Isle of Wight ne rise to a tidal bore. In September 1996, one such an Ch Plymouth h wave carried a surfer for 5.7 miles (9 km). s i Penzance Engl
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Limerick
Blackwater
Killarney
n
Lough Ree
Lough Derg
no
Athlone
Middlesbrough
York Blackpool Bradford Leeds Kingston upon Hull Preston Bolton Manchester Grimsby Anglesey Liverpool Sheffield
Irish Sea
Bangor Isle of Man Lake (UK crown District dependency)) Newry Douglas Lancaster Dundalk
BELFAST
Barrow
6
Tralee
Ennis
Galway
Lough Corrib
Sligo
IRELAND
an
Sh
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Lif
5
Donegal Bay
8
7
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EUROPE
71
4
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la Rochelle
la Rochesur-Yon
Le Havre
F
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65
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Lille
Beauvais
Ma r n
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IU
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Belfort
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Strasbourg
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LUXEMBOURG
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GERMANY Champagne bottles are placed neck down into a freezing brine bath (bac à glace), freezing only the bottle’s neck to form a plug that keeps the wine – and the bubbles – in the bottle while sediments are removed.
Barle-Duc
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Châlonsen-Champagne
PARIS
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Douai
Amiens
Arras
N
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Dunkerque
Tunnel
Work began on the 31-mile (50-km) Channel Tunnel in 1987. Earth was removed at the rate of 2400 tons (tonnes) a day until completion, seven years later. Around 10.5 million cu yards (8 million cu m) had been excavated. 76 Channel
North Sea
Orléans
Bourges
A
Blois
Le Mans
Mantes-la-Jolie Alençon Versailles Chartres
Caen Normandie
St.-Malo
St.-Nazaire Nantes
Belle Île
Bretagne
Quimper
Lorient
Brest
Jersey
Guernsey
Île d’Ouessant
Cherbourg
Channel
St.-Lô
English
Channel Islands (UK crown dependency)
71
On July 1, 1916, the British suffered 58,000 casualties on the opening day of the Somme Offensive. Five months later, after advancing only a few miles, there had been 420,000 British, 200,000 French, and 500,000 German casualties.
K I N G D O M
U N I T E D
71
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France, Andorra & Monaco
EUROPE
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84
Mediterranean Sea
One of history’s great leaders, Napoleon Bonaparte, was born on August 15, 1769, at Ajaccio in Corsica.
The word denim comes from “de Nîmes,” this being the town where the fabric was originally produced.
Golfe du Lion
84
Balearic Islands
The lowest point in Andorra is Riu Runer, at 2756 ft (840m) above sea level.
S P A I N
0 km
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ITALY
Lake Geneva
MONACO
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Bastia
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LA VELLA The Tour de France bicycle race is typically held over some 20 day-long stages covering around 2200 miles (3600 km) for the coveted yellow jersey.
P
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Bordeaux
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8
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EUROPE
73
EUROPE
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Spain & Portugal A
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71
Santiago de Compostela
Galicia
Oviedo Lugo
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100
Pontevedra
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Port has been produced in the Duoro Aveiro Valley under strict regulation since the 1750s. Brandy is added to the Coimbra grape juice to fortify and Figueira da Foz strengthen the wine.
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Portugal is one of the world’s largest Sines producers of cork and has regulations protecting cork trees dating back to 1320.
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Gibraltar was seized by a combined Anglo-Dutch fleet under Admiral Rooke in 1704. British sovereignty was then formalized in 1713 by the Treaty of Utrecht, and Gibraltar eventually became a British colony in 1830.
52 A
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Málaga Marbella
Gibraltar (UK) Ceuta (Spain)
MOROCCO C
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El Puerto de Santa María
5
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Cáceres
LISBON
Lagos
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ATLANTIC 2
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Avilés
A Coruña (La Coruña)
100
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D
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G
75
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F R A N C E
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Seat of many great civilizations throughout history, the name Mediterranean translates as “sea between the lands.”
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Work continues on the Sagrada Família, Gaudi’s unfinished cathedral. Begun in 1882, the masterpiece is still without a roof.
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Bornholm
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100
Baltic Sea
SWEDEN
67
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G E R M A N Y
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80 Early in the morning of Sunday, August 13, 1961, work began on the Berlin Fehmarn Stralsund Rügen Wall, which would eventually Kiel Mecklenburger Bucht Greifswald run for 66 miles (107 km) Neumünster Rostock between east and west Berlin, Lübeck Cuxhaven Wismar cutting through 192 streets. Schwerin Neubrandenburg Bremerhaven During what became known Hamburg as “The Berlin Airlift” a total Emden Müritz Lüneburg of 2,326,406 tons (tonnes) Oldenburg S El be of supplies were flown into Bremen Berlin over an 18-month period to break a Soviet blockade of the city. BERLIN
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Wolfsburg Osnabrück Frankfurt an der Oder Hannover Braunschweig Potsdam Münster Hildesheim p ree Salzgitter Magdeburg Bielefeld Cottbus Dessau Hamm Paderborn Recklinghausen Halle Essen Dortmund POLAN Göttingen Duisburg Bochum Düsseldorf Leipzig Kassel Wuppertal Dresden Leverkusen Jena Gera Erfurt Aachen Köln Bonn Siegen Chemnitz
71
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The Kiel Canal is 61 miles (98 km) long and one of the busiest canals in the world, with around 45,000 ships a year passing between the Baltic and the North Sea.
Jylland
67
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76
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Born in Salzburg on January 27, 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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LJUBLJANA
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C R O AT I A
SLOVENIA
Kranj
Klagenfurt
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78
78
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The acrylic glass roof over the Olympic stadium in München (Munich) measures 914,940 sq ft (85,000 sq m), making it the biggest structure of its kind in the world.
I TA LY
Koper age of five, and at eleven he produced his first opera. Gulf
Lake Maggiore was already writing music by the
When it is completed in 2017, the Gotthard Base Tunnel will run for 35.5 miles (57 km) beneath the Lepontine Alps to become the longest tunnel in the world.
Matterhorn 14,692ft (4478m)
A Locarno
SWITZERLAND
Thuner See Lausanne n ner Alpe Ber Sion Brig Lake Geneva Monthey Genève
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tallest in the world.
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77
A
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AUSTRIA HUNGARY
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VATICAN CITY
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In May 2006 a violin called “The Hammer,” made by Italian master Stradivari at Cremona in 1708, sold at Christie’s in London for US$3,540,000.
GERMANY
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Mt. Etna began some 300,000 years ago as a submarine volcano and has since grown to a cone with a base 30 miles (48 km) wide and 10,922 ft (3329 m) high.
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The George cross that appears on the Maltese flag was awarded to the islanders by King George VI of Britain for their heroism during World War II.
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53
of
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Palermo
Isola Vulcano
Isola Stromboli
Cosenza
53
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Isole Egadi
Isola Lipari
Isole Eolie
Isola d'Ustica
Tyrrhenian Sea
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53
Isola di Capri
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The medical school at Salerno is the oldest in Europe, established during the 11th and 12th centuries.
(Sardinia)
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Mediterranean S e a Trapani
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Iglesias
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Built between 1747 and 1795, the Zaluski Library in Warsaw was one of the world’s first public libraries.
(part of Russian Federation)
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Bydgoszcz
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88
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In November 1989, the so-called “Velvet Revolution” saw Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Gorzów Wielkopolski
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Founded in Gdansk shipyard in 1980, the Solidarity trade union, and its leader Lech Walesa, played a key role in the downfall of communism across Courland Lagoon much of eastern Europe.
Pomeranian Koszalin Bay
GERMANY
76
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D E N M A RK
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67
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The Great Hungarian Plain (Alföld) stretches south from Budapest to the borders of Croatia and Serbia and east to Ukraine and Romania. It covers an area of 20,000 sq miles (51,800 sq km) and is almost completely flat.
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77
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With a surface area of around 231 sq mi (598 sq km), Lake Balaton has an average depth of only 11 ft (3.25 m).
SLOVENIA
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8
77
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Trnava
Nagykanizsa
Zalaegerszeg
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Built in 1357, Charles Bridge was the only crossing point of the Vltava in Prague until the 19th century.
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n
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The Danube forms all or part of the border between nine different European nations: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Ukraine.
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Born in Zagreb in 1892, Marshall Tito was the president of the former Yugoslavia from 1953 until his death in 1980.
A U S T R I A
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At 11:15 am, on June 28, 1914, Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife were shot dead by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. This single act precipitated World War I, which eventually lead to the death of almost 10 million troops.
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In February 2008, Kosovo (a UN Protectorate within Serbia since 1999) declared independence. Although recognized by several countries, Kosovo’s decision has proved controversial with other states wary of setting a precedent for separatist groups within their own borders. It is therefore likely to be some time before Kosovo becomes universally recognized.
Konispol
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Historically, European eels migrated thousands of miles from the Sargasso Sea to live most of their lives in Lake Ohrid, before returning to the Atlantic to spawn and die. Modern hydroelectric projects have prevented this epic journey, but efforts are underway to restore access to the lake.
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Under an extreme communist regime between 1944 and 1991, Albania was for many years the only officially atheist state in the world where all forms of religion were banned by law.
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Macedonia's capital, Skopje, was hit by a devastating earthquake in 1963. Around 80% of the city's buildings were damaged or destroyed and over 1000 people killed.
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Built between 447 and 438 BCE, the Parthenon survived almost unscathed for over 2000 years until, in 1687, a gunpowder magazine beneath the building exploded, causing considerable damage.
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Thracian Alexandroúpoli Sea Samothráki
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Blagoevgrad
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Lake Prespa
83
Sofia's skyline is dominated by the gold domes of the Alexander Nevski Memorial Church, which took craftsmen and artists some thirty years to build between 1882 and 1912.
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86
Bulgaria & Greece
EUROPE
lo n
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79
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98
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The Minoans developed the first Hellenic civilization 4000 years ago, based at the luxurious palace of Knossos. Unfortunately, in 1400 BCE, this civilization came to an abrupt end, destroyed by a catastrophic event, probably a tidal wave.
Irákleio
53
100
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Only about 100 of the 2000 or so Greek Islands are permanently inhabited.
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The Corinth Canal was completed in 1893 after 11 years of work. The canal is 4 miles (6.3 km) long, 80 ft (25 m) wide, and 26 ft (8 m) deep. The central section runs along a 260 ft- (79 m-) deep cutting through solid rock.
The first Olympic athletics festival was held at Olympia in around 776 BCE.
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87
Go t l a n d
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Rich oil shale deposits in northern Estonia are quarried, crushed, and heated to produce almost 7000 barrels of oil a day.
F I N L A N D
67
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Low salinity and the shallow coastal waters cause pack ice to accumulate at the head of the Gulf of Bothnia and off Finland during most winters; occasionally the ice becomes banked up in pressure ridges that are almost 50 ft (15 m) high.
S W E D E N
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Lake Peipus
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92
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88 EUROPE
The Baltic States & Belarus I A N S S U R
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8
7
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Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States was established on December 8, 1991, by a treaty signed at Minsk, with the intent of coordinating the foreign policies of the newly independent former Soviet republics.
Kyyivs’ke Vdskh
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Covering an area of approximately 34,000 sq miles (88,000 sq km), Pripet Marshes are the largest area of marshland in Europe.
Formed in 1945 from the northern half of German East Prussia, and ceded to Russia under the Potsdam agreement, Kaliningrad oblast became a true enclave, completely separated from the rest of Russia, when Lithuania and Belarus achieved their independence in 1991.
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On April 25, 1986, engineers accidentally initiated an uncontrolled chain reaction in the number 4 reactor of the Chornobyl' nuclear power plant. The resulting explosion released 8 tons (tonnes) of radioactive material in the world’s worst-ever nuclear accident.
BELARUS
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Vlad Dracula or Vlad the Impaler Uzhhorod was the real-life prince upon whom Bram Stoker based his famous Count Dracula. Dracula Satu Mare was born in Transylvania in 1431 in the town of Sighisoara. Baia Mare
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A monument in central Kiev stands as testament to the 7–12 million Ukrainian peasants who died during the Great Famine, or Holodomor, of 1932–33.
Sumy
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In 1872, an iron foundry was established at Donets’k by British industrialist John Hughes (from whom the town's preRevolutionary name Yuzovka was derived) to produce rails for the growing Russian transportation network.
F
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RUSSIAN F E D E RA T I O N
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Odesa was one of the major flashpoints in the Russian Revolution of 1905, and was the scene of the mutiny on the warship Potemkin, when sailors protesting against the serving of rotten 98 meat eventually killed several of the ship’s officers. E
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The port of Murmansk remains ice-free throughout the winter thanks to the Gulf Stream, whereas St. Petersburg, 600 miles (965 km) to the south on the Baltic Sea, is ice-bound between December and May.
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Caviar is the processed eggs, or roe, of sturgeon that live in the Caspian Sea and Volga River. Overfishing and poaching in recent years have seen the price of the finest caviar rise to around US$5000 for 2.2 lbs (1 kg).
96
The Ural Mountains form the traditional boundary between Europe and Asia, extending some 1550 miles (2500 km). They were formed over 280 million years ago as the East European and Siberian plates moved together.
From August 1942 to February 1943, German armies laid siege to Volgograd, formerly known as Stalingrad. The Germans themselves were eventually surrounded and lost almost 250,000 men.
Samara Balakovo
T Running from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains include Mt El’brus, which at 18,510 ft (5642 m) is the highest point in Europe, and still uplifting at the rate of 0.4 inches (1 cm) every year.
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(administered by Russian Federation, claimed by Japan.)
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F
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96
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66
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S W E D E N KALININGRAD (part of Russian Federation) EST. LAT. LITH.
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134
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MONGOLIA 110 F
4
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The Trans-Siberian Railroad, completed in 1916, runs 5578 miles (9297 km) between Moscow and Vladivostok. Crossing eight time zones, the journey takes six days.
E
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97
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NORTH & WEST ASIA
98
Turkey & the Caucasus A
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Black Sea
1
An average of 50,000 commercial ships pass through the Bosporus a year, along with thousands of ferries and smaller passenger boats. The strait is three times busier than the Suez Canal and four times as busy as the Panama Canal.
BULGARIA
Bosporus ƒstanbul
G REECE Tekirdaê Marmara Denizi
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87
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TURKISH REPUBLIC OF NORTHERN CYPRUS
Girne (recognized only by Turkey) (Kyrenia) Gazimaêusa (Famagusta) Larnaca Paphos
NICOSIA
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Mediterranean Sea 54
A
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86
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NORTH & WEST ASIA E
F
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99
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93
The Spitak earthquake struck Armenia in 1988, killing at least 25,000 people and devastating the country’s infrastructure.
C a u c a Och’amch’ire s u K’ut’aisi P’ot’i
Caspian Sea
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guri
s
G E O R G I A T'BILISI
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iz D
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Büyükaêri Daêi (Mount Ararat) 16,853ft (5137m)
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as
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Azerbaijan has substantial oil reserves located in and around the Caspian Sea. They were some of the earliest oilfields in the world to be exploited.
I
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A
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The salty water of Lake Van inhibits all animal life except the Pearl Mullet, a small fish that has adapted to the harsh conditions.
4
Atatürk Dam, one of the largest dams in the world, was completed in 1990. The reservoir behind the dam covers an area of 315 sq miles (816 sq km) and often requires interruptions in the flow of the Euphrates River to maintain water levels.
S Y R I A
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102 E
F
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Buíayrat al-Asad Ar Raqqah
Syrian
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Manufactured by a secret process, Damascus steel was much prized in the preindustrial era as an extremely hard metal used for high quality sword blades.
Eu
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Al Qámishlí
The Euphrates is 1700 miles (2470 km) long and drains an area of 171,000 sq mi (443,000 sq km). Although less than 30 percent of the river's drainage basin is in Turkey, about 95 percent of the river's water originates in the Turkish highlands.
C
T U R K E Y
100
LEBANON
Tripoli
Tar√ús
Al Ládhiqíyah
CYPRUS
87
100
98
B
Lebanon has only one permanent river, the Nahr el Litani, which runs for 110 miles (175 km).
r
2
0 km
0 miles
an
1
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A
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100 NORTH & WEST ASIA
The Near East
8
7
6
5
H a N e ge v
G
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Su of
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A
Ma‘án
Wádí Músá (Petra)
A√ ◊alfílah
Al Karak
JORDAN
Dead Sea
Red Sea
EGYPT
Al Mafraq
As Suwaydá’
Az Zarqá’ AMMAN
Jiftlik Post
Nu'eima
Khirbet el 'Aujá et Tahtá . Jericho
Major settlement Israeli settlement Area under Palestinian administration
Sea
Bethlehem Hebron D e ad
JERUSALEM
Ramallah
Mas-ha .
102 D
102 B
C
S A U D I
20
Jenín Qabátiya Túlkarm Náblus Qalqílya
0 miles
0 km 20
West Bank
E
102
The shores of the Dead Sea are the lowest land on the Earth’s surface, at 1371 ft (418 m) below sea level. The water within the lake is eight to nine times saltier than ocean water.
A R A B I A
Desert
The ancient city of Petra was carved from solid rock by the Nabatean people in about 400 BCE. It remained largely unknown until a Swiss explorer, J. L. Burckhardt, heard of its whereabouts from the local Bedouins in 1812.
Al ‘Aqabah
Be’er Sheva
Elat
Irbid
Dar‘á
JERUSALEM
ISRAEL
Bethlehem
Jordan
As Sal√ Jericho
Petah Tikva
Every day 7 million tons (tonnes) of water evaporates from the Dead Sea.
54
(under Palestinian administration)
Gaza GAZA STRIP
Tel Aviv-Yafo Holon
WEST BANK
Gulf o f Aq a b a
Jo rd a n
I S R A E L
Lake Tiberias Natzrat
J O R D A N
Hefa
8
7
6
5
NORTH & WEST ASIA
101
4
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KUWAIT
KUWAIT CITY
Shiráz Bandar-e Búshehr ia rs lf Pe Gu
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400
104
PA
Bandar-e Hámún-e ‘Abbás Jaz Múríán
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Kermán Záhedán
Neyshábúr
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T U R K M E N I S TA N
UZBEK
A ra l S ea
400
E
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Sh
Al Jawf Tabúk
D
SYRI A
Khvoy
0 miles
0 km
K A Z A K H S TA N
96
D
Tabríz Ardabíl Rasht Sárí Gorgán Zanján Ámol Al Maw§il Arbíl Sabzevár (Mosul) Qazvín TEHRÁN Kirkúk Sanandaj Hamadán I R A Q e Kavír Qom D a s h t Kermánsháh Arák Buíayrat ath Káshán Tharthár BAGHDÁD I R A N Ti g r i s
s
AZERBAIJAN IA
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C a u c a s u
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na tolia
C
In the 10th century, the Grand Vizier of Persia took his entire library with him wherever he went. The 117,000 volume library was carried by camels trained to walk in alphabetical order.
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Four thousand years ago Babylonian law laid down a minimum wage for every class of workers in the kingdom. M
Bla ck
CYPRUS
A
98
Sea of Azov
UKRAINE
R
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93
B
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4
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102 NORTH & WEST ASIA
The Middle East AN
h
8
55
a
(Jedda)
Jiddah
A
B
As Sulayyil
Y
E
Say’ún
Gulf of Oman
Ash Sháriqah
Gul
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M flawqirah
Arabian Sea
Juzur al Íaláníyát
OCEAN
INDIAN
Saudi Arabia contains the world’s largest oil reserves. The region can produce around 11 million barrels of oil every day. 122
flalálah
O
Jazírat Ma§írah Khalíj Duqm Ma§írah
C
SOMALIA
D
122 E
Every Muslim must make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca during his or her lifetime. Muslims regard the small shrine called the Ka’bah, located near the center of the Great Mosque in Mecca, as the most sacred place on Earth.
‘Adan
Suqutrá (Socotra) (to Yemen)
Sayíút
t aw
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M Ía ç r a m
E
Wuday‘ah
lat yn R a m ‘ ata ab as S
SANA
fla‘dah
Najrán
(Emp
N
Sanáw
A R A B I A
hálí ‘ al K Ar Ru b Quarter) ty
The name “Red Sea” is probably derived from the extensive blooms of algae that occasionally occur. These change pigment when they die, turning the sea’s normally intense blue-green waters a deep red.
55
QATAR Dubayy
MANAMA BAHRAIN
S A U D I
DJIBOUTI
ETHIOPIA
A
8
7
6
Al Hufúf Cancer DOHA fluíár Tropic of RIYADH ABU DHABI i 5 Íaraç MUSCAT a UNITED ARAB Ar Rustáq n Nazwá Ramlat flúr EMIRATES P e Ál Wahíbah n i n s u l a Laylá
Ta‘izz
Al Hudaydah
Jízán Jazá’ir Farasán
Abhá
A√ ◊á’if
(Mecca)
Makkah
(Medina)
b
imah ar R ádí W
Buraydah
Al Madínah
a S e
7
SUDAN
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6
5
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NORTH & WEST ASIA
103
104
NORTH & WEST ASIA
Central Asia A
B
C
96
Aral Sea
KAZAKHSTAN
d
la
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Ustyurt Plateau
w
Since 1960, the Aral Sea has shrunk by 90 percent, becoming extremely saline and consequently losing all but one of its once-abundant fish species.
Lo
1
D
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UZBEKISTAN
Köneürgenç
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99
Türkmenba§y Balkanabat
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TURKMENISTAN
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4
I
102
R
A
Saÿat ar ya Baÿramaly Atamyrat Áqchah Sheberghán
Mazár-e Sharíf Meymaneh
Bálá Morgháb
D a r y á - ye M
Serhetabat
N
The Kara Kum (Garagum) Canal, the world’s longest irrigation canal, stretches some 850 miles (1375 km) and is known as the “River of Life,” since it irrigates large areas of arid land.
K a n al y
Murgap
The desert of Kara Kum (Garagum) occupies over 70 percent of Turkmenistan, severely limiting human settlement across much of the country.
Samarqand Qarshi D
Kaka
3
Navoiy
Buxoro
Seÿdi
u
Baharly Gökdepe Abadan Ga AflGABAT r
gum
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Caspian Sea
Zarafshon
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Tu
2
Uchquduq
To‘rtko‘l
or g
Herát
AFGHANISTAN Faráh
w
Gereshk
rg Má t-eDash
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200
0 miles
Da
5
ryá
200
- ye H el ma
o
Kandahár
nd
102 A
B
h áb
H a r í r úd
C
D
Kalát
NORTH & WEST ASIA E
F
G
105
H
97 1
K A Z A K H S T A N BISHKEK
Kara-Balta
Tyup
Tokmak Ozero Karakol n Issyk-Kul’ h a
Talas
S KYRGYZSTAN T i e n u TASHKENT Chirchiq a Naryn l - T Namangan Dzhalal-Abad aa sh Olmaliq Angren Andijon Kok Qo‘qon Osh Khûjand Farg‘ona Ûroteppa Su
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s Until recent years, people living in remote areas of Afghanistan were immunized against smallpox by having dried powdered scabs from victims of the disease blown up their noses. This treatment was invented by the Chinese in the 11th century, and is thought to be the oldest form of vaccination.
Asadábád
KABUL
H
i
Pol-e Khomrí
C
m
Baghlán
2
The “Epic of Manas” is a verbally transmitted poem of close to 500,000 lines that tells the story of Kyrgyz hero Manas and his descendants and followers.
Khaydarkan
Sulyukta Zeravshan
108
Jalálábád
108
4
Ghazní Gardíz
Despite an area of 251,771 sq miles (652,090 sq km), Afghanistan has a limited road network and no railroads whatsoever, making access to much of the country extremely difficult.
P A K I S T A N
I
N
D
I
A
5
116 E
F
G
H
SOUTH & EAST ASIA
106
South & East Asia B
C
a Se
pian
Sy
MONGOLIA nt
Y a m u na
ek
ge
d
st
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Gulf of Mannar
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Sa l we en tra EP Mount Everest 29,035ft (8850m) AL BHUTAN y BANGLADESH Ri ve
r
Xi
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VIETNAM LAOS
MYANMAR
c c a n D e ats Gh
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MALDIVES
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a s Br ah m a p u
I N D I A
ern
51
N s
West
Laccadive Islands (to India)
Plateau of Tibet
Irraw
I n du of
Th f Ran n o K a ch c h h
n
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b G o River
M
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ai
A
im
Gu
ma
I
H
s
D ar
Arabian Sea
or
ou
Takla Makan Shan tun Desert Al Kunlun Mo unta ins
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PAKISTAN
Gulf of Khambhat
Equat
M
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3
4
Hovsgol Nuur ai
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Cas
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Alt
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Uvs Nuur
P er sia
94
ni
Aral Sea
Ira ni a n Pl a t ea u 2
se
h
s
1
Lake Baikal
Ye
Irty
94
Black Sea
D
Y
A
(BURMA)
Hainan
n
M ek o ng
Bay of Bengal
THAILAND CAMBODIA Tônle Sap
Andaman Islands (to India) Andaman
SRI LANKA Nicobar Islands (to India)
Sea
Gulf of Thailand
M ALAY
I N D I A N Su
SINGAPORE
m at
ra
O C E A N
Java
5
Java 123 A
B
C
D
SOUTH & EAST ASIA E
F
1
ge
un
Sakhalin
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Gr
Lake Khanka
Sea of Japan (East Sea) NORTH
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JAPAN
s la nds
ky
OCEAN
yu
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uI
Sea
Ta i
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n
St
R
TAIWAN
Ph i l i p p i ne
Luzon Strait Paracel Islands (disputed)
Northern Marianas Is.
3
(to US)
S ea Guam
Luzon
(to US)
South China Sea
o n e s i a M i c r
PHILIPPINES
Equ
Spratly Islands (disputed)
Palawan Sulu Sea
BRUNEI
ator
134
Mindanao Celebes Sea
S IA
4
M e l a n e s i a Bismarck Arch ipel
Halmahera
ago
Solomon Islands
Moluccas
Borneo
P eg u n u n g an Ma o k e
Seram
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Sea
2
PACIFIC
East China
na
1000
134
Shikoku Kyushu
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1000
0 miles
it
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ra
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KOREA SOUTH KOREA Yellow Sea
Hokkaido
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Manchuria Plain
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hin
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H
95
Am u r
A
G
107
Timor
E
Solomon
N e w G u in e a
Sea
Banda Sea
F l or e s Islands S e a Lesser Sunda
5
Arafura Sea
EAST TIMOR
124 F
G
Coral Sea
H
SOUTH & EAST ASIA
108
Western China & Mongolia A
B
C
D
96
R U S S I A N
The Altai Mountains provide one of the last refuges for the endangered snow leopard. There are thought to be only a few thousand animals left in the wild.
1
Hövsgöl Nuur
K A Z A K H S TA N
0 miles
400
Yining
K Y R G Y Z S TA N
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116
Demchok/Dêmqog (administered by China, claimed by India)
Kuytun Shihezi
Qitai
ÜRÜMQI
S h a n
t
Altay
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A
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Ku nlu n
G
Govï
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Dalain Hob Xingxingxia
Lop Nur
GANSU Qilian
Q
Sh
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ai
Qinghai Hu da m Pen di Golmud Dulan
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Aksai Chin (administered by China, claimed by India) Qingzang Gaoyuan
Rutog
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XINJIANG UYGUR Ruoqiang ZIZHIQU han n S
n g a Tsetserleg yn Nu ruu
M O N G
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Mörön
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Junggar Pendi
Taklimakan Shamo
(claimed by India)
Hyargas Nuur
M Har Us Nuur
Ulungur Hu
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400
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96
0 km
4
A l t a
The Turpan Depression is the lowest and hottest place in China. Temperatures can exceed 117˚F (47˚C) around the lake of Aydingkol Hu, which lies 505 ft (154 m) below sea level.
Ulaangom
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2
F E D
( P l at eau of T i bet )
C
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To n g t i an He
Q I N G H A I Ba
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yan
1.3 billion population.
A
Jiang
N
5
(claimed by China)
Mount Everest
117 B
Jinsha
en
Har Shan X I Z A N G M Gar Tanggula ek o Z I Z H I Q U Sha n (Shiquanhe) g Yushu Zanda n (Tibet) H Amdo i m Br Nyima Siling Co I N D I A Tangra Qamdo Nagqu Salw a e Damxung a hmap u Yumco Nam Co l a tr a nta ngl ha Shan ê Although forming around q n i a Ny y a Lhazê 20 percent of China’s landmass, E P LHASA Arunáchal s Tibet is sparsely populated, A Pradesh Gyangzê L supporting only 1 percent of China’s 29,035ft (8850m) BHUTAN
C
INDIA D
SOUTH & EAST ASIA F
G
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1
HEILONGJIANG
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112
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The name Gobi Desert is derived Jagdaqi from Mongolian, meaning “waterless place.” Bare rock rather than sand dunes typify the cold desert landscape that stretches for some 500,000 sq miles (1,295,000 sq km).
Q
Se l e
Manzhouli Hulun
Sühbaatar
Darhan Erdenet ULAN Bulgan
(Hailar)
Da Hingga n
Hulun Buir n Ono
H
97 Genhe
Ling
A (Erg rgun un He )
E
109
Xilinhot Z o g L LIAONING S e a of Jap an O Mon G r ( E a st S e a) N Chifeng NORTH e n O (Ulanhad) M (In KOREA I E Ulan Qab K o r e a N (Jining) Bay HOHHOT SOUTH BEIJING TIANJIN Bo Hai KOREA an g H e Baotou
Saynshand
Erenhot
JIANGSU
YUNNAN
JIANGXI FUJIAN
TAIWAN
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111
GUIZHOU
E
Sea
ZHEJIANG
Despite a population of 1.3 billion, China has only about 200 family names. HUNAN
113
China
F
G
4
se
CHONGQING
East
o J i-s ap h an)
The Huang He (Yellow River) has flooded more than 1500 times in the last 1800 years. In 1931, catastrophic flooding was responsible for the deaths of 3.7 million people. The river has also changed its course at least nine times. HUBEI
SICHUAN
Yellow Sea
w
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JAPAN
(t
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a
NINGXIA HUIZU ZIZHIQU
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Having started in the 7th century BCE, work on the 3700 mile (6000 km) long Great Wall of China continued for hundreds of years. A major renovation begun in 1386 took 200 years to complete.
Mu Us Shadi
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112
XINJIANG UYGUR ZIZHIQU
Tiananmen Square in Beijing is the largest public square in the world, covering an U IQ area of 100 acres (40.5 hectares). ZH ZI OL ) NG ia M O ongol I E N r M Datong (Inne l
Mudanjiang Jilin J I L I N Ch’ôngjin Sea of SHENYANG Baishan Japan Fuxin Fushun LIAONING NORTH (East Jinzhou Haicheng KOREA Sea) Q i Dandong l i Hamhûng a n Tangshan Dalian P’YÔNGYANG al a W BEIJING n S TIANJIN at hi YINCHUAN h Namp’o re TIANJIN SHI Bo SOUTH a G o f C Shijiazhuang n Hai Korea Bay HEBEI TAIYUAN SEOUL KOREA SHANDONG Taegu NINGXIA Handan JINAN Qingdao Taejôn Pusan Zibo Q INGHAI LANZHOU SHANXI Anyang Kwangju Zaozhuang Xinxiang
M O N G O L I A
Tangshan, China, suffered the deadliest earthquake of the 20th century on July 28, 1976. One-quarter of the population was killed or seriously injured, with an estimated death toll of 242,000 people.
l on
ng
3
108
A mu r (H ei
F E D E R A T I O N
The “Yongle Dadian,” an encyclopedia of the Chinese Ming dynasty, had 22,937 chapters in 11,000 volumes. More than 2000 Chinese scholars worked on the book for five years before it was finished.
R U S S I A N
97
D
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H ua ng H e (Y el low R iver)
2
C
Whereas European languages such as English or French use an alphabet of 26 letters, the Chinese language uses a system of over 40,000 characters or symbols.
109
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3
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110
Eastern China & Korea
SOUTH & EAST ASIA
AR M Y A N MA ) (BURM
A
400 400
N
HENAN
HUBEI
A
Lichuan WUHAN
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HEFEI
Sea
SHANGHAI
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ng
Spratly Islands
D
B
C
121
(disputed by China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam)
PHILIPPINES
134
ancer
E
By far the biggest tidal bore in the world occurs on the Qiantang River in China. At spring tides the wave attains a height of up to 30 ft (9 m) and a speed of 25 mph (40 km/h).
South China Sea
it
OCEAN
tra on S
PACIFIC
TAIWAN
Luz Li is the family name for over 87 million people in China.
HONG KONG (Xianggang)
se r a n (pa
C Tropic of
N
other's territory)
TAIPEI T’aichung T’ainan
Shantou Dongguan Kaohsiung
Paracel Islands (disputed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam)
Hainan Dao
(Aomen)
Macao
Xiamen
Hengyang F U J I A N
Okinawa
(China and Taiwan
FUZHOU claim all of each
Shangrao Wenzhou
HANGZHOU
JIANGXI
Fuzhou
G UA N G D O N G
GUANGZHOU
Liuzhou
HUNAN
CHANGSHA
HAINAN
AM TN
118
CAMBODIA
THAILAND
V
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0 miles
LAOS
GU ANGXI Z HU A NGZU Z I Z HIQU
NANNING
KUNMING
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GUIZHOU
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The Giant Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world, able to grow at the rate of 3 ft (90 cm) a day.
S a l w e en
an ve
lf ng
0 km
M ek
ong
h g S
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8
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YUNNAN
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118
H
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Jiaxing CHONGQING Ningbo E a s t Ch i n a Jingdezhen Yueyang Jinhua Leshan Zigong CHONGQING Sea g ZH EJ I A N G NANCHANG
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JIANGSU Cheju-do ZHENGZHOU Kaifeng Bengbu Ye l l o w
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Mianyang S i c h u a n
SICHUAN
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8
7
6
5
SOUTH & EAST ASIA
111
4
3
2
1
110
97
B
(under South Korean control)
Liancourt Rocks Kanazawa
Toyama
Obihiro
Nagano
Hokkaidó
Honshú
Morioka
Hachinohe
Hakodate
Tomakomai
Sendai
Hitachi Mito
Fukushima Kóriyama Iwaki
134
Ostrov Shikotan Nemuro Kushiro
Kitami
Ostrov Kunashir
Ostrov Iturup
Kurile Islands
E
(administered by the Russian Federation, claimed by Japan)
Sea of Okhotsk
JAPAN
Akita
Aomori
Otaru
Sapporo
Asahikawa
t
Abashiri
La P e ro u se Str ai
The Toyota Motor Corporation was first established in Niigata 1937 as a spin-off from Toyoda Automatic Loom Sado Works. The company now produces 8.5 million cars a year, equivalent to one every 3.7 seconds. Shinano-gawa
(East Sea)
Sea of Japan
97
D
Ostrov Sakhalin
Wakkanai Rebun-tó Rishiri-tó
Okushiri-tó
C
At 33.4 miles (53.8 km), 14.3 miles (23.3 km) of which lie under the Tsugaru Strait, the Seikan Tunnel is currently the longest tunnel in the world. Construction began in 1964 and took 24 years to complete.
C H I N A
A
A
RE
NORTH KO
SS RU
FE IA N
ION AT DE R
4
3
2
1
112 SOUTH & EAST ASIA
Japan
8
7
6
it
ra
Kagoshima
Tottori
Okayama
A
Okinawa Naha
Amami-Ó-shima
0 miles
0 km
D
C
O C E A N
B
200
Philippine Sea
The longest bridge in the world is the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge linking Honshu and Shikoku, with a central span of 6352 ft (1991 m); the total length shore to shore is 12,831 ft (3911 m), or 2.4 miles (3.9 km).
134
200
Aoga-shima
Hachijó-jima
E
On August 12, 1990, Typhoon Winona, combined with the summer vacation rush, created the longest traffic jam in Japan's history, an 84-mile long tailback involving about 15,000 vehicles.
Shingú
Wakayama
134
The same family has occupied the Imperial Throne of Japan for the last 1300 years. The present-day emperor, Akihito, is the 125th in succession.
TÓKYO Chiba Yokohama
Hamamatsu
Okazaki
Nagoya
Kawasaki
P A C I F I C
Kóbe Kyóto Ósaka
Fukui
Biwa-ko
134
Yaku-shima
Tanega-shima
Miyazaki
Kyúshú
Kumamoto
Tokuno-shima
tó
East China Sea
Ósumi-shotó
111
Hamada
Matsue
Oki-shotó
a Kurashiki re K o TsushimaHiroshima Yamaguchi Shimonoseki Kitakyúshú Matsuyama Tokushima Iki Kóchi Fukuoka Óita Shikoku Sasebo Nakamura Nagasaki
St
Gotó-rettó Amakusa-nada
Ry
t
re
ú-
tó ho s I z u
úk y
5
SOUTH KOREA
8
7
6
5
SOUTH & EAST ASIA
113
SOUTH & EAST ASIA
Southern India & Sri Lanka B
C
D
Mumbai
116
(Bombay)
Kalyán Nánded Nizámábád
Pune
r n s t e W e
Solápur
1
K ri
Belgaum Pánáji
A r a b i a n
Mangalore
Amíndívi Is. (part of India)
Anantapur Bangalore Vellore Mysore
Tamil
Salem
Keral a
The word ghats, literally “stairs that descend to a river,” refers to the stair-like appearance of the slopes of the Western Ghats mountain range, as they descend to the coastal plain.
Nágercoil
Ihavananthapuram Atoll
55 There are over 1300 islands in the Maldives but only about 200 are inhabited. All the islands are low-lying, none rising more than 6 ft (1.8m) above sea level. 0 km 0 miles
5
Kurnool
Nadu Kozhikode / Calicut Coimbatore Kavaratti I. TiruchchiErnákulam ráppalli Kalpeni I. Kochi / Cochin Madurai Thiruvananthapuram / Gulf Tivandrum of Minicoy I. Mannar
MALDIVES 4
Hubli
K arná t a ka
Lakshadweep
3
I N D I A
Dávangere
103
S e a
Hyderábád
n
s a t G h
2
sh
a
The Mumbai (Bombay) movie industry, known as Bollywood, makes around 900 films each year, compared to Hollywood's 100, making it the most prolific film-producing country in the world.
MALE’
Kolhumadulu Atoll
300
INDIAN
300
Equator
Huvadhu Atoll 123 A
B
n
A
D e c c a
114
C
D
SOUTH & EAST ASIA E áv
a
ri
ts
God
F
a Andhra h Pradesh n G Visákhapatnam er s t Rájahmundry a E Vijayawáda
G
H
117
B a y o f B e n g a l
M Y A N M AR (BURMA) M
Ongole Nellore
Chennai (Madras)
Kánchípuram
115
The Indian cobra is often displayed by snake charmers. The cobras appear to respond to the music played by the charmer, but, like all snakes, they are deaf and only follow the movements of the charmer.
1
o u t h of the s Ir ra w a ddy
North Andaman 119
Middle Andaman Port Blair
(part of India)
South Andaman
Pondicherry
Little Andaman Palk Strait
Andaman Sea
Jaffna
SRI LANKA
3
Mannar Trincomalee Batticaloa
Kandy COLOMBO Galle Matara
Nicobar Is. (part of India)
One of the world’s largest tea producers, Sri Lanka has over 8500 sq miles (22,000 sq km) of land under tea cultivation, yielding about 300,000 tons (tonnes) a year, and accounting for around 10 percent of global production.
OCEAN
Great Nicobar
Indira Point
INDONESIA Sumatra 120
4
Equator
5
At 7:58 am on December 26, 2004, an earthquake just off the coast of Sumatra measuring 9.1 on the Richter scale triggered a massive and devastating Tsunami that advanced across the Indian Ocean, killing over 200,000 people and leaving millions homeless in eleven countries.
123 E
2
Andaman Is.
F
G
H
SOUTH & EAST ASIA
116
North India & Pakistan A
B
C
D
(claimed by India)
104 The Karakoram Highway was finally completed in 1986 after 24,000 workers had toiled for almost 20 years. The road climbs to 15,397 ft (4693 m) at the Khunjerab Pass.
Hi nd
(A "line of control" was set between India and Pakistan in 1972)
u Kush
Ka
ra
In d us
ko
ra
K2 28,251ft
m (8611m)
R
Mardán Pesháwar ISLÁMÁBÁD Jamu & Ráwalpindi Jhelum Gujrát Kashmir AFGHANISTAN P u n j a b C h en á b Gujránwála Sargodha g Amritsar n Lahore Ra Jalandhar ka r á K a T ob Faisalábád Ludhiána Quetta Okára Chandígarh Dera Gházi Multán Khán Chágai H i l l s Meerut Baháwalpur Delhi Rahímyár Khán NEW DELHI Shikárpur us N In d Bíkáner e T h g a r De n Lárkána Ra s e Sukkur n r t Jaipur Ágra akrá M l a r Ajmer C e nt Jodhpur Gwalior Nawábsháh an
ge
e
1
2
102
P A K I S T A N
IRA 3
Rajásthán
0 km
4
103
200
0 miles
200
A r a b i a n
Rann nd hs o of Kachchh us f Gánhídhám G ul f of K a ch c h h G
Jámnagar
Porbandar
S e a
On January 26, 2001, a massive earthquake devastated the Gujarat region of India, costing some 25,000 lives.
5
Kota
Hyderábád
I n du
ut Mo e I th
Tropic of C ancer
s
Karáchi
I
N N a rma d
Bhávnagar Súrat G u lf of Kh ambh á t
Mumbai Ceasefire Line
A
(Bombay)
114 B
D
Bhopál Ahmadábád ujarát Indore Vadodara M a d h y a Rájkot a
Nágpur
Mahárashtra
Damán
Náshik Kalyán Pune
Nánded
D e c
Nizámábád
Solápur C
D
SOUTH & EAST ASIA E
F
XINJIANGUYGUR ZIZHIQU
The northern ranges of the Himalayas contain the highest mountains in the world, with average heights of more than 23,000 ft (7000 m) and many peaks higher than 26,000 ft (8000m).
H
Demchok/Dêmqog (administered by China, claimed by India)
XIZANG ZIZHIQU
i
The Kingdom of Bhutan is the only country in the world to measure the happiness of its citizens.
m
a l a
P
Uttar Pradesh
KATHMANDU Gangtok
A
L
Lucknow Yam
Kánpur un
Patna
Váránasi
a
Allahábád
I
Gaya
A
Dhanbád
Saidpur
Rájsháhi W e s t DHAKA Comilla Bengal
er
r
n
G
h
ah
ána dí
s at
i
Warangal E
Dispur
Kohíma
Ga
F
Imphál cer Tropic of Can
118
ng
e
B a y o f B e n g a l
Visákhapatnam
Sylhet
4
Chittagong
Khulna
Cuttack
st
ve
Ea
Godá
ma p u t r a
he Mou th s o f t M
c a
ah
(Calcutta)
Orissa
3
Guwáháti
BANGLADESH
Raipur
n
2
s
BHUTAN
Ganges Jamálpur
Kolkata
Pradesh
108
THIMPHU
Birátnagar
Bihár
Ránchi
Jabalpur
QINGHAI
Arunachal Pradesh (claimed by China)
a
y
Mount Everest 29,035ft (8850m)
E
A
s
Bareilly
N
1
Br
N
I
Cherrapunji, 4872 ft (1484 m) above sea level, has an average annual rainfall of 450 inches (1143 cm), although most of this falls during the monsoon – the winter is a virtual drought. The highest-ever seasonal rainfall was 904 inches (2298 cm).
(Tibet)
H
H
108
Aksai Chin (adminstered by China, claimed by India)
C
G
117
115 G
MYANMAR (BURMA) The heaviest hailstones on record, weighing about 2.25 lbs (1 kg), are reported to have killed 92 people in the Gopalganj area of Bangladesh on April 14, 1986. H
5
ng
m
Mawlamyine
Pi
n
H
I
N
Phôngsali
r
HANÓI
V
I
E
Huê
111
Ãa Nâng
Hông Gai Hai Phong Nam Ãinh Gulf of Tongking Vinh
Khanthabouli
Thakhèk
A
THAILAND
Khon Kaen
Sirikit Res. Udon Thani
VIENTIANE
Pek Xaignabouri
L
ve
Louangphabang
Xam Nua
Ri
E
Tropic of Cancer
A
Lang Sòn
Every year around 300–500 million poeple are infected with malaria from the bite of female Anopheles Mosquitos, of which between 1 and 3 million die, making this the deadliest animal in the world.
Mek on g
Chiang Mai
Na
M I r r o u t h s o f t h e Pyapon awa ddy
M
n
C
Around 60 percent of Myanmar’s cultivated land is given over to growing rice, producing almost 20 million tons (tonnes) each year.
111
D
O
Pa-an
Bago Thaton
e Ma
Pathein Yangon (Rangoon)
tou
Insein
Hinthada
lw
Toungoo Sit
Bay of Bengal
Pyay
NAY PYI TAW
e en
Taunggyi
Shan Plateau
Mandalay
( B U R M A )
Chauk
Monywa Pakokku
Sittwe
Ramree Island
Katha
Bhamo
M Y A N M A R
Tropic of Cancer
135
108
C
Ou
4
3
2
INDIA
in n
dw
in
Ch
ange
Ku mo nR
1
dy
I r raw ad
B
g
A
Bl
R ed k ac
er
Sa
R
iv
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4
3
2
1
118
Mainland Southeast Asia
SOUTH & EAST ASIA
T
S
g
A
C
E
A
A N
N
D
O
IA
C
ac
ca
S
I A
D
S
al
ng
Mo
u
of ths
th
e
M
South
0 km 0 miles
E
200 200
122
Hô Chi Minh
China Sea
B
E
fM
o
121
N
eko
Svay Riêng
Cân Thò
M
Ãa Lat Kâmpóng Cham
Following years of conflict, it is estimated that as many as 6 million landmines remain buried in the soils of Cambodia.
Rach Gia
Malay Peninsula
Y
121
Sumatra
IN it
I
ra
D
St
A
O
N
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Songkhla Pattani Hat Yai Yala
Trang
The world's smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat of Thailand, weighing less than 0.09 oz (2.5 g).
Ko Phuket Phuket
Surat Thani
Ko Phangan Ko Samui
Kâmpôt
PHNOM PENH
Kâmpóng Saôm
A
I
115
Nicobar Islands (part of India)
Andaman Sea
Chumphon
M L
8
7
6
Isthmus of Kra
Gulf of Thailand
C A M B O DIA
Kâmpóng Chhnâng
g
Sên
on
ng
Ko Chang
A M
ek
Bangkok has some of the worst traffic jams in the world. In July 1992, after a monsoon storm, it took 11 hours for one Mergui Archipelago jam to clear.
M e k ong
e
nl
N
5
Attapu Ubon Nakhon Sawan Nakhon Ratchathani Srinagarind Ratchasima Muang Không ôn Res. Ayutthaya K g Dawei Phumî S t œe BANGKOK Quy Nhòn Tô Sâmraông Bâtdâmbang Ratchaburi Stœng Treng Tônlé Sap Chon Buri Pattaya Nha Trang Myeik
8
7
6
5
SOUTH & EAST ASIA
119
SOUTH & EAST ASIA
120
Maritime Southeast Asia A
B
C
119
O Paracel Islands
S V
1
Gulf of Tongking
L A
M YA N M A R (BURMA)
D
400
T
THAILAND 400
N
0 miles
CAMBODIA
Kuala Lumpur - Capital Putrajaya - Administrative capital Andaman
122
The Rafflesia plant has the largest single flower in the world. The bloom, 3 ft (90 cm) in diameter, attracts insects by imitating Balabac the foul smell of rotting flesh.
so
(to India)
mu
Nicobar Islands
Spratly Islands (disputed by China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam)
Gulf of Thailand
Is t h
Sea
fK
ra St rai George to f M Town a la c ca
Kota Bharu Kuala Terengganu Taiping Ipoh Kuantan Medan Klang KUALA LUMPUR Pematangsiantar
Bandaaceh
3
at
ar Jambi im Palembang a t a
K
I
Pulau Belitung
N
Borneo
B
ha
ya
n
ka
m
Samarinda a n Balikpapan ta n
Banjarmasin
D
Jav a S e a Pulau Tegal Laut JAKARTA Pekalongan M aka ssar Sela Semarang a d t Sun Kudus Surabaya Bogor Mataram Sukabumi Jember Bandung Denpasar Jawa Cilacap Malang BaliPulau (Java) Magelang Lombok Kediri Yogyakarta Madiun Surakarta sa
123
Ka a
Sel
Bangka
uas Ka p K al im
S a unga n P eg uMu l l e r
n
Bandar Lampung
In August 1883, a devastating volcanic eruption destroyed most of the island of Krakatau and triggered a tsunami that claimed around 35,000 lives.
A
n g H ari
ri
Bengkulu
O C E A N
5
Kuching
Ba
I N D I A N
Johor Bahru
an
la pu w Ke enta M
ua ai n
122
B a ta
BRUNEI
M A L A Y SSibuI A r a w a kn
SINGAPORE Pekanbaru Pontianak
ng
Pulau Siberut
nu
( S u m a t r a ) Padang
Kota Kinabalu BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN Sab
M
Pulau Nias
S u ma tera
gu
Equator
Pe
Pulau Simeulue Danau Toba PUTRAJAYA Sibolga
4
South China Sea
AM
MALAYSIA'S TWO CAPITALS
2
(disputed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam)
IE
0 km
C
D
SOUTH & EAST ASIA E
F
G
L u z o n Str a it
B abuy an Channel
H
112
P h i l i p p i n e
Tuguergarao
121
Northern
Ilagan
S e a Mariana Luzon Islands Dagupan The Philippines take their name from Philip II (to US) Angeles Cabanatuan of Spain, who was king when the islands were MANILA colonized during the 16th century. Lucena Batangas Naga Guam (to US) Legazpi City PHILIPPINES Mindoro SMindoro tr Sibuyan Calbayog Sea Roxas City Tacloban P A C I F I C Cadiz 126 Iloilo Yap Bacolod Cebu Peurto City a Butuan e Princesa S O C E A N B ohol Palawan Cagayan de Oro Strait Sulu Sea Iligan Mindanao Babeldaob MICRONESIA Davao Zamboanga
1
Baguio
go
Pa Pa ssa law ge a n
ait
ela
Da
ch
ip
va
General Santos
Tawau
Celebes Sea
Se a
Halmahera u Sea
Sea ( r a m Wahai M
Ambon
N Kendari E Pulau Pulau Buton
l
Pulau S Seram
Buru
a Banda Se
Kepulauan Kai
r a r Wetar Kepulauan Flores Sea Tanimbar g a o e n g auan Al Strai t l N u s a T Ke pu DILI
Flores
Sea Savu
at Sumba Sel
Kepulauan Leti
EAST TIMOR
Timor Kupang Ti m or S ea
Pulau Sumba
E
F
ga
iM
Jayapura am
Pe g u n u n ga n M a
I
A
)
Parepare Makassar
o
Pulau Biak
Sorong Jazirah Doberai
ku
as
ra
Ce
al
cc
St
Kepulauan Sula
M
u
O it
M Kepulauan Banggai
3
Equator
Pulau Halmahera
n
(Celebes)
u ol
Su
Sulawesi
Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago, with over 17,500 islands stretching 3100 miles (5000 km) between the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Pulau Morotai
cc
Gorontalo
Gulf of Tomini
u lf
Kepulauan Talaud
Manado
Palu
PALAU
oG
a
Sul
r uA
K ep u Sa n l au a n gir
ah
2
Kepulauan Aru
bera
ok e
126
mo
4
PAPUA Papua NEW (Irian Jaya) G U I NE A
Ne w Gui nea D ig u
l
Pulau Yamdena
A r a f u r a 130
S e a
Tor
res Strait
A U S T R A L I A G
H
5
Eu
ra
te
Cau
s
ca
Aden
Pe ni ns u la
al m So Ba
Ca rls be rg
s du
e
R
MALDIVES
B asin
Arabian
Arabian Sea
se y
137
A S I A
ni
D
Lake Baikal
i
m G a n ge s
Sri Lanka
an lau i pu a Ke ntaw e M
British Indian Ocean Territory (to UK)
Cocos Basin
ng
tz e
Tr
en
ch
E a s t a
Ri
r
134
ve
Sea
South China
Java
Jav
a Se a
I n d i e s
Singapore Equator Borneo
Gulf of Thailand
J
av
Yello w
E
Tropic of Cancer Hong Kong (Xianggang)
Ya
tra
ma
M i d - I n d i an
Ceylon Plain
Bay of Bengal
Fan
Brahm
l a y a p u t r as a
Kolkata (Calcutta) Ganges
a
Colombo
Mumbai (Bombay)
H
With no part of the Maldives over 7ft 7in (2.3 m) above sea level, they are under great threat from global warming. There are over 2000 islands, yet the total land area is only 115 sq miles (298 sq km).
Lake Balkhash
C
Su
ar
M Mombasa as SEYCHELLES c Aldabra Group
AFRICA
H ighlands
en of Ad Gulf Horn of Ethi opian Africa
Equator
Iranian Plateau
s u Caspian s Sea
Aral Sea
In
Gu Karachi lf G ul f of Oman Ind Dubai u Mina' A r ab ia n Qabus
Kuwait
ph
Tropic of Cancer
63
Black Sea
ga
137
B
g
4
3
2
1
l
Vo
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n
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4
3
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1
122 OCEANS
The Indian Ocean
I nv es t i g at o r
ge id
M i d -
en
e
8
A
0 miles
0 km
Antarctic Circle
Banzare Seamounts
B
136
1500 1500
C
ge Di am
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an
dg
R i d g e
D
134
E
Antarctic Circle
Limit of summer pack ice
Limit of winter pack ice
South Indian Basin
I n d i a n
ANTARCTICA 136
Tropic of Capricorn
Perth Basin Fremantle
e
Naturaliste a F Plateau ract ure Zon e
Ri
Exmouth Plateau
North Australian Basin
Every cubic mile (4.3 cu km) of seawater holds over 150 million tons (tonnes) of minerals.
oken Rid
S o u t h e a s t
u
The largest animal ever seen alive was a 110 ft (34 m), 170-ton (tonne) female blue whale.
i n P l a
e
Br
m
Basin
(to Australia)
Christmas Island
W h art on
(to Australia)
Cocos Islands
Amsterdam Island Île St-Paul
ea
y e r b E n d
(to Australia)
Heard & Mcdonald Islands
French Southern & Antarctic Territories Crozet Ke (to France) rg Islands u
Crozet Basin
at
In icant sin Atl Ba
49
t
OCEAN
n
n dia
th
es
id
Osborn Plateau
B as i n N i n e t y e a s t
INDIAN
le Pl
7
S
ou
w
In
d
i
an
Natal Madagascar Basin Madagascar Basin Plateau
R
(to France)
ge
MAURITIUS Réunion
Farafangana
ne re ca as in M Pla
e d g R i
6
(to France)
scar
aga
Mad
5
Moza m Chan bique nel
COMOROS Mascarene Basin Mayotte
ia
nd
ge
tI
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Plateau
ALA
a n I n d i STR
Ridge
AU
Lake Nyasa
8
7
6
5
OCEANS
123
AUSTRALASIA & OCEANIA
124
Australasia & Oceania B
C
107
Wake Island
Northern Mariana Islands
(to US)
(to US)
1
M
Saipan
P h i l i p p i n e
i
Guam
t
D
i
VANUATU Vanua Levu
Espiritu Santo Malekula
Viti Levu
Efate
New Caledonia (to France)
FIJI
ng e
Ra
g li n ar
rray
Lord Howe Island
Mount Kosciuszko 7310ft (2228m)
S tr a it
Gr
Bass
North Cape
(to Australia)
la
Mu
(to Australia)
n g Ra ge
Gr ey
Norfolk Island
in
D
s ell
TUVALU
Santa Cruz Islands
f
ul
a
id
N
i
SOLOMON I s ISLANDS la
v
tA
KIR IB A TI
ee
ea
ng T u lbert
on
Is r u lan ds )
Banaba
R
Simpson Desert
(Ayers Rock) Gibson D e s e r t L. Eyre North Great V i c t o r i a L. Torrens Desert ain Pl o r l i an B i g h t b r tra Kangaroo us Island
Tasman Sea
North Island
NEW ZEALAND South Island Aoraki (Mt Cook) 12,283ft (3744m)
Tasmania
Cape Leeuwin
B
Antipodes Islands
Auckland Islands
136 A
om
a
a
r
5
in
New Caledonia
ie
n icor apr of C c i op Tr
Uluru
(to Australia)
rr
123
nn c do e M a a ng R
a
Great Sandy Desert
OC EAN
S ol
s
B
Peninsula G re a
AUSTRALIA
I N D IAN
s
go
Coral Sea Coral Sea Islands
at
Gulf of Arnhem Cape Land Carpentaria York
(to Australia)
ai
S t r a i t GUINEA
re
Timor Sea
Ch
Cha
NAURU
nd
r r es
G
Flores
To
ik
(Gi
ela
PAPUA NEW Guadalcanal
Arafura Sea
Timor
Ashmore & Cartier Islands
4
e
New Britain Solomon Sea
New Guinea
B a n d a S e a
e
ak
n
Mount Wilhelm 14,793ft (4509m)
al
i
B i s m a r c k A r c h ip Bismarck Sea
Celebes
3
l
e
M
Celebes Sea
tor Equa
n
s
PALAU
Borneo
Rat
o
Chuuk Pohnpei Islands Kosrae I s l a n d s a Nauru n
C a r o l i n e
Babeldaob
107
r
R
2
MARSHALL ISLANDS
MICRONESIA
Yap
Sulu Sea
c
(to US)
S e a Philippines
D
International Dateline
A
(to New Zealand)
C
D
AUSTRALASIA & OCEANIA E
F
G
Hawaii an (to U Islan S) ds Johnston Atoll
125
H
107
(to US)
1
P A C I F I C
Kingman Reef
O C E A N
a
(to US) (to US)
Teraina Tabuaeran Kiritimati
i
(to US)
L
in
Jarvis Island
KIR
Tokelau
s
Malden Island Starbuck Island
s n d l a TI I s IBA
P hoe nix Islan ds
e
(to US)
K I RI B A T I
International Da teline
Palmyra Atoll Baker & Howland Islands
134
2
Equato
r
3
ds
n
e
Norther n Co Penrhyn (to NZ) Millennium Wallis & ok Island Isla Futuna Marquesas Islands Manihiki nd Flint Island s (to France) SAMOA Cook Islands American (to NZ) Tua TONGA Samoa mo (to US) So tu Vava‘u c Isl i Group et s an d n a l s Niue y Tahiti kI o o I (to NZ) C sl n r e a h t Tongatapu u S o Rarotonga Group Île s A French Polynesia us (to France) tra Kermadec Islands l Pitcairn (to New Zealand) Islands Marotiri (to UK) n
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134
Pitcairn Island
Tro pic
o
4
of C apr ico rn
P 0 km 0 miles
1000 1000
Chatham Islands (to New Zealand)
5
136 E
F
G
H
AUSTRALASIA & OCEANIA
126
The Southwest Pacific B
C
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nc
134
Guam
D
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T
1
M i ri Ma c Caroline Islands r
in
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121
Cha
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Kosrae
The Pitohui bird has a poison on its feathers and skin similar to the poison arrow tree frog, making it the only known example of a poisonous bird.
i
2
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MICRONESIA
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Pohnpei PALIKIR
lik
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MELEKEOK
o
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Ra
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MARSHALL ISLANDS
(US unincorporated territory) HAGÅTÑA
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Equator
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PAPUA NEW GUINEA Bismarck Archip New Ireland elag o
I ND ON E S IA
Mt Wilhelm 14,793ft (4509m)
3
l
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n Santa Cruz Islands
e
Solomon Sea HONIARA
S e a
a
C o r a l
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SOLOMON ISLANDS
s
T o r r e s S t r ai t
Gulf of Carpentaria
128
e
Bougainville I. New New Britain Georgia Lae Islands
PORT MORESBY
A r a f u r a S e a
M
Madang
New Guinea
4
BAIRIKI Tarawa
Banks Is.
Found only in the rainforest of New Guinea, VANUATU Queen Alexandra's Birdwing, with a wingspan of 11 inches (280 mm), is the G Coral Sea Islands PORT VILA re (Australian external largest butterfly in the world. New Caledonia a t
territory)
B
(French overseas territory)
ar
AUSTRALIA
ri er
5
Re
NOUMÉA
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131 B
ef
Tropic of Capricorn
Îles Loyauté
C
D
AUSTRALASIA & OCEANIA E
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G
127
H
135
O C E A N
Kingman Reef
Palmyra Atoll
(administered by US)
(administered by US)
Teraina Tabuaeran
(G il b
Baker & Howland Is.
ru g a ds) T u nr t Is l a n
(administered by US)
Jarvis I.
e
(administered by US)
L
i
n
135
Equator
e s
l a
KIRIBATI
(NZ dependent territory)
Vostok I.
P o Wallis l y n & Futuna SAMOA e s i (French overseas PAGO ÁPIA territory) PAGO (US unincorporated territory)
Vava‘u Group
135
a
Cook Islands (in free assoc. (in free assoc. with NZ) Southern with NZ)
ALOFI
NUKU‘ALOFA
F r e n c h P o l yn e sia
4
(French overseas Îles de l a S o territory) c ié té PAPEETE Tahiti
Cook Is.
AVARUA
0 km
Rarotonga
500
0 miles
135 F
Millennium I.
Flint I.
Northern Cook Is.
Niue
Ha‘apai Group
TONGA
E
3
Tokelau American Samoa
SUVA
s
FONGAFALE
Viti Levu
d
Samoa is home to the world’s smallest known spider, the Patu marplesi, which spans a mere 0.017 inches (0.4 mm).
TUVALU
Vanua Levu
n
Phoenix Islands
2
Kiritimati
I
K I R I B A T I
FIJI
1
In 1995, the International Date Line was repositioned around Kiribati territory, bringing Millennium Island 14 hours ahead of GMT, making it the first landfall for sunrise at the dawn of the new millennium.
International Dateline
International Dateline
P A C I F I C
G
500
Tropic of Capricorn
H
5
N
D
N
E
S
N D
E
A
Tropic of Capricorn
esc
ue
Onslow Ri v er Hamers ley As h Ra bu ng rt e rle o n R eR ange i v e r
Fort
M
ile
E
S
T G i b s o n
Newman
W
A
N
Percival Lakes
Kununurra
Lake Mackay
E
Alice Springs
T E R R I T O R Y ges Ran l l e n Macdon
N O R T H E R N
Tennant Creek
Tanami Desert
Daly Waters Top Springs Roadhouse
Katherine
Land
Arnhem
130
Croker Island
Arafura Sea
Van Diemen Gulf
Vi c t o r ia
Halls Creek
dy Des ert
Fitzroy Crossing
Plateau
oy River
R
Wyndham
Kimberley
San
tzr
DARWIN
Bathurst Island
Melville Island
Cape Londonderry Joseph Bonaparte Pine Creek Gulf
S e a
T i m o r
Lake Disappointment D e s e r t
E
eat
Fi
Heywood Islands
Ki n
Bonaparte Archipelago
Gr
Broome
Marble Bar
E ighty
N
I A N
Port Hedland Dampier
O C
Exmou t
I
I
121
D
On Christmas Day, 1974, Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin with winds of up to 175 mph (280km/h), resulting in 71 deaths, thousands of injuries, and 95 percent of the city destroyed.
O
C
One of the largest states in the world, with an area of more than 1,000,000 sq miles (2.6 million sq km), Western Australia covers a third of the Australian continent.
ulf hG
Exmouth
123
I
120
B
d oun
4
3
2
1
A
h
gS
ac
Ri v e r
Be
4
3
2
1
128 AUSTRALASIA & OCEANIA
Western Australia
Ba
8
7
6
5
0 miles
0 km
123
A
Moora
h
A U
S
Ra
Lake Moore
Lake Barlee
T
ng e Meekatharra s
Ro b i n s o n
Mount Magnet
R i ve r
S
Albany
Wagin Katanning Manjimup
A
L
I
Esperance
Lake
A
Reid
eat
136 D
B
O C E A N
E
Penong Ceduna
Australian Bi ght
Eucla
r Plain
The Nullarbor Plain is so flat that the Trans-Australian Railway runs through it in a dead straight line for 297 miles (478 km), the longest section of straight track in the world.
Gr
arbo
Coober Pedy
131
Port Lincoln
Elliston
Lake Gairdner
A U S T R A L I A
Residents of Coober Pedy have built their homes below ground to escape temperatures that can reach 113˚F (45˚C) during the summer months.
C
ges
S O U T H
n Mus grav e R a
(Ayers Rock) 2845ft (867m)
LAmadeus I Uluru
Great Victoria Desert
A
ll Nu
Lake Rebecca
Lake Carey
R
Lake Wells
A
136
400
I N D I A N 400
R
Lake Carnegie
T
Coolgardie Kalgoorlie Lake Cowan Merredin Southern Northam Cross Norseman Brookton
n is o
U
Around 18 percent of Australia is covered in desert, the biggest being The Great Victoria Desert, which at 163,900 sq miles (424,400 sq km) is over 10 times the size of Belgium.
Augusta
Bunbury Busselton
Gingin PERTH Fremantle Mandurah
Geraldton
Kalbarri
Island
Mur
c
A
L. Macleod Carnarvon Shark Bay Denham Dirk Hartog
8
7
6
5
AUSTRALASIA & OCEANIA
129
Winton
Hughenden
R
A Windorah
L
A
Biloela
Emerald
Tropic of Capricorn
Bundaberg Fraser Island
Rockhampton
Mackay
S e a Coral Sea Islands (to Australia)
Bowen Whitsunday Group
Clermont
Charters Towers
Townsville
Barcaldine
Tambo
I
i
C o r a l Hinchinbrook Island
Cairns
f
Simpson
Longreach
Q U E E N S L A N D
y
T
lw
S
Se
U
r
e
A
d
ve
g
e
2845ft (867m)
Ri
e
Uluru (Ayers Rock)
rs ge
e ng Ra
an
Tully
an g R n i d Divi
es Macdonnell Rang
an de
n Cloncurry R
n F li
Mount Isa
er
Port Douglas
Cooktown
r
Alice Springs
el
ry
T E R R I T O R Y
Burketown
Ri v
v
Normanton G re go
rt
Ri
Koalas feed only on nutrient-poor eucalypt leaves and consequently have evolved a low energy lifestyle based around sleeping for 20 hours each day.
r
Tennant Creek
l ab
e R
4
T
l be
ll
E
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest area of coral islands and reefs, running for about 1,240 miles (2,000 km) along the coast of Queensland. 126
r
Tanami Desert
ly
Gi
he
at G r e er
N O R T H E R N
rk
itc
a
3
Ba
M
B
Top Springs Roadhouse
Wellesley Islands
Bay
Cape York Princess Peninsula Charlotte
t
Carpentaria
Gulf of
Groote Eylandt
Strait Cape York
a
Daly Waters
Pine Creek Katherine
Ar n h e m Land
Torres
126
D
The venom of the box jellyfish (also known as the sea wasp or marine stinger) can kill a person in between 30 seconds and four minutes.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
e
128
Wessel Islands
IND O N E S I A
C
G
DARWIN
Arafu ra Sea
121
B
r
2
1
A
4
3
2
1
130
Eastern Australia
AUSTRALASIA & OCEANIA
8
0 miles
0 km
129
Port Lincoln
Whyalla Eyre Peninsula
y
Lake Frome
R ie r
Bourke
Cunnamulla
r w on
Ri
er
v Moree Walgett Armidale Tamworth Nyngan
Ba
Miles Dalby
Toowoomba Goondiwindi
St. George
Roma
Grafton
Coast
Murwillumbah
Gold
BRISBANE Surfer's Paradise
Maryborough
Ouyen
rr
Portland
ay
Wagga Wagga
l ra st ps Au Al MELBOURNE
Mount Kosciuszko 7310ft (2228m)
River
Geelong
Ballarat
V I C T OR I A
Horsham Bendigo
ADELAIDE
T a s m a n
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY Cooma
Wollongong CANBERRA
A
D
B
C
136
136
400
S e a
E
134
rr Coffs Harbour Ba Wilcannia Broken Port Macquarie Port N E W S O U T H Hill Augusta Ivanhoe Dubbo at Peterborough R i ve r re hlan Newcastle Crystal Brook G Lac r ay R i v e r Gosford M ur Mildura W A L E S Parramatta Gawler SYDNEY Cootamundra
Mount Gambier
Kangaroo Island
re
Charleville ge
it
Traralgon Huge truck rigs known as Warrnambool South East Point Road Trains, which can reach King Island B a s s Strait up to 175 ft (53.5 m) in length, Flinders Island Ba carry freight across the vast nk s Marrawah distances of the Australian interior. Burnie S t r a They have as many as four Devonport trailers, weighing more than Launceston The platypus lives in an aquatic 150 tons (tonnes) in total. environment, suckles its young TASMANIA like a mammal, lays eggs, and HOBART has webbed feet and a bill 400 resembling that of a duck.
Ceduna
Lake Gairdner
G
Marree Lake Callabonna
Lake Blanche
n Ra
u
7
6
Tarcoola
Penong
Lake Torrens
-16m
AU S TR A L I A
Lake Great Coober Eyre V ic toria Pedy North Deser t Lake Eyre South
SO U TH
ulf
rG
iv
D
5
Desert
n
Darl i n River g
M
ia
Sp en ce
Flin d Ran ers ges
e
an g
ge
Ran
ng
id i
M usgrave Ranges
8
7
6
5
AUSTRALASIA & OCEANIA
131
4
3
2
131
a
S
s e
m a
a
n
127
D
E
I s l an d Takapuna
Whitianga
Great Barrier Island
Ruatoria
Stratford Hawke Napier Bay Taihape South Taranaki Hawera i Hastings ke Bight it i g Waipawa n Wanganui Cape Farewell Palmerston North Woodville Tasman Levin Cape Turnagain Bay Paraparaumu Masterton
NEW ZEALAND
135
East Cape
a Rotorua m Te Kuiti ku g R au R a n North Taranaki More than 46 million sheep thrive in New Zealand’s Taupo Bight Gisborne mild climate, outnumbering the human Lake New Plymouth Taumarunui Taupo Wairoa population by 12 to 1.
Cambridge Rotorua
Paeroa
Ba y o f Plen ty Tauranga Lake Whakatane
Manurewa
Hamilton
Waiuku
Auckland
Hauraki Gulf
Whangarei
Paihia
Warkworth
Ruawai
Kaikohe
Kaitaia
The lizardlike tuatara is found on some of the islands and rocky stacks off New Zealand. It is the sole remaining representative of the reptilian order Three Kings Sphenodontia, which first evolved before the Islands dinosaurs. It has a third “eye” on the top of North Cape its head, which is sensitive to light. Great Exhibition Te Kao Bay
C
Around 130 CE, something in the order of 33 billion tons (tonnes) of pumice was ejected in a massive volcanic eruption that left a 20,000 sq mile (51,800 sq km) debris field and created an enormous caldera that subsequently became Lake Taupo.
N o r t h
Ninety Mile Beach is in fact only about 55 miles (88 km) long. Nevertheless, this still makes it one of the longest sandy beaches in the world.
T
127
B
Ra
1
A
es ra
4
3
2
1
132
New Zealand
AUSTRALASIA & OCEANIA
Te Anau
South West Cape
A
St
ra
100
it
100
Stewart Island
x
0 miles
a
ar
Kaikoura
ai
Otago Peninsula
Dunedin
Lower Hutt
I s lan d
New Zealand has always been a leader in progressive social legislation. In 1893, it was the first country to grant women the right to vote.
Cape Palliser
WELLINGTON
O
A
C
C
E
A
I F
N
I C
136 D
136 B
C
The Kakapo is a nocturnal flightless parrot that lives in burrows. When in danger, its main form of defense is to remain perfectly still, which made it an easy target for predators such as the dogs, cats, rats, and ferrets that were introduced in the 19th century. Consequently, it is in danger of extinction; in 2009 there were only 125 birds left in the wild.
P
E
135
The royal albatross colony on Otago Peninsula is the only mainland nesting site for these birds in the world. Soaring on wings up to 9’6’’ (3 m) across, breeding pairs mate for life and have been known to live for over 60 years.
h
Christchurch
Pegasus Rangiora Bay
Cl
s lain Banks yP Mayfield rbur e Ashburton Peninsula t an Canterbury Fairlie S ou t Timaru Bight
12,283 (3744m)
Balclutha
Mosgiel
Invercargill
Gore
Lumsden
au
Halfmoon Bay
F ove
Riverton
au Wai
0 km
th
a
8
o
Cl u t h
131
S
u
ai
ta Wanaka Studholme Lake ki Wakatipu Queenstown Lake Te Oamaru Anau Alexandra
Milford Sound
Lake Wanaka
Haast
ak
Hu ru n u i
Otira
n e rAoraki (Mt Cook)
W
7
6
M
Fox Glacier
A
s l pR
Though still the highest peak in New Zealand, at 12,316 ft (3754 m), a massive rock Greymouth fall in 1991 reduced the Hokitika height of Aoraki (Mount Cook) by 33 ft (10 m).
nd
la
d un So
rd
5
d or ilf eri
ait
C
Str
T ai
a
W
Cook
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Motueka Picton Karamea Bight Richmond nge a Seddonville d R u Ble
