Bearing the title information atlas, the Encyclopedic World Atlas stands alone as the complete tool for every librarian or armchair geographer. The new sixth edition provides authoritative full-color maps, detailed gazetteer entries, and up-to-date statistics for every country in the world. Recent political developments in Afghanistan, East Timor, and Colombia are all reflected in extensive country profiles arranged alphabetically with text sections on landscape, climate, vegetation, history, politics, and economy that allow comparisons to be drawn between nations. A full-color, topographic map accompanies every entry. Eight pages of satellite images have been added to the atlas, which opens with a wealth of statistical and graphic data: country-by-country facts and a 32-page World and Continents section contain the most vital and fascinating information about our changing world. The country-by-country section also features more than 200 national flags with a summary of their origin and significance and 160 climate graphs with informative commentaries providing analysis of local climate conditions. The atlas concludes with the 25,000 name index rapid reference to the maps through an clear letter-figure grid system, including geographical features such as mountains, rivers, and deserts.