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Staff Picks: Oxford Atlas of the World Oxford University Press 15th edition 2008

For many tech savvy people using Google Earth, a GPS or Mapquest has become second nature. Finding detailed specific directions to any given spot on the planet has become a very simple task. But in electronically zooming in to the spot we need to see we sometimes lose the worldview that only a comprehensive world atlas gives. Among the many atlases available at the Maine State Library few are as satisfying to browse as the Oxford Atlas of the World.

Introductory Material

The Atlas begins with a kaleidoscope of satellite images of various parts of the Earth; densely populated Cairo is juxtaposed with the Cape Peninsula of South Africa at the opposite end of the continent; the estuaries of the Hudson River at New York City flows seamlessly into the Mississippi delta of New Orleans. The photographs are followed by brief directory information for countries of the world. Flags, area populations: all those statistics we now use Google to find but collected here in a standardized easy to use format.
Other introductory material includes street level maps of major cities, informatin of landforms and geology and climate data.

Area Maps

Each area of the world is mapped with both physical and geopolitcal boundaries. Guides to altitude and scale are included on every map.

Indexing

The final feature of the Oxford Atlas is a detailed index to place names around the world.

Everything you could want to find in beautiful large color at your finger tips. Open the book to any page and allow your imagination and the facts you find take you away.

Related web pages

Google Maps

Map Quest

Contact: Reference Department
Tel: 207-287-5608

Posted: November 1, 2009

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