The Atlas of the Real World

Book excerpt: "Anyone with a yen for maps and statistics will be endlessly fascinated. . . enough unusual maps and mind-boggling data to appeal to a wider readership.”—Chicago Tribune In this definitive reference, sophisticated software combines with comprehensive analysis of every aspect of life to represent the world as it really is. Digitally modified maps or cartograms depict the areas and countries of the world not by their physical size, but by their demographic importance on a vast range of subjects, from basic data on population, health, and occupation to how many toys we import and who’s eating the most vegetables. Each territory on a map displays its data geographically, shrinking and expanding in proportion to other areas. The cartograms are organized into topics ranging from Food and Consumables to Pollution and Depletion, and are accompanied by graphs, charts, tables, and full commentaries. This revised edition features sixteen new maps on the world’s religious beliefs and the locati