Geo-Data – The World Geographical Encyclopedia

John McCoy9780787655815, 9780787677084, 0787655813

The third edition of this wide-ranging resource to the physical geography of every country in the world features notable improvements in both format and coverage. Not only is it longer than the first (by about 100 pages), but it has a markedly longer, more comprehensive index (by geographic name as well as thematic subject) and a special rankings section that lists highest mountains, longest rivers, largest deserts, and other statistics of particular use to students. In addition, it features longer country articles (usually five pages in length) and a list of sources for each entry. In contrast, the first edition (published in 1983 and called Geo-Data: The World Almanac Gazetteer) featured 30-word annotations for cities and counties, followed by longer annotations on states of the United States and foreign countries. Featuring a standardized format to facilitate comparisons, the new edition is awash with physical maps and tables and various other statistics pertaining to climate and vegetation. Definitely recommended for general reference collections in public libraries and undergraduate-college libraries.