Owning a least one good world atlas is a must for any cartophile or map lover. But why stop at one? Below we’ve profiled 21 brilliant world atlases all map lovers would be happy to own.
To make your life a little easier we’ve broken them down into 5 categories:
Essential – Everyone should own at least one of these.
Child & Student – Perfect for kids.
Historical – For those that love history.
Food & Drink – For those that love food and/or drink.
Other – The world’s most interesting alternative atlases.
We’ve tried to include as much information about each Atlas as possible including reviews (from Amazon), list price (Amazon almost always sells for less), publisher, edition and publication year (so you know how up-to-date it is).
We hope you find one or two new Atlases you’ve never considered before or better yet never heard of altogether.
Essential World Atlases
1. National Geographic Atlas of the World
Description: If you’ve got the budget for you can’t go wrong with National Geographic’s 10th edition of it’s Atlas of the World. Published to mark the 100th anniversary of National Geographic it includes:
Illustrated maps
Informational graphics about changing global themes such as:
climate change
population and urbanization
health and longevity
human migration
communications technology
world economy
Largest and most comprehensive collection of political maps ever published by National Geographic
Special sections for the Oceans, Space, and Flags and Facts
Index, with more than 150,000 place names
Review: 4.7/5
Publisher: National Geographic
Publication date: September 30, 2014
Edition: 10th
List Price: $195.00
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2. Oxford Atlas of the World
Description: The only world atlas updated annually, guaranteeing that users will find the most current geographic information, Oxford’s Atlas of the World is the most authoritative atlas on the market.
Full of crisp, clear cartography of urban areas and virtually uninhabited landscapes around the globe, the Atlas is filled with maps of cities and regions at carefully selected scales that give a striking view of the Earth’s surface. It opens with a fascinating look at world statistics, a six-page special on “The Future of the Oceans and Seas,” and satellite images of earth, including eleven stunning images sourced from NASA’s latest Earth Observation Satellite, Landsat 8, launched in 2013.
The extraordinarily extensive front matter continues with a “Gazetteer of Nations” that has been comprehensively checked and updated to include recent economic and political changes, and a 48-page “Introduction to World Geography,” beautifully illustrated with tables and graphs on numerous topics of geographic significance, such as the geology and atmosphere of Earth, food and water supply, biodiversity, energy, global conflict, human health, and standards of living.
The hundreds of city and world maps that form the body of the Atlas have been thoroughly updated for this 22nd edition.
Review: 4.6/5
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication date: November 1, 2015
Edition: 22nd
List Price: $89.95
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3. Oxford New Concise World Atlas
Description: With hundreds of dramatic, full-color, large-format maps produced by Europe’s finest team of cartographers, the fifth edition of the New Concise World Atlas solidifies Oxford’s position as the only publisher of regularly updated atlases at every desirable size and price.
Containing over 100 pages of the most up-to-date topographic and political maps, the New Concise World Atlas also features a new front section of satellite imagery to replace the old “Earth in Space” section, as well as new detailed maps of the ocean seafloors. In addition to this new front section, there are 16 extra pages of world maps for this new edition covering areas such as Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Peru, and Brazil.
Recent changes to the world’s geography are thoroughly captured in this edition; fully updated tables and world statistics provide data on climate, population, area, and physical dimensions. Finally, an index with over 58,000 items make searching for lesser-known locales quick and easy.
Truly international in scope, created with meticulous care, and reflecting the very latest political developments and census information, Oxford’s New Concise World Atlas, Fifth Edition achieves the highest standard among international map resources. This engaging and affordable resource is second to none in the superb quality of its maps, the breadth of its coverage, and its easy-to-use convenience.
Review: 4.5/5
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication date: November 1, 2015
Edition: 5th
List Price: $39.95
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4. The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World
Description: Now in its fourteenth edition, the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World continues to be the benchmark of cartographic excellence. The world atlas is relied on and trusted by governments, media companies and international organizations around the world including the United Nations and the European Commission.
New features:
Double page map of the Arctic Ocean
New maps of sub-ice features in the Arctic Ocean and the Antarctic
Physical maps of all the continents
Major updates include:
5000 place name changes, most notably in Japan, Brazil, South Korea, Taiwan and Spain.
A beautifully illustrated section on current issues, including climate change, economy and energy, and a new section on the power of maps.
Updated national parks and conserved areas including the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), the largest conservation zone in the world.
Realignment of the international boundary between Burkina Faso and Niger resulting from the International Court of Justice decision.
Addition of Brussel as alternative local name form for Bruxelles (Brussels) as city is officially bilingual. Now shown as Brussel/Bruxelles.
New administrative structures in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and Madagascar, and the addition of the new Indian state of Telangana.
Addition of over 50 major waterfalls around the world.
Review: 4.1/5
Publisher: Times Books
Publication date: September 25, 2014
Edition: 14th Revised edition
List Price: $200.00
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5. National Geographic Global Atlas
Description: From the changing shape of the warming northern polar region to the southern end of the globe in Antarctica, this atlas offers extraordinary new cartographic coverage of the entire globe.
Through state-of-the-art maps and cutting-edge graphic design, this completely updated atlas covers the latest geopolitical developments and illuminates the important trends that grip the planet.
From new political maps that review areas of turbulent civil strife in the Middle East to thematic spreads that highlight freshwater scarcity, climate and global warming, population growth, and more, this innovative book addresses the world’s challenges and celebrates its wonders.
Filled with dynamic infographics and compelling annotations and captions, National Geographic Global Atlas documents the critical facts, developments, and trends of our ever-evolving human and natural landscape.
Review: 4.3/5
Publisher: National Geographic
Publication date: October 1, 2013
Edition: Unknown
List Price: $50.00
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Child & Student Atlases
6. National Geographic Kids Beginner’s World Atlas
Description: Jam packed with the latest data, bright, bold images, large maps, a brand-new design, and lively information about the world’s land, people, and animals, the third edition Beginner’s World Atlas will be the most up-to-date world reference for kids ages 5–8.
True to National Geographic’s reputation and legacy, they’ve created this atlas with the same care and attention to detail as our renowned adult atlases. “No one does maps or atlases with as much panache and knowledge as National Geographic,” said the Washington Post.
With completely up-to-date facts-at-a-glance, a glossary, pronunciation guide, and comprehensive index, this completely revised atlas takes young readers on a high-energy tour of the world and will be a must-have in every home and school.
Vibrant color, fresh design, amazing photography, and new icons will help kids quickly identify information related to land, plants, animals, languages and culture, and all aspects of the physical and political world. Parents and teachers will appreciate the front matter with information for children about maps and how to use the atlas.
Review: 4.6/5
Ages: 5 – 8 years
Publisher: National Geographic Children’s Books
Publication date: August 9, 2011
Edition: 3rd
List Price: $18.95
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7. National Geographic Kids World Atlas
Description: National Geographic’s classic atlas for kids is now fully revised and updated, with a reduced trim that makes it easy to carry and easy to browse. Complete with geo-themed games, crosswords, picture puzzles and more, this is the atlas for today’s young explorers, as well as the perfect homework reference source.
National Geographic is committed to being the number one provider of the best atlases for young people of all ages. This new edition of the award-winning world atlas for kids includes the latest data, newest maps and graphs, a fresh and compelling design, and lively essays about the world and its wonders.
Review: 4.8/5
Ages: 8 – 12 years
Publisher: National Geographic Children’s Books
Publication date: July 9, 2013
Edition: 4th
List Price: $14.99
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8. National Geographic Student World Atlas
Description: The new fourth edition of National Geographic’s award-winning Student Atlas of the World is more fascinating and fact-filled than ever, and has gone interactive with new digital extras, including scannable pages that link to photo galleries and quizzes.
Dynamic, user-friendly content includes photos, facts, charts, graphics, and full-color political, physical, and thematic maps on important topics. From the cartographic experts at National Geographic comes the latest edition of its award-winning student atlas, with everything kids want and need to know about our changing world!
Review: 4.2/5
Ages: 12 and up
Publisher: National Geographic Children’s Books
Publication date: July 8, 2014
Edition: 4th
List Price: $12.99
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9. Wiley/National Geographic College Atlas of the World
Description: In an exclusive partnership with National Geographic, Wiley offers a powerful resource that is affordable, compact, and authoritative. It puts our world in your students’ grasp, presenting 25 global themes, from tectonics, the biosphere, and energy sources to population, health, literacy, and more, along with such timely topics as environmental stress and flash points for conflict and terror.
Review: 4.5/5
Publisher: Wiley
Publication date: July 20, 2010
Edition: 2nd
List Price: $11.68
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10. Maps
Description: This book of maps is a visual feast for readers of all ages, with lavishly drawn illustrations from the incomparable Mizielinskis.
It features not only borders, cities, rivers, and peaks, but also places of historical and cultural interest, eminent personalities, iconic animals and plants, cultural events, and many more fascinating facts associated with every region of our planet.
Review: 4.6/5
Grade Level: Kindergarten – 12
Publisher: Big Picture Press
Publication date: October 8, 2013
Edition: Tra
List Price: $19.85
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Historical World Atlases
11. Atlas of World History
Description: Oxford’s Atlas of World History is the result of years of intensive work by a specialist team of scholars, editors, and cartographers. It presents the story of humanity in its physical setting, from the emergence of the earliest hominoids to the present day.
Truly international in scope, the atlas incorporates the latest research into Asian, African, and Central and South American history, as well as the traditional core of North American and European events.
The Atlas includes sections on the Ancient World, Medieval World, Early Modern World, Age of Revolutions, and the Twentieth Century and Beyond. Each section opens with an introduction that highlights the main socioeconomic, cultural and religious themes of the period, followed by spreads of maps, text, illustrations and captions that discuss specific regions and eras.
Spreads depict everything from hunting in Africa in 10,000 BC to the kingdoms of Southeast Asia in the earliest years of the millennium, the decline of the Byzantine Empire, the growth of the Atlantic economies in the 18th century, and standards of living since 1945.
The Atlas features some 450 vivid full-color maps illustrating the major themes and events of world history, 100 photographs, 60 diagrams and hundreds of thousands of words of explanatory text.
Unique for such an atlas, the entire work is thoroughly cross-referenced, allowing the reader to move backwards and forwards in time or across the world from region to region, following themes or lines of inquiry across pages.
The new edition brings the Atlas into the 21st Century and up to the present day. New and updated maps and illustrations cover a wide range of evolving subjects such as population changes, international trading, urbanization, political and economic developments, literacy rates, the concentration of world languages, and many more important and always timely subjects.
Coverage of Africa, South Asia, Eastern Europe, and every other part of the world is revisited and updated, making this the most up-to-date atlas of world history available, in addition to being the most complete.
A comprehensive index of more than 8,000 entries includes numerous alternative name forms used over the centuries. The Atlas of World History closes with a bibliography that provides a booklist for suggested further reading.
Equally well-suited for a general audience and students of history or international relations, the Atlas of World History continues Oxford’s presence as the premier publisher of world atlases.
Review: 4.0/5
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication date: October 15, 2010
Edition: 2nd
List Price: $49.95
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12. On the Map: A Mind-Expanding Exploration of the Way the World Looks
Description: Imagine a world without maps. How would we travel? Could we own land? What would men and women argue about in cars? Scientists have even suggested that mapping—not language—is what elevated our prehistoric ancestors from ape-dom.
Follow the history of maps from the early explorers’ maps and the awe-inspiring medieval Mappa Mundi to Google Maps and the satellite renderings on our smartphones, Garfield explores the unique way that maps relate and realign our history—and reflect the best and worst of what makes us human.
Featuring a foreword by Dava Sobel and packed with fascinating tales of cartographic intrigue, outsize personalities, and amusing “pocket maps” on an array of subjects from how to fold a map to the strangest maps on the Internet, On the Map is a rich historical tapestry infused with Garfield’s signature narrative flair.
Map-obsessives and everyone who loved Just My Type will be lining up to join Garfield on his audacious journey through time and around the globe.
Review: 4.0/5
Publisher: Gotham
Publication date: November 5, 2013
Edition: NA
List Price: $17.00
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13. The Map Book
Description: From the earliest of times, maps have fired our imaginations and helped us make sense of our world, from the global to the very local. Head of Map Collections at the British Library, Peter Barber has here compiled an historic and lavish atlas, charting the progress of civilization as our knowledge of the world expanded.
Simply organized as a progression through time, The Map Book collects some 175 maps that span four millennia – from the famed prehistoric Bedolina (Italy) incision in rock from around 1500 B.C. to the most modern, digitally enhanced rendering.
Many of the maps are beautiful works of art in their own right. From Europe to the Americas, Africa to Asia, north to south, there are maps of oceans and continents charted by heroic adventurers sailing into the unknown, as accounts spread of new discoveries, shadowy continents begin to appear n the margins of the world, often labeled ‘unknown lands.’
Other maps had a more practical use: some demarcated national boundaries or individual plots of land; military plans depicted enemy positions; propaganda treatises showed one country or faction at an advantage over others.
So much history resides in each map–cultural, mythological, navigational–expressing the unlimited extent of human imagination. This is captured in the accompanying texts–mini essays by leading map historians–that are as vivid and insightful as the maps themselves.
They make The Map Book as much a volume to be read as to be visually admired.
Review: 4.1/5
Publisher: Walker Books
Publication date: November 15, 2005
Edition: 1st
List Price: $50.00
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Food & Drink World Atlases
14. World Atlas of Wine
Description: The seventh edition will confirm the status of The World Atlas of Wine as the most essential and authoritative wine reference work. Reflecting the changing nature of the wine scene, the Atlas details developments in climate, technique and fashion as well as new regulations made over the last six years.
A new Australian map highlights the importance of cool-climate regions as global warming takes effect, for example,while dynamic regions such as coastal Croatia, South Africa’s Swartland and Ningxia in China are covered for the first time. The world’s increasing appetite for wine is matched by a growing thirst for knowledge,which this book will amply satisfy.
Review: 4.8/5
Publisher: Mitchell Beazley
Publication date: October 8, 2013
Edition: 7th
List Price: $60.00
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15. World Atlas of Whisky
Description: Award-winning author and whisky expert Dave Broom explores over 200 distilleries and examines over 400 expressions. Detailed descriptions of the Scottish distilleries can be found here, while Ireland, Japan, the USA, Canada and the rest of the world are given exhaustive coverage.
There are tasting notes on single malts from Aberfeldy to Tormore, Yoichi (and coverage of the best of the blends). Six specially created ‘Flavour Camp Charts’ group whiskies by style, allow readers to identify new whiskies from around the world to try.
This extrensively updated and extended edition features new material on burgeoning areas, including detailed coverage of many recently opened US craft distilleries, new distilleries in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and discussion of the growing whisky scene in Latin America.
With over 200 beautiful colour photographs and 21 colour maps locating distilleries and whisky-related sites, this is a stylish celebration of the heritage, romance, craftsmanship and versatility of whisky.
Review: 4.8/5
Publisher: Mitchell Beazley
Publication date: October 14, 2014
Edition: 2nd revised
List Price: $39.99
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16. World Atlas of Beer
Description: Got beer? This comprehensive, fully illustrated volume on beer by two of the world’s leading authorities is more than just an in-depth history of this delightful beverage–its origins, brewing methods and technologies, trends, and more–from ancient times until the present day.
It is also a detailed overview of more than 500 of the greatest beers from around the world, with sections devoted to major beer-producing countries and regions, including information on craft brewing, emerging markets, extreme beers, future-trend forecasts, and more.
Review: 4.9/5
Publisher: Sterling Epicure
Publication date: October 2, 2012
Edition: NA
List Price: $30.00
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17. The World Atlas of Coffee
Description: Taking the reader on a global tour of coffee-growing countries, The World Atlas of Coffee presents the bean in full-color photographs and concise, informative text. It shows the origins of coffee — where it is grown, the people who grow it; and the cultures in which coffee is a way of life — and the world of consumption — processing, grades, the consumer and the modern culture of coffee.
Plants of the genus Coffea are cultivated in more than 70 countries but primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa. For some countries, including Central African Republic, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Honduras, coffee is the number one export and critical to the economy.
Organized by continent and then further by country or region, The World Atlas of Coffee presents the brew in color spreads packed with information. They include:
The history of coffee generally and regionally
The role of colonialism (for example, in Burundi under colonial rule of Belgium, coffee production was best described as coercive. Every peasant farmer had to cultivate at least 50 coffee trees near their home.)
Map of growing regions and detail maps
Charts explaining differences in growing regions within a country
Inset boxes (For example, what is the Potato Defect? Is Cuban coffee legal in the United States?)
The politics of coffee and the fair trade, organic and shade grown phenomena
Beautiful color photographs taken in the field.
Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee per day, equivalent to 146 billion cups of coffee per year, making the United States the leading consumer of coffee in the world. The World Atlas of Coffee is an excellent choice for these coffee lovers.
Review: 4.8/5
Publisher: Firefly Books
Publication date: October 23, 2014
Edition: NA
List Price: $35.00
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18. Atlas of Food
Description: The Atlas of Food provides an up-to-date and visually appealing way of understanding the important issues relating to global food and agriculture. In mapping out broad areas of investigation—contamination of food and water, overnutrition, micronutrient deficiency, processing, farming, and trade—it offers a concise overview of today’s food and farming concerns.
Buttressed by engaging prose and vivid graphics, Erik Millstone and Tim Lang convincingly argue that human progress depends on resolving global inequality and creating a more sustainable food production system.
Review: 4.7/5
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication date: March 1, 2013
Edition: Updated
List Price: $24.95
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Other World Atlases
19. Atlas of Cities
Description: More than half the world’s population lives in cities, and that proportion is expected to rise to three-quarters by 2050.
Urbanization is a global phenomenon, but the way cities are developing, the experience of city life, and the prospects for the future of cities vary widely from region to region. The Atlas of Cities presents a unique taxonomy of cities that looks at different aspects of their physical, economic, social, and political structures; their interactions with each other and with their hinterlands; the challenges and opportunities they present; and where cities might be going in the future.
Each chapter explores a particular type of city–from the foundational cities of Greece and Rome and the networked cities of the Hanseatic League, through the nineteenth-century modernization of Paris and the industrialization of Manchester, to the green and “smart” cities of today.
Expert contributors explore how the development of these cities reflects one or more of the common themes of urban development: the mobilizing function (transport, communication, and infrastructure); the generative function (innovation and technology); the decision-making capacity (governance, economics, and institutions); and the transformative capacity (society, lifestyle, and culture).
Using stunning info-graphics, maps, charts, tables, and photographs, the Atlas of Cities is a comprehensive overview of the patterns of production, consumption, generation, and decay of the twenty-first century’s defining form.
Presents a one-of-a-kind taxonomy of cities that looks at their origins, development, and future prospects
Features core case studies of particular types of cities, from the foundational cities of Greece and Rome to the “smart” cities of today
Explores common themes of urban development, from transport and communication to lifestyle and culture
Includes stunning info-graphics, maps, charts, tables, and photos
Review: 4.4/5
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication date: August 24, 2014
Edition: NA
List Price: $49.50
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20. Map: Exploring the World
Description: Map: Exploring the World brings together more than 300 fascinating maps from the birth of cartography to cutting-edge digital maps of the twenty-fist century.
The book’s unique arrangement, with the maps organized in complimentary or contrasting pairs, reveals how the history of our attempts to make flat representations of the world has been full of beauty, ingenuity and innovation.
Selected by an international panel of curators, academics and collectors, the maps reflect the many reasons people make maps, such as to find their way, to assert ownership, to record human activity, to establish control, to encourage settlement, to plan military campaigns or to show political power.
The selection includes the greatest names in cartography, such as James Cook, Gerard Mercator, Matthew Fontaine Maury and Phyllis Pearsall, as well as maps from indigenous cultures around the world, rarely seen maps from lesser’known cartographers, and maps of outstanding beauty and surprising individuality from the current generation of map makers.
Review: 5/5
Publisher: Phaidon Press
Publication date: September 28, 2015
Edition: 1st
List Price: $59.95
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21. Transit Maps of the World
Description: Transit Maps of the World is the first and only comprehensive collection of historical and current maps of every rapid-transit system on earth. In glorious, colorful graphics, Mark Ovenden traces the cartographic history of mass transit—including rare and historic maps, diagrams, and photographs, some available for the first time since their original publication.
Now expanded with thirty-six more pages, 250 city maps revised from previous editions, and listings given from almost a thousand systems in total, this is the graphic designer’s new bible, the transport enthusiast’s dream collection, and a coffee-table essential for everyone who’s ever traveled in a city.
Review: 4.6/5
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publication date: November 3, 2015
Edition: Expanded and updated
List Price: $35.00
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We hope you enjoyed the list. However, if you think we’ve missed any great atlases, please let us know in the comments section below.
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