Rating: 
Summary: Incredible Family Resource
Review: I've had the new atlas for 60 days and find myself looking something up every 2-3 days. It's really been fun looking up remote places like Palmyra Atoll, Kerguelen Island, the Fly River and other obscure places I read about.
And now I've found an interesting use for the password protected online atlas as well. The online Atlas gives you high-resolution access to all the Atlas map plates. You can print, copy or email maps or portions of maps. I expect the online Atlas to come in handy for school projects.
If you've read through the reviews you'll know the Iranians are upset about the "renaming" of the Persian Gulf. OK, since I'm at work, I'll log in to the password protected Atlas website, pull up Plate 75 and take a look. The Persian Gulf is labeled "Persian Gulf" but underneath it in parentheses is the label "Arabian Gulf". Apparently "Arabian Gulf", even in parentheses, is an affront to Iranian pride.
I want to be fair on this so I decided to check out some other atlases at my local bookstore to see how they handle the Gulf label. Most of the atlases use the term Persian Gulf by itself, but several prominent, highly-rated Atlases use the label "The Gulf" with no Persian or Arabian modifier, so there is legitimate debate in the cartographic world about how to refer to this body of water. For nationalistic reasons the Iranians want it only to be called the Persian Gulf, but I suspect the other countries bordering the Gulf would disagree. Most people will continue to call it the Persian Gulf, and the NGS Atlas appropriately uses that name as the primary label.
However, Iran does not own the Persian Gulf, and if a different name is now used by millions of people, then you have to admire the NGS for including both labels and not bowing to pressure from any political group, unlike the Atlases that meekly call it "The Gulf". I sympathize with the Iranian's anger over what they perceive to be psychological warfare by the Arabs, but I would still prefer to know if an alternate name is in use locally, and that is what the NGS atlas provides. Geographic names evolve, and the NGS continues its strong history of providing up-to-date cartography.
The new NGS World Atlas is among the top two or three World Atlases available, and the discounted price from Amazon makes it a relative bargain, especially when you consider you also get an online Atlas that mirrors the printed edition.
I for one feel the maps in the NGS World Atlas are as accurate and beautiful as you will find anywhere and now they're available online as well. This is a great family resource.
Rating: 
Summary: I expected more from National Geographic
Review: Let's face it, an atlas like this is a big investment (as far as books go) and it should to be reliable, beautiful, and easy to use. It has the beauty, but I think it sacrifices simplicity in order to appear stunning. I didn't find much about this atlas that was more impressive than the ones that are in the next price-range down. A big fuss was made about the satellite images, but if you look closely, the cartographers have colored them in--I want to feel as good about our planet and it's fecundity as the next person, but doesn't an atlas have a responsibility to show the earth as it really is if it's going to include photographs from space? It may be more educational to see what the earth really looks like and what we're doing to it instead of coloring in green everywhere. I know that photos from satellites mess up color, but is this the best way to fix it? I think National Geographic is great, but this atlas left me with the feeling that I'd spent too much money.
Rating:
Summary: CHEAPER THAN A TRIP AROUND THE WORLD ... AND JUST AS NICE
Review: Map out your academic studies or armchair travels with this incredible book --- without a doubt, the most up-to-date, comprehensive atlas we have ever seen. This seventh edition puts a changing world, in 140,000-plus entries, in everyone's hands, and boasts state-of-the-art satellite imagery and the work of more than 50 cartographers, designers, editors, researchers and indexers. (The mountain, valleys and other landscape features were digitally painted over a period of a yea by one staff artist!) Expensive? You bet. But much cheaper than a trip around the world. But if you have to go, just don't try and pack it in your luggage; the book weighs close to 15 pounds!
Rating: 
Summary: National Geographic retains its reputation.
Review: National Geographic retains its reputation as one of the finest mapmakers of the world with the seventh edition of their atlas of the world. The maps look the same as the sixth edition, but a fully updated section of urban area maps has been included. Again, color usage is very sparse, but the relief shading has improved. What really makes this atlas more valuable than its predecessor is the thematic part. A large number of topics are elaborately treated. With the 140,000+ index, this atlas remains in the top 5 of best atlases ever produced.
Rating:
Summary: The Best General Atlas on the Market
Review: No atlas can be all things to all people but this one comes close. I have been collecting maps and atlases for over thirty years, and I have many different favorites depending on the task at hand, but I always come back to the NGS World Atlas for day to day viewing because it is the most user friendly. In addition, it has a continuity over time, that is to say an internal consistency, which is lacking from just about every other atlas I have seen.Having seen some of the criticisms of NGS maps in general I will admit that they tend to be more biased towards political and anthropological geography as opposed to the physical terrain. I don't see this as a fault. If I wanted a topographical map I would go to Ordinance Survey; For nautical charts I would go to NOAA. But for clear, precise, easily discernable maps of nations and the world, there is none better. NGS does throw in some satellite maps and a few thematic maps, as well as several dozen high level maps of major cities of the world. But their forte will always be maps of a political nature. Best of all, these mesh well with the NGS supplemental maps that come with the monthly magazine, i.e. same color scheme and font. And then, as I said before, there is precision. I have seen atlases from other major publishers that are just plain wrong: parts of countries missing, roads and bridges where there are none, and worst of all, factual errors. NGS has been precise and accurate for as long as I have been viewing their maps. They are also politically neutral thus all disputed boundaries are indicated and annotated in red, e.g. Northern Cyprus, Gaza, Spratly Islands, etc. So if you are planning on touring Europe and you absolutely must know what elevation you are at, or perhaps you harbor concerns about accidentally entering a sub-alpine vegetation zone without knowing it, then by all means buy the Rand McNally or Times Atlas. But if, like most people, you use an atlas to help understand where you are and where you are going, NGS World Atlas is the best.
Rating:
Summary: This Atlas Doesn't Shrug!
Review: O.K... not the greatest pun, but at least I got your attention! I wanted to tell anyone who is interested that I have owned this atlas for two years and I can now say in all sincerity that it is one of the best book investments I've ever made, hands down. I keep it in a very handy spot between my computer, my television and my bookcase, and pull it out whenever an unfamiliar geographic reference comes my way. Usually this leads to 20-30 minutes of sheer pleasure as I flip through the pages and bolster my understanding of distant and exotic places. The maps are clear and detailed, and very esoterically pleasing, and the index is one of the best I've ever seen in any book; I am constantly amazed that all of the maps are served by this one simple-to-use index. Bonus Information: I was browsing in a store which specializes in geography products shortly after I bought this atlas, and the salesman suggested a product called the "Magnabrite light gathering magnifier", a small clear glass object which rests on the page and brings small print and details forward clearly and dramatically. If you search "all products" on Amazon, I believe they have a catalog listing which will allow you to order one. Also, you can just Google for it easily. It's the best! Mine says on the box "Precision, Prefocused 4X - Magnifier"...but I believe it's available in four sizes. I hope this atlas serves as a great tool for you to delve deeply into the geography and topography of our beautiful planet. Enjoy it!
Rating:
Summary: this Atlas is one of the best I ever have seen.
Review: Quisiera tener el suficiente idioma Ingles para expresarmi opinion. Soy Radioaficionado y prefiero en esta aficion comunicarme con todos los Paises reconocidos por The American Radio Relay League,Inc. y que son 332. Tenemos que saber todos los nombres y ubicacion de cada Pais. Esto solo lo he logrado con este Atlas.
Rating:
Summary: Dollar For Dollar The Best World Atlas
Review: The 7th edition of the National Geographic Society (NGS) Atlas of the World is very much "evolutionary" rather than "revolutionary". Besides updated boundaries, etc., compared to prior editions it makes much better use of shading to indicate topography and has more detailed city maps. I buy an atlas primarily for the maps, and it's the maps that make the NGS Atlas superior to all others. The traditional NGS "look" sometimes seems dated compared to the flashier colors and trendy graphics employed by some other publishers. However, the more I study the maps, the more information I find in them. A few months ago I did a comparison of this NGS with the most recent edition of the much more expensive Times Atlas of the World for a professional geographer's meeting. I was amazed to find that many of the NGS maps of North America had more than twice as many place names and named physical features as the Times Atlas. I also found the NGS Atlas maps equal or superior to the Times' maps for parts of the Middle East and northeast Asia with which I'm familiar (frankly, I found the 10th Edition Times Atlas inferior to the prior edition in several regards; for example, the elevation colors are far less discernable and detailed city maps have been virtually eliminated). Despite contrary opinions by some other reviewers, I judge the National Geographic Atlas maps to be far and away superior in content and sheer volume of information presented to all the other "high end" atlases published by Oxford, Hammond and DK. In fact, I couldn't justify recommending any of the other atlases (except possibly the Times, which, I admit, does offer fantastic detail for village names in the rural plains of India where I hope to never visit) to a library. The National Geographic Society Atlas of the World is a great investment for travel planning, tracking current events, studying geography and history or just reading maps for pleasure. I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Dollar For Dollar The Best World Atlas
Review: The 7th edition of the National Geographic Society (NGS) Atlas of the World is very much "evolutionary" rather than "revolutionary". Besides updated boundaries, etc., compared to prior editions it makes much better use of shading to indicate topography and has more detailed city maps. I buy an atlas primarily for the maps, and it's the maps that make the NGS Atlas superior to all others. The traditional NGS "look" sometimes seems dated compared to the flashier colors and trendy graphics employed by some other publishers. However, the more I study the maps, the more information I find in them. A few months ago I did a comparison of this NGS with the most recent edition of the much more expensive Times Atlas of the World for a professional geographer's meeting. I was amazed to find that many of the NGS maps of North America had more than twice as many place names and named physical features as the Times Atlas. I also found the NGS Atlas maps equal or superior to the Times' maps for parts of the Middle East and northeast Asia with which I'm familiar (frankly, I found the 10th Edition Times Atlas inferior to the prior edition in several regards; for example, the elevation colors are far less discernable and detailed city maps have been virtually eliminated). Despite contrary opinions by some other reviewers, I judge the National Geographic Atlas maps to be far and away superior in content and sheer volume of information presented to all the other "high end" atlases published by Oxford, Hammond and DK. In fact, I couldn't justify recommending any of the other atlases (except possibly the Times, which, I admit, does offer fantastic detail for village names in the rural plains of India where I hope to never visit) to a library. The National Geographic Society Atlas of the World is a great investment for travel planning, tracking current events, studying geography and history or just reading maps for pleasure. I recommend it highly.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good at the 7th Edition
Review: The 8th edition is not as well organized as the 7th. In the previous edition, information about countries and states were in their respective continent section. The 8th edition has grouped them all together at the end of the atlas in alphabetical order. Someone at National Geographic has determined that the new edition no longer needed separate maps for England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland, just an overall map of Britain and Ireland, which was also in the previous edition. What happened to all of the city maps, temperature data and and major cities of the world? Finally 8th edition has a cover that is inferior to the other 7 editions, paper vs cloth. I think I will keep my 7th edition.
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