Geography Coloring Book

The third edition organizes the coloring book in a more user-friendly way. Each section is introduced by a non-colorable page on which the various plates (map and text pages) of the section are outlined. This provides an overview of what lies ahead, and in the process makes the individual plates more meaningful.

The use of a very bold, non-colorable type face for various headings make identification of subject matter much easier—the balloon lettering of names and places, that is an essential part of the coloring system, is now used strictly for coloring purposes.

A dramatic new plate (67) has been added to the size comparisons section in which 20 of the most populated nations are listed. The previous plate just dealt with size based on area comparisons. Population figures are estimates through 2003, based on current rates of growth. At best, these are rough estimates; accurate figures, particularly in less-developed nations are unavailable, and birth rates are beginning to drop in almost all nations. There is still considerable population growth in the non-industrialized world, but increasingly at unexpectedly lower levels.

Space accorded to world thematic plates has been doubled to allow the reader to concentrate on a single theme for each plate. Although these plates appear in the rear of the book, they are important enough for you to consider reading them first, even if you don't wish to color them at the outset. Much of the terminology used throughout the book regarding weather, climate, wind patterns, ocean currents, varieties of vegetation, land use, population, race, languages, and religions, is given special attention in these thematic plates. Familiarization with their meaning can only enhance the use of the book.

The eight historic land empires—particularly the Islamic and Ottoman empires—take on additional importance in the age of international terrorism, which is currently a threat from militant groups within Islamic nations. The tenets of the Islamic religion are described in the text accompanying the maps. The use of modern maps in conjunction with empire boundaries helps the reader understand current cultural distinctions and conflicts.

The index / dictionary /quiz at the end of the book has been opened up with additional space inserted between each entry. This improvement makes the use of material that much easier when using the dictionary entries as the basis of a two-way quiz: trying to identify names associated with the definitions, or trying to define the entry names.