National Geographic Atlas of the Middle East, Second Edition

"National Geographic's Atlas of the Middle East, Second Edition" addresses important geographical issues by first establishing its presentation of the region today, with core political and physical maps, including 20 individual country maps, each with an accompanying flag and profile section. Enhancing this country section, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sudan have been added to the Second Edition. The inclusion of these three newsworthy countries reflects the broader definition of the Middle East accepted by scholars to describe the area in a cultural sense - south central and southwest Asia and northeast Africa - that are predominantly Islamic. The city section is revamped and new cities are added: Istanbul (mega city with a population of over 10 million) and Dubai, U.A.E., which is quickly becoming the most modern city in the region and attracting thousands of tourists. Then a series of regional thematic maps follow.Included among these topics are: Population, Religion, Ethnic/Linguistic Groups, Oil (fields, ports, reserves, pipelines, consumers, export routes, etc.) , Water, Agriculture and Industry, Wealth, Trade, Presence of International Corporations, Maritime Gates, and Military Forces. A history section follows the present-day Middle East with maps covering subjects such as, The Fertile Crescent, First Cities (Babylon, Ur, etc.), Greek and Roman Expansion, The Rise and Fall of the Ottoman Empire, 1914: On the Eve of War, Post World War I Middle East, The Rise of Nationalism, The Nile River, Jewish Immigration, Major Conflicts, and World Heritage and Holy Sites. Israeli-Palestinian Conflict spread including an in-depth timeline of 15 maps reflecting the pivotal events that shaped the region we know today...starting with the Israel of King David in 1000 B.C., to the Roman Empire in 63 B.C. - A.D. 395, to the Crusader Invasion, to the United Nations Partition Plan in 1947, to the future.Along with National Geographic's distinctive, descriptive, and clear political, physical and thematic maps, "The Atlas of the Middle East, Second Edition" will feature a variety of pictures, flags, fact boxes, and graphs that complement these powerful, newsworthy topics. A chronology/timeline and a place-name index accompanying the maps strengthen this new title as a valuable, timely, fascinating reference.