Geo-Fun

I think we could all use a fun, little geography lesson!

National Geographic Young Explorers Atlas Goes Interactive to Prepare Kids for Global Future

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The third edition of the award-winning NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC WORLD ATLAS FOR YOUNG EXPLORERS debuts this fall with all new maps, photographs, graphics and -- for the first time ever -- an interactive companion website.

The atlas contains more than 100 pages of colorful, easy-to-read, full-spread political and physical maps, each custom-designed for youngsters ages 8-12 by National Geographic's world-renowned cartographers. Each kid-friendly map reflects the latest place-name and boundary changes and is shown in the context of surrounding areas. Same-size physical and political maps make for easy comparisons and help students understand how physical features influence human activity.

Also included in this easy-to-navigate atlas are 25 thematic map spreads on such topics as environmental hot spots, natural disasters, population, religions, energy and mineral resources; fact boxes with the latest statistics and information; photo essays; flags and stats for every country; a glossary; and a comprehensive index. The atlas is lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs.

A companion website, nationalgeographic.com/kids-world-atlas, offers links to photos, video, audio and games, allowing kids to go beyond the printed page. Bright, bold web link icons throughout the book direct kids to hundreds of multimedia resources. Searching by page, topic or media type, kids can watch videos of animals in their natural surroundings, listen to music from many different cultures, download pictures and maps for school reports, send e-postcards to friends and play games that allow them to explore the world interactively.

The NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC WORLD ATLAS FOR YOUNG EXPLORERS reinforces National Geography Standards developed by the National Council for Geographic Education and is a guide to National Geographic's vast repository of online content.

Geography education is at the heart of National Geographic's mission. A coalition of business, nonprofit and education leaders, led by National Geographic, recently launched a five-year, public engagement campaign, My Wonderful World, to inspire parents and educators to give kids the power of global knowledge. A website, www.mywonderfulworld.org, is at the heart of the campaign. Since 1988, National Geographic has developed a world-class Education Foundation and programs that provide geography learning opportunities for young people in and out of the classroom. The National Geographic Bee, a nationwide contest, attracts nearly 5 million fourth- through eighth-graders each year.