National Geographic Society "Executive" Political Maps of the World

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National Geographic Society’s “Executive” series offers current political maps of the world presented in elegant antique style. Countries are in rich but muted colours and oceans in beige, with additional panels and framing in shades of brown.

An unusual feature of this series is the excellent presentation of the ocean floor, with impressive relief shading to show the continental shelf around the land masses and numerous ridges, many with names. Unfortunately, although clear and very effective on all the sizes of this design, the samples presented here cannot do full justice to such fine detail.

On land, the maps have relief shading with names of main mountain ranges. Heights for peaks are given in feet. Within USA boundaries and names of states are shown. Four insets present the Arctic and the Antarctic, plus vegetation/land use and population density world maps. Also provided are lists of 10 largest countries by area and by populations. Projection is Winkel Tripel, which reduces distortion of land masses as they near the poles.

The maps, winners of several awards for their excellent and innovative design, are available in three different sizes, presented on paper, encapsulated, or framed. The standard size is also available either Atlantic or Pacific centred.

Please note:
The two larger sizes are simply enlargements of the standard version, with larger print and more spectacular overall effect, but without additional cities or other information.