An atlas usually marks political boundaries or indicates topography. But the 50 maps that fill New Views “distill innumerable terabytes of data,” according to Newcastle University social geography professor Alastair Bonnett. Color-coded maps delineate everything from the population of venomous animals to linguistic diversity and the human fertility rate. Climate change is visualized on turbulent maps that mark the rise and fall of precipitation and rising sea levels since the ’70s. Other chapters explore topics such as migration and the Global Peace Index, which draws conclusions from domestic and international conflicts, political stability and crime statistics. Iceland ranks as the world’s number one peaceful country. The U.S. checks out at 103, lower than Jamaica or Papua New Guinea.
