New Atlas Shows SomaliLand

[B_A_L_L_E_R_Z]

New Atlas Edition Reflects a Changing World

EDITOR: Rob Sivak, Washington

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Americans had a brand new view of the world just in time for Geography Awareness Week November 14-20. The National Geographic Society, which hosts the annual event, has just published the eighth edition of its Atlas of the World. The Society made more than 15,000 changes from the previous version, issued five years ago. In addition to traditional maps, the book contains country-by-country profiles of political and economic data, as well as maps of cultural aspects - such as religions and languages

 

Chief cartographer Allen Carroll says the new edition had to venture beyond the customary political maps. "I’ve always felt that, as beautiful and useful as those maps are, they're an awfully simple way at looking at the world," he said. "Those neat boundaries and nice little town spots don't reflect the complexities and changes going on. So we've added new pages on conflict and terror, human migration, fresh water, transportation, telecommunications and other subjects to reflect some of the interesting issues that geography is all about."

 

 

New items featured on the maps include everything from high-speed rail lines to space-launch ports, with a special focus on cities. "Within the last few years, we've reached the point that half of the world's population lives in cities," says cartographer Carroll. "That represents a huge change from our past as an agrarian economy to an urban, international, manufacturing and information-based economy."

 

 

National Geographic editor Michael Horner says readers will notice a number of changes in popular place names. "To a large degree, we follow the usage of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names," he says. "They tend to reflect the national usage, but things change. We've had times when the national government and state governments have different names for the same place in their country." Although his staff tries to follow the national usage, "we try to be flexible," he says.

 

In Africa, the new edition of the atlas shows Somaliland as an area of special sovereignty , where national control is disputed. The size of Lake Chad is shown greatly reduced because of evaporation and decreased stream flow.

 

On the maps of Asia, Calcutta has become Kolkata and East Timor is designated as an independent country. China's Three Gorges Dam and reservoir were added, and the Aral Sea shoreline was changed to show a significant reduction in its size. The map for Iraq shows the shorter names, used more commonly, such as Fallujah, as well as the original name Al Fallujah.

 

Changes in Europe include adding the region’s largest reservoir onto the map of Portugal, reflecting recent political changes in the two former Yugoslav republics of Serbia and Montenegro, and references to both Saint Petersburg and its local name, Sankt Peterburg.

 

For South America, the maps were updated to show new spellings for the Peruvian cities Cusco and Nasca – formerly Cuzco and Nazca. Also in Peru, the mapmakers added Bahuaja-Sonene National Park along with Bolivia's Madidi National Park. In combination, they make up one of the largest protected areas of the world.

 

National Georgraphic editor Michael Horner notes that South Korea has modified its transliteration system. "There were a lot of small changes," he says. "But it affected a lot of names in the atlas. That's going on all the time, especially in Central Asia, which was a challenge."

 

Chief cartographer Allen Carroll says some of the map changes have even been controversial, including the addition of the secondary name Arabian Gulf alongside the more traditional name, Persian Gulf. He points out some non-political changes as well. "We now show the highest point on the earth's surface as a little higher and the lowest point a little lower," he says. Those changes were made for different reasons. "The highest point, Mt. Everest, is two meters higher not because Mt. Everest has grown in the last five years, but because it's been measured more accurately, using the latest technology," says the National Geographic mapmaker. "The lowest point, the shores of the Dead Sea, is actually lower because the Dead Sea's water level has gone down."

 

Technological advances have not only made atlases more accurate, but also easier to prepare. "It's a wonderful time to be a cartographer," says Mr. Carroll, "because the tools we use in creating maps have changed so much and the data available to use is incredible. 20 or 30 years ago, the atlas was much more labor-intensive. It still takes a whole lot of labor. But having Geographic Information Systems and names data bases and graphics software eases our work and increases the creative portion of our work because of all the options."

 

 

The National Geographic atlas also has an integrated web site for each political map. As place names and borders change, the information is updated and atlas users can print out and paste the modified sections onto their individual maps. "One of the things that's scary for us is to finish work on an atlas and then have a major change happen," says Mr. Carroll. "Now, we're not going through a period of macro-level changes like the break-up of the Soviet Union. But to some extent, a changing world means job security for us. It allows us to keep working on future editions of the atlas."

 

Indeed, Allen Carroll and his team, in between a variety of map and illustration projects for the National Geographic's many books and magazines, have already started working on the next edition of the Atlas of the World.

[Gabbal]

In Africa, the new edition of the atlas shows Somaliland as an area of special sovereignty , where national control is disputed.

Hello? Have you been in Mars for the last decade :confused: "Somaliland" has been like for the last 14 years and no one is disputing its special sovereignty (I call it qabiil sovereignty), but it just won't be seceding because of that.

[Nationalist]

You two have to admit, our brothers in the north west do have the upper hand in the lobby and promotion department.

It's just that the international community is on 'our' side, otherwise Sland would have been recognized as an independant country sooner or later.

I can't understand why the north west Somalis vehemently rule out special sovereignty in the form of an autonomous federal state of Somalia such as Pland?

[LANDER]

[BN]

I guess congrats are in order.

[Tuujiye]

Somali land with out the somalia part = LAND...

so we should ask our selfs who's land? who are the people that live in that land? if the answer is Somali people, then why are we trying to make it a country for it self. Aniga waan wareeray...

 

I believe Somaliland in ee ku dhisantahy qabyaalad waxaana raba somaliland in ee wadan gooni ah noqoto dad ganacsato ah oo badanaana dagan London UK..SL lacagteeda badanaa waxee ka heshaa ganacatadaas raba in ee helaan meel doolad la'an ah oo ey ka dhigtaan meel ee lacag ka sameystaan...

 

All Somalilandersna ma aha waxa raba in ee wadanka ka go'aan ee waa laf ka tirsan oo layaqaan....

 

Land that belongs to ganacsato...waxeena ku daba ganbanayaan Somalinimo...qof samalinimo raba kama or deen dadkiisa mana kala jabiyeen wadan kiisa....

 

wareer badanaa!!!

[Gabbal]

Originally posted by besbaaso:

if u were any smarter u would have come up something other than "somaliland".....what does that mean...the rest of somalia isn't somaliland, if u don't want to be a part of somalia come up with another name.....u should stick what u r so good at hidind behind the british's behind...no one with credibility would ever separate somalia.....especially ...for such a trivial bunch of people.... :mad:

peace

Quite a mouthful huh Nimko ?

[Bess.]

not nimco......

[-Nomadique-]

I would dispute the Statement that "Somaliland is a clan state". A few clans were integral in its creation and its maintance and I believe several senior positions are held by different clans currently.

 

On another note, Worrying about the soverignty of Somaliland should be the last thing on our mind. Somalia n Somaliland both need attention at the grass roots levels through education, healthcare etc surely thats more important.

[J.Lee]

Originally posted by Bari_Nomad:

I guess congrats are in order.

I Concur...... :rolleyes: ...First: Somaliland is on the map...Next step: Recognition

[Tuujiye]

How come SL aint doing nothing about the story of SAMSAM????????????

 

how come the people who suport SL aint talking about the bad things the SL government is doing to that young girl?

 

wareer badanaa!!

[Gediid]

Originally posted by besbaaso:

if u were any smarter u would have come up something other than "somaliland".....what does that mean...the rest of somalia isn't somaliland, if u don't want to be a part of somalia come up with another name.....u should stick what u r so good at hiding behind the british's behind...no one with credibility would ever separate somalia.....especially ...for such a trivial bunch of people.... :mad:

peace

If all the people on this planet were asked for an opinion then surely some of the worst hunqaaco would be heard......

[NGONGE]

^^^^ But, but, but, she ended her honqaco with the word PEACE, dear. Surely that's worth something!

[India]

^^^^

 

Peace with out the "cano" is NADA in my opinion.

 

 

Ngongne, for some one who carries the avitor of a die hard Mujahid (may god rest his soul-amin)....you tend to sit on the fence quite abit.

 

Brother, when the dice is rolled, you gotta call! I can Somaliland.

 

What say you????

[NGONGE]

Heh. Sitting on the fence on an online forum is the best place to be, dear. You should try it sometimes.

I chose the avatar for the lovely photo of a musical instrument and weapon.

 

But, seriously, why do you always fall for such obvious rubbish? Since you’re a firm believer in Somaliland as a nation, do you think the tantrums of a few anonyms people on an online forum will take anything away from the sovereignty of that place?

 

I’d like to see you contribute more to the serious threads about Somaliland, you never know, you might even get me cheering and waving the flag (I do have a flag you know).