10 Best World Atlases UK 2023 | Explore Home

Published in 2020, you won't be able to find many other options from such reputable publishers as this Collins World Atlas! It has been brought fully up to date to reflect political and population shifts so that you can be sure you are reading the most relevant geographical information. 

Complete with clear, highly-detailed maps, it's divided into thematic pages to cover physical features, statistical information, and thousands of interesting key facts. This is our top pick for an atlas that is both comprehensive and concise, all in an approachable format that doesn't miss out on any key details.

Author Ian Wright is a cartophile who runs the website Brilliant Maps, which this atlas is based on. This book takes a somewhat alternative approach to more traditional atlases, by including unusual maps paired with interesting facts. 

Including 100 maps, Brilliant Maps combines trivia concerning different cultures, political systems, history, and geography, whilst also ensuring that the basic traditional geographic content is covered. A good choice for geography enthusiasts who are looking for a new way to look at the world. 

This trustworthy Atlas from DK is now in its fourth edition, published in 2019, to reflect the most recent developments in the world, ranging from economics to population statistics. 

With intense detail in its 97-page main body of world maps, it is surely a solid choice for those looking to understand the world we live in through cartography. There are also further breakdowns on key cities and regions, and a fully cross-referenced index, to enable you to concisely and easily find the information you are looking for. 

This Times Universal Atlas of the World provides trustworthy information you can expect, but at a more budget-friendly price. With reference mapping that is easy to digest and in the characteristic Times Style, you can use this atlas to understand the geopolitical and geographical state of the world today.

Published in 2019, it provides up-to-date maps, statistics, flags, and facts for all of the world's countries, with overviews of information for each country. Whether for work, study, or leisure, you can rely on this atlas. 

An atlas unlike any other, The Atlas of Vanishing Places explores forgotten places that are at risk of being lost to time. Author Travis Elborough takes his reader through forgotten rivers, disappeared islands, and cities that have vanished under modern developments.

With immersive illustrations and fascinating facts, this atlas is a wonderful alternative to a normal atlas, and would be a truly unique gift to any cartophile in its hardback format. 

This atlas has been most recently updated in 2019, in association with the Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers, so you can trust it will be accurate and up to date. It's also available in both paperback and hardback. 

Not to mention, it's jam-packed with content, including a 32 page introduction to establish key geographical themes such as climate and environment, a 96 page section of physical and political maps, and a 48 page section of 'World Cities' to introduce key urban areas. An excellent all-rounder for many uses! 

Not only does this publication from the National Geographic Kids cover languages, weather, animals, capital cities, mountains, deserts, and other landscapes and landforms, but it also includes interactive activities to help them to learn and retain geography information. 

Illustrated with colour photographs, and simple and approachable facts about different areas in the world, this atlas will help your young learner to understand the world around them either alone or guided by an adult. Though it was published in 2015, it's a still a good place to start! 

National Geographic's Atlas of the World has been published in its 11th edition in 2019. Organised thematically and by continent, it covers both the geographical and geopolitical shifts that have taken place in the world.

It includes a full index that cross-references the information it contains, as well as facts and flags of every country. It also focuses on the environmental and humanitarian concerns of the world today such as human migration and the impacts of climate change. Standing a foot wide and a foot and a half long, you won't miss a single detail! 

An ideal introduction to world geography for curious minds just learning how to read maps, this atlas is full of information for kids to learn what links different regions, and what sets them apart, in an easily digestible format. The illustrations by Stu McLellan are beautiful, too. 

Moreover, it will help develop your little explorer's language skills, as author Bruzzoni has more than 20 years of experience teaching languages to children. One slight downside is that you may find that this atlas has a short lifespan as it isn't so suitable for older readers.  

One of our only picks with a paperback cover, this atlas will appeal to those who'd like something easy to transport. With 64 pages packed with maps, flags, statistics and information and 10,000 index entries, it's ideal if you are looking to quickly find a reference without having to filter through pages on the internet. 

However, due to it being rather lightweight, some may find the font a little too small for reading with ease, so we would advise only looking into this atlas if you can trust your eyesight!