When dinosaurs emerged some 230 million years ago, Earth was ripe for a takeover. The massive Permian extinction had wiped out many potential competitors, and continental drift had created a supercontinent, Pangaea, that stretched from pole to pole. Over many millions of years, dinosaurs proliferated, adapting to every terrestrial environment. More than 550 species have been identified, and scientists estimate that more than a thousand others are yet to be discovered. Gradually, Pangaea separated into the great landmasses of Gondwana in the south and Laurasia in the north, dividing dinosaurs into two main populations that evolved mostly in isolation from one another until they met their end 65 million years ago.

National Geographic’s World Explorer with Flags & Facts map is the standard by which all other reference maps are measured. The World Explorer map is meticulously researched and adheres to National Geographic’s convention of making independent, apolitical decisions based on extensive research using multiple authoritative sources. The Explorer style map uses a bright, easy to read color palette featuring blue oceans and stunning shaded relief. Drawn in the Miller projection, the spherical earth is fit to a rectangular page taking advantage of the entire sheet. Thousands of place names are carefully and artistically placed on the map to maintain legibility even in the heavily populated areas of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Details include clearly defined international boundaries,.