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March Madness: Atlas Edition – Final Four

Oklahoma State and Georgetown are out, but Madagascar, Indonesia, Turkey, and Mexico are still in the running. Confused? It’s time for the Final Four of March Madness: Atlas Edition! While players battle it out on the court, countries in our tournament are competing for the coveted title of “Country of the Year” based on statistics drawn at random from Oxford’s Atlas of the World: 19th Edition.

Last week we asked: Which country has a higher level of endemism?
Check out the winners below! Did you get them right?

Madagascar vs. Burma (Myanmar)                      WINNER: Madagascar
Indonesia vs. Japan                                                    WINNER: Indonesia
Italy vs. Turkey                                                             WINNER: Turkey
Mexico vs. USA                                                             WINNER: Mexico

For the Final Four, we want to know:
By current estimates, which country’s capital is expected to be more populated in 2015?

Madagascar vs. Indonesia
Turkey vs. Mexico

The development of agriculture more than 10,000 years ago led to the clustering of communities in farming villages. From there, the world’s first cities appeared in the lower Tigris and Euphrates valleys 5,500 years ago. Cities cropped up in China 3,600 years ago, and now the majority of the world’s population live in cities. The pull of city life is only growing. By 2015, 28.7 million inhabitants are expected to live in Tokyo-Yokohama, the largest metropolitan area by that year. To determine the winners in this week’s round, select the country whose capital will be the most populated in 2015. You can print out our Atlas bracket (below) and place your bets, or play along on our Facebook page. Check back on 1 April to find out what will make it to the semi-finals!

Tournament schedule:

Sweet Sixteen: 11 March                                  Which country has the highest GDP per capita?
Round of 8: 18 March                                          Which country has a higher level of endemism?
Final Four: 25 March                                           This week: Which country’s capital will be more populated by 2015?
Semi-finals: 1 April
Championship: 8 April

Oxford’s Atlas of the World — the only world atlas updated annually, guaranteeing that users will find the most current geographic information — is the most authoritative resource on the market. The Nineteenth Edition includes new census information, dozens of city maps, gorgeous satellite images of Earth, and a geographical glossary, once again offering exceptional value at a reasonable price.

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