March Madness: Atlas Edition – Round Two

It’s time for Round Two of March Madness: Atlas Edition, right on the heels of the first round of the March Madness basketball playoffs beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, 19 March 2013. 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 the highest GDP per capita?
Check out the winners below! Did you get them right?

Madagascar vs. Democratic Republic of Congo             WINNER: Madagascar
Ethiopia vs. Burma (Myanmar)                                             WINNER: Burma (Myanmar)
Indonesia vs. India                                                                    WINNER: Indonesia
China vs. Japan                                                                            WINNER: Japan 
Italy vs. Greece                                                                            WINNER: Italy
Costa Rica vs. Turkey                                                                WINNER: Turkey 
Venezuela vs. Mexico                                                                WINNER: Mexico  
Australia vs. USA                                                                         WINNER: USA

For Round 2, we want to know: Which country has a higher level of endemism?

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

Endemic species, plants, and ecosystems refer to those which are unique to a specific country, such as the aye-aye lemur of Madagascar. It’s currently estimated that there are about 14 million species in the world, but only 2 million have been formally identified. Can you figure out which country has the higher level? To determine the winners in this week’s round, select the country with the highest level of endemism in each bracket. You can print out our Atlas bracket (below) and place your bets, or play along on our Facebook page. Check back on 25 March to find out who the Final Four will be!

Tournament schedule:

Sweet Sixteen: 11 March                                               Which country has the highest GDP per capita?
Round of 8: 18 March                                                      This week: Which country has a higher level of endemism?
Final Four: 25 March
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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