Pioneer 12" Diameter Globe, USA Cartography with Raised Mountain Relief and Sturdy Metal Base. Get a closer look at the world, thanks to the gyro-matic mounting that swings up or down to bring any area into closer view. Vivid colors help to easily distinguish political boundaries. Numbered full-meridian and gyro assembly.

Came quickly and well- packed, and in perfect shape. Yes, certain of the longitude lines are very slightly misaligned at equator, as others have noted- but just BARELY (I do mean barely), and not an issue at all. I don't count it as failure of quality control - just the fact the thing is round. I am altogether completely satisfied and very pleased. The mounting base and axis, as well as the other (? gyroscopic thingie?) allows easy viewing adjustments, enabling one to come in from outer space head on to Antarctica or any other spot on Earth without having to turn the whole globe, including the base, upside down to see, and so on. It's just a wonderful globe. A bit pricey, but it is a very nice quality, and worth the money. I intend to buy another for my niece to put in her classroom, so her students can fuel their knowledge of the size and locations of the many many different countries, as well as being able to visualize our actual planet.

... Well, before finally selecting this globe, I looked at all the others, and this one had all the features one would expect in a comprehensive globe. I had purchased a Replogle World Nation Series globe 30 years ago, and it has held up great. I decided to buy a new one because of all the changes in geographic boundaries, and the many new countries that have emerged in the past 30 years. It shows major cities, raised relief mountains, ocean currents, color-coded countries and states, as well as a legend. Like most of their globes, it also comes with a plastic time zone dial over the north pole that enables you to calculate the time in other areas of the world. This globe also has another great feature, a gyroscopic component, which enables you to tilt the globe upside down without lifting its base, thus enabling you to see Antarctica in its entirety. With other lower-priced globes, you have to lift the globe, and the base obstructs your view of Antarctica.This globe is very well made, it has a hefty metal base, and the gyroscopic component is made of the same hefty metal as the base. They even included the much needed metal washer in-between where you screw the base into the gyroscopic component, this prevents you from over-tightening the screw, and prevents the base from coming loose. My last one did not have the necessary washer, so over time the base would become loose and would require re-tightening.I have seen other reviews in which some had given this globe only one star, because the equator was slightly peeled away upon delivery; Well, mine arrived with the equator perfectly affixed, and if the end of the tape ever peeled a little, you need only place a minute dot of glue on the edge, stick it back on, and problem solved.*The globe surface is also nice and glossy, and some have also stated that it will scratch easily; However, my previous (somewhat outdated) nearly 20 year old globe, that this one retired, was just as glossy. I would not recommend cleaning it with any liquids though, just use a slightly damp cloth, or a feather duster would be the better choice to clear away any dust. *UPDATE: Eventually, the blue equator tape became problematic and was subsequently removed. In retrospect, I believe the tape had more to do with covering the unsightly seam in the globe than identifying the equator - as if no one would know where it is otherwise! Naturally, no seam at all would have been ideal, with a 'permanent' inked equator instead, but of course that would have resulted in a higher-priced product. As a result of this update, I have downgraded my review to four stars, oh well ...

This is an excellent, information packed globe. A bargain for the money! I was looking for a sturdy, easy to see globe with enough information to be useful. The last one we had was on a plastic base and it broke fairly soon. This one has a metal base and is suspended in a metal ring so you can view the world from any angle and spin it on it's axis. The mapping seemns to be of good quality. The globe is colorful and the size is just right - it isn't so small that you can't read the printing (some of us may need a magnifying glass for the many extra details this globe provides). It shows the basic info - the continents, countries, states and lattitude and longitude. The major lakes, rivers and mountain ranges (with elevations), etc. are also labeled. There are numerous cities marked in addition to capitals and before getting this globe I was never aware of how many islands there are in the oceans! The names of the islands are accompanied by the countries with which they are affiliated. The oceans are very detailed with names of geographic elements of the ocean floors as well as shipping lanes and current information and names of gulfs, bays, and seas. There's a nice legend printed in the South Pacific that explains the symbols used on this easy to understand globe. Great for students and the curious in this ever changing goegraphic landscape. Another perk - this globe is updatable! In my opinion, for the money you can't beat it.

We wanted to buy our family a globe and were surprised when we looked around and found that they are not cheap! (Maybe this is common knowledge, but we were surprised). So when we realized we would be spending at least $50, we did our research. After reading reviews, we went with this one. And we are so glad we did! It is a great quality. Some of the other globes we had looked at mentioned a wobbly or flimsy base, but this one seems good and solid, able to deal with the weight of the globe itself. One reviewer mentioned some lines being off and after looking really hard, I did find that it is a teensy weensy off matching lines before the equator and after. But my sister and I had to look to find that. Our globe has South Sudan on it, which pleased us very much (we travel to East Africa so that was kindof important to us), and that became a country just a few months ago. The ability to tilt the globe upside down is such a pleasure! All the family (including my parents) really loved that feature. I have no worries with letting my 2 yr old hold it either, it seems such good quality. I have already recommended it to several people.UPDATE:Nearly 2 years later, and this globe is still going strong! We use it almost daily, looking up some country or ocean. My now-4 yr old still loves to tote it around. I am still thrilled with this globe.