Unlike lesser globes with poorly rendered cartography, this stately 12" desk globe has silk-screened continental land masses of white in stark relief against opaque oceans of onyx black for more easily discerned terrestrial boundaries. The latitude and longitude lines are drawn in silver ink, and names and locations are written in gold ink, with the most up-to-date cartography representing current country boundaries, capitals, major cities, and bodies of water. The globe is shaped from hand-blown museum-quality acrylic that is lightweight and durable, creating a smooth surface that will not ripple, fade, or peel like traditional paper maps on common globes. The sphere is perched on a canted rod hand-cut from the same premium quality acrylic and angled to represent the Earths relative tilt to the orbital path around the sun. The rod is set into a broad, stable, hand cut and polished solid acrylic base, and the globe comes with a signed and dated certificate of authenticity, as well as an information booklet. Made in the U.S. 17" H x 12" Diam. (3 lbs.)