Since 1970 South Africa ended apartheid; Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president of Haiti, deposed by military coup then reinstated; San Francisco suffered a major earthquake; and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics dissolved. So it's a good thing Merriam-Webster updated its geographical dictionary to include more than 48,000 alphabetically arranged entries of mountains, lakes, towns, and countries. The third edition had a lot of catching up to do, what with the social, political, financial, and physical upheavals that have taken place since the second edition was published, and the result is a modern and sophisticated reference.