35 million years ago, the Great Rift Valley transformed Africa and changed history. Well-regarded as the cradle of civilization, the Great Rift Valley form the world's largest system of geological faults, stretching through 3,500 miles of East Africa from Ethiopia to Mozambique. This intriguing deep scar in the Earth's crust extends for nine thousand kilometers within a wild and seemingly endless landscape. ATLAS 4D showcases surprising connections between the Great Rift Valley, the land, and the animals and people that inhabit it today.
A major tourist mecca today, Hawaii was once characterized by Mark Twain as "the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean." Although Hawaii became the United States' 50th state in 1959, the history of Hawaii goes back earlier to roughly 1,500 years ago when the Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands first set foot on Hawaii's Big Island. ATLAS 4D reveals why Hawaii exists, how it affects a huge slice of the globe and why the surf is always up. From blind spiders to the active volcanoes, this iconic island chain holds many stories that will surprise you.
As a sea around which some of the most ancient human civilizations were arranged, the Mediterranean witnessed the burgeoning prominence of the Western civilization, the clash of warring faiths and the rivalries of empires. Providing a way for trade, colonization and war, the Mediterranean was the basis of life for numerous communities throughout the ages. The combination of favorable climates and access to a common sea had led to numerous historical and cultural connections between the ancient and modern societies. For the first time ever, ATLAS 4D reveals how the growth of Islam stirred the Italian Renaissance.
