BBC Atlas of the Natural World Set: Africa, Europe, Western Hemisphere and Antarctica

From the world-renowned BBC Natural History Unit, the makers of Planet Earth, this collection combines into one momentous boxed set the first two releases of the extraordinarily ambitious BBC Atlas of the Natural World, a unique survey of life on Earth in all its remarkable richness and beauty. The twelve discs in this collection bring together eight landmark BBC series that together present a remarkably comprehensive portrait of the natural history of Europe, Africa, the Americas and Antarctica. In over 30 hours of breathtaking footage, viewers will explore the remarkable diversity of plants and animals on these vast continents and examine the complex relationships between nature, wildlife and humans. The optional enhanced content mode adds to the experience with additional fun facts interspersed throughout the programs, making this collection an astonishing viewing experience!

Land of the Eagle
The story of how North America was discovered and tamed is told through two sets of eyes: the Native Amreicans and the European newcomers. The series, which received a Finalist Certificate at the New York Festival, is a magnificent ensemble of paints, photographs, old songs played on period instruments, contemporary Native Americans voicing the words of their ancestors, and gorgeous wildlife filming, revealing the shifting balance between man and nature.

Spirits of the Jaguar
In Central America and the Carribbean, everything is vibrant and colorful - from tropical rainforests teeming with wildlife, to the paradise islands and rich coral reefs, to the top of smoking volcanoes. The area boasts more species of spectacular plants and animals than anywhere else on the globe, many of them unique. Here the Maya Taino and Aztecs once roamed free, enjoying the natural riches all around them, and appeasing their bloodthirsty gods. This series reveals the dramatic relationships that exist here between the native inhabitants, the wildlife and the environment.

Wild South America
This spectacular; award-winning series explores the rich and unique wildlife that inhabits the diverse landscapes of the vast South American continent. It is a land of great extremes, stretching from the Antarctic to the Equator. It has the planet's greatest river system, longest mountain chain, biggest and richest rainforest and driest desert. Using new camera techniques, including infrared night vision cameras, rarely seen animals are revealed, while a specialist aerial cameraman soars over the continent, revealing an entirely new perspective on its varied and romantic landscape.

Life in the Freezer
Antarctica is the wildest, coldest, most isolated continent on Earth. Encrusted in 90% of the world's ice, its 5.4 million square miles are doubled each winter by the freezing of the seas. The average temperature at the South Pole is -56 degrees, dropping to -90 degrees and below in mid-winter. Yet this inhospitable landscape is home to a surprisingly rich variety of wildlife, much of it unique to the region.
David Attenborough and his camera team spent three years braving mountainous seas, blizzards with 100 mph winds, plummeting temperatures and glaciers the size of cathedrals to capture the majesty of Antarctica both on land and underwater. In this starkly beautiful landscape, they discover penguins by the millions, whales by the thousands, half the world's seal population and seabirds galore.

Wild Africa
Seen from space, Africa is a shattered kingdom, textured by burning sands, seas of grass and steaming forests, scarred by mountains and bejeweled with great lakes and rivers. Raw and beautiful, the ancient continent is alive with the greatest collection of wildlife on Earth. This mesmerizing series examines each of Africa's stunning natural realms in turn, revealing little-known facts and showing how humans and creatures co-exist within this vast area.

Congo
To the west of the Serengeti and Lake Victoria, beyond the misty mountains of the Rift Valley, lies the second largest river system on earth: the Congo. This vast arena - the size of Europe - is home to an array of wildlife richer and more varied than any other region of Africa, and yet it is hardly known. Today, parts of the Congo still remain inhospitable and virtually inaccessible. In a television first, the BBC Natural History Unit has been given unprecedented access to film in this region.

The First Eden
A glorious portrait of the landscape, wildlife and plants of the Mediterranean, presented by Sir David Attenborough. From the earliest human settlements to the cities of today, from the deserts of North Africa to the forests of southern Europe, this series tells the dramatic story of man and nature at work.

Europe: A Natural History
Discover the story of Europe, from the birth of the continent through the modern day in an epic journey going back three billion years. You'll travel through tropical swamps and ice ages as you journey among civilizations and revolutions to experience the events that shaped the landscapes and wildlife of Europe. No other continent has such a varied natural history crammed into so little space. What gives Europe this incredible diversity?

"...stylish ... enjoyable..."-The Times

"The film-makers behind this colourful look at the creatures of the Caribbean spent two years on islands like Jamaica and Cuba recording this absorbing documentary ... the result is some remarkable photography with the most frightening animal on show being the Cuban crocodile which can leap six feet out of the water for a snack. With dramatic reconstructions conveying the mysteries of ancient civilisations this ambitious four-parter looks as though it might be worth all that time in the sunshine." - Sun

"The star of the first programme in the Spirits Of The Jaguar series was certainly the Caribbean crocodile. This horror has been hidden from us till now. It can leap six feet in the air, standing upright on its tail, and pluck its trembling prey from a tree. It not only can, it did." - Guardian

"...startling photography..."- Herald

"Spirits of the Jaguar ... combines dramatic reconstructions, wondrous wildlife, ingenious special effects and glorious scenery to present the full splendor of Central America and the Caribbean, from its fiery origins to the growth and demise of the great civilizations of the Maya and Aztec that sprang from its fertile soils."- Austin American-Statesman

"...impressive..."- Buffalo News

"...beautifully realised BBC series about the great lost civilisations of Central America and the Caribbean." -Sunday Herald Sun

"Couldn't be late for the start of the top rating Spirits of the Jaguar ... a visually superb BBC documentary series." -Adelaide Advertiser

"Is there anything worth watching on local television? Try Spirits Of The Jaguar."- The Australian

"This is one for budding geologists, with something thrown in for archeologists and naturalists as well ... Tonight sets the scene for what will no doubt prove to be an interesting series on the intricacies of the mighty civilisations of old." -Sydney Morning Herald

"...contains some of the most stunning natural history footage ever aired."- Guardian

"A spectacular six-part series..." -Time Out

"This documentary about the diverse landscape and wildlife of South America boasts consistently awe-inspiring footage, much of it filmed by pilot Bob Fulton, travelling the entire continent over the period of a year. Peaks, plains, jungle, desert, ocean and lots of wildlife. And this is only the first of the series."- Guardian

"The flora, fauna and physical features of South America come into vivid focus - courtesy of BBC Bristol's highly regarded Natural History Unit - in a new six-part series narrated by Fergal Keane. Aside from the extraordinary array of creatures and plants on display, the most remarkable images in this opening film are aerial views of contrasting wilderness vistas, from the serrated glaciers of Patagonia to the seemingly endless Amazon rainforest and basin, and the forbidding Atacama desert."- Sunday Times

"...required viewing, guaranteed to stimulate the imagination of all ages."- Observer

"Fantastic footage of everything from giant otters to piranha, electric eels and floating fire ants makes this both beautiful and fascinating." -Sunday Times, Perth

"A wonderful postcard of a unique and precious habitat." Sunday Herald Sun, Melbourne "This superbly filmed documentary series keeps us slack-jawed with facts, figures and photography on territory that might have seemed already well covered." -Sun-Herald, Sydney