ACROSS
    6    It informs the traveller ... of good bike touring around centre of Burundi (9)
    8    All part of life, being Flora's companion (5)
    9    Sort of breaches, we hear, a city in Rajasthan (7)
    10    Parachuted supplies – or rapid alternative (7)
    11    English Midlands town's precious stone (about $1000) (5)
    13    Features of some estuaries – also level between Sundarbans' extremes (9)
    15    Libyan port – OK, but diverted round river (6)
    17    Partly destroy sterile mollusc (6)
    21    To indulge, perhaps, what determines east/west locations (9)
    22    Pile of stones is able to enclose one river (5)
    23    Shelter for ship's hospital by a leafy place (7)
    25    Tusked animal disfigured by a growth (7)
    27    Tree secretion used in Benares insecticde (5)
    28    What sort of scientist wrecks igloos etc.? (9)

DOWN
    1    Snake: a natural source of power (4)
    2    Contour is mainly restricting sight-seeing (7)
    3    East European republic causes United Kingdom downfall (East) (7)
    4    Initially, Republicans urge Home Rule for region of Germany (4)
    5    Pennsylvania maps out a vast treeless plain (6)
    6    Indian state has wild jaguar with tiger's head! (7)
    7/19 Vacant part of town is the world's largest sand sea (5,7)
    8    Flashy nocturnal beetle! (7)
    12    Georgia gets good French country in central west Africa (5)
    14    Asian mountain system in central Taiwan (5)
    16    Fabulous beast icon represented in urn (7)
    18    S.E. Asian currency possessed by wandering Gitano (7)
    19    See 7dn.
    20    It achieves record growth in California (7)
    21    City of Pakistan, ah! steeped in legend (6)
    22    Freight vehicle has to leave (5)
    24    19thC English explorer is angry, having lost head! (4)
    26    Enthusiastically greet a frozen form of precipitation! (4)

NOVEMBER SOLUTIONS

Across: 7 Mogadishu  8 Polar  10 Coati  11 Inselberg  12 Watutsi  14 Uranium  16 Stoic  17 Pig  18 Sudan  19 Arendal  21 Randers  23 Jefferson  25 Wharf  27 Huron  28 Aconcagua.

Down: 1 Agra  2 Adriatic  3 Assisi  4 Duisburg  5 Apulia  6 Elbe  7 Macaw  9 Regimen  13 Trove  15 Indre  16 Sharjah  17 Pole Star  18 Sandwich  20 Djenne  21/24 Ring Of Fire  22 Sofia  26 Alga.

WIN a Philip's Atlas of the World

The first correctly completed crossword selected at random wins a copy of the Philip’s Atlas of the World, a comprehensive hardback atlas worth £75. For further details, visit www.philips-maps.co.uk. Entries close 28 February 2010.

Send entries marked 'January Crossword' to Geographical Magazine, Circle Publishing, One Victoria Villas, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2GW