Maps have helped humanity from the era of the Babylonians to the present day by recording travel routes, populations, hazards, and other essential data. Map makers – called cartographers - use two types of data to construct maps. Location data shows where a location is relative to other things like neighboring cities or important physical structures, while attribution data shows well-known geographic details like roads or population centers. The maps of today have advanced extensively from the clay tablets utilized in ancient Babylonia to interactive online maps available at the click of a mouse and ready to satisfy map lovers of any age.

Interactive Maps and Atlases

• Google Maps - Web mapping service.
• Mapquest - The popular site for driving directions and locations.
• Map Search – Search for maps by location, zip code, latitude, or longitude.
• Get a Map – Free online maps for the United Kingdom.
• Globalis – World map shows the impact of humans on the world’s ecosystem.
• MapMachine - Online map tool provided by National Geographic.
• Indiana Geology Survey (IGS) – Create custom maps on the IGS website.

Maps and Atlases

• Color Landform Atlas of the United States - Shaded relief map images and site information for states.
• Map and Atlas Resources – Links to maps and atlases.
• State and World Maps – Links to state and world maps as well as other interesting maps.
• Silk Road Historic Atlas – Shows topography and includes interactive map exercises.
• Canadian Atlas – Find out about Canada via maps.
• Old Maps UK – Digitized old maps of England, Scotland, and Wales.
• UN Cartographics – The United Nations map collection of regions, countries, and political organizations.

Census Information

• Historical Census - Generate census maps based on customized data requests.
• U.S. Census Bureau Maps and Cartographic Resources - Online mapping based on census data.
• The USGenWeb Census Project - Maps of census data from the last few hundred years.

GPS

• What is GPS? – Fact sheet on global positioning systems (GPS).
• Global Position System (GPS) – Official government website with information about the GPS.
• How Does GPS Work - Overview from the Smithsonian Institute.

Map Collections

• Earthquake Hazard Maps – Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) serving the San Francisco Bay area.
• State Historical Society of Missouri – Map collection with items dating from the 1700s.
• Yale University Map Collection – Digitized library of map versions.
• Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection – Thematic, historic and world region maps.
• University of Georgia Map Library– Map collections of research-quality cartographic aerial photograph, and Sanborn fire insurance maps.

Map Projections 

• Map Projections Album – Interactive album of map projections.
• Map Projections – Tutorial on map projections.
• Mercator Map - History of the Mercator projection, which famously distorts the sizes of certain countries like Greenland.

Interesting Maps

• Africa - Links to interesting maps about Africa.
• Atlapedia Online – Physical and political maps.
• Weather and Climate Maps – Links to resources for weather and climate maps.
• The Piri Reis Map –Educational article about the Piri Reis map and the questions and mysteries surrounding it.
• World Mapper – Online collection of approximately 700 world maps.
• Maps, Etc. – Over 5,000 maps from different time periods; licensing may be required to duplicate maps.
• History of Cartography – Links to resources to maps and the history of cartography.

Geography Fun

• Map Games - Fun geography and trivia games to play online.
• Geography Fun – Learn about the seven continents of the world with interactive maps.
• Where Is That? - More map locator games that are both fun and educational.
• Geography Fun and Games - List of fun geography resources for kids.