World Atlases and Printable Maps Online
“Maps are expensive,” you say. Go online.
“Too hard to find,” you retort. Not when you have a list of handy sites, bookmark the following locations in your browser.
Just five simple steps will place the map on your computer for use in homework documents, Powerpoint presentations, or whatever you want to create.
1. Find the map you need.
2. Right click your mouse.
3. Select the option to SAVE PICTURE AS.
4. Choose where on your computer you want to save the map.
5. Click the SAVE button.
Always check the copyright information and follow directions provided on the website from which you wish to copy the map. It is okay to use maps for educational purposes as long as you destroy the files after the project is graded (i.e.: Teach Act). You may use maps for personal purposes, as that is their original intent. Use in professional presentations requires permission from the copyright holder.
All of the following provide maps free by clicking on the hyperlink provided.
The best printable location and outline maps for homework assignments:
�· Geography Homework Help on About.com for younger students
�· Quick Maps by Theodora for the intermediate ages
�· Outline Maps by Education Place for older students
Create your own unique US maps showing only the information you want displayed:
�· Tiger Map Service using the US Census Bureau data
Atlas quality maps including vital information such as demographics:
Ã?· Merriam-Webster’s Geography Atlas, an offering by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated and The New York Times on the Web
�· National Atlas supplies excellent US printable atlas materials
Ã?· Oddens’ Bookmarks allows you to search for cartographic material of all types on multiple sites
�· The World Factbook
�· Cartographic Section of the United Nations for general, peacekeeping, and other UN thematic efforts around the world
Wow their socks off with colorful, unique, topic maps:
�· National Geographic
Unique maps, such as illustrations of how bird flu spreads and historical maps:
�· University of Texas Perry-Castaneda Library
�· The Library of Congress
�· Many more are listed by the University of Minnesota
The most reliable driving directions and quality visual guides and maps:
�· Yahoo Maps and MapQuest for US travel
�· Rand McNally for longer North American road trips
�· Multimap for international travel
�· MSN Maps & Directions has information on the more popular international travel locations
To align your directional and geographic perspective from globe to country, you can’t beat the:
�· Interactive HRW World Atlas powered by MapQuest
�· Interactive Demis web site
�· The Great Globe Gallery
�· World Guide powered by Lonely Planet
And no list of mapping web sites would be complete without the inimitable Geographic Information System, better known as GIS, find out how to locate facts, atlas maps, country and state maps, news and gallery maps, weather and geologic maps. Or go to the Geography Network and use GIS to map any spot on the globe with a live satellite image from GlobeXplorer.
