Looking for a Map?
Dateline: 03/03/97 (Rev. 12/12/00)Guide's Note: This feature was written before I placed the extensive Atlas of the World online. Please visit the Atlas and my Maps collection of resources for links to the best maps and geographical information about every U.S. state, country, and continent.
There are numerous World Wide Web sites which offer a variety of maps - world, regional, and local. I've located the sites which will provide you the best maps for a variety of purposes.
Regions of the World
For an overview of where countries are located it is often benificial to look at a small-scale map of a continent or major region of the world. Regional maps can usually be found at in the front of atlases. On the web, the National Geographic Society and CIA can provide them.
The National Geographic Society's (NGS) Map Machine site provides the best political (which show borders, cities and other human features) and physical maps (which show natural features such as lakes, rivers and mountains) of the continents.
You should also visit the CIA's World Fact Book for good quality political maps of the world and regions. The maps are very clear and easy to read on-screen. Unfortunately, most of the maps are large files and will take some time to download.
National Maps
Maps of individual nations, countries and states can help you understand the physical and urban aspects of the area. These maps feature major roads, cities, waterways, mountains, and other important features.
For national maps, the National Geographic Society has the best maps of countries and U.S. states.
Local Maps
Larger scale local maps show streets, parks and local points of interest (some may even include businesses). These maps help you locate specific locations and show the roads you'll need to take to get where you're going.
MapQuest's Interactive Atlas provides street maps for the United States and regional maps for the rest of the world (there is very little detail for some countries). MapQuest allows searching by address, business name, city, and zip code. The "zoom level" bar on the right side of the map allows you to directly select the level of detail you require. This is the best site for street maps in the U.S.
If you're driving somewhere and need directions, the MapQuest TripQuest site is definitely worth a visit. Select two addresses within the U.S. and TripQuest should be able to provide you with written driving instructions and maps for your trip. One of the most interesting points of this site is its ability to state specific distances between turns along the route.
Vicinity's MapBlast is an easy to use interface for creating a street map within the United States. Includes the names of most major streets (but fewer than MapQuest).
All of the street maps allow "zooming" in and out. Zooming in from the street map does not yield any additional detail. Make sure that you're clicking "zoom" and not "recenter."
Good luck and happy mapping!
