Reference Resources

Place Names |  California  | Geographic Info | Understanding Maps | Citing Maps | Finding Maps  | InfoMine: Maps

Geographic Names (Place Names)

G N I S : Geographic Names Information System

A gazetteer of the United States from the USGS.

GeoNet NIMA's database of foreign geographic names.

Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

Canadian Geographical Names "Query by name" can be used as an index to topo sets.

California Maps & Geographic Information

California Geologic Map Index  from California State University, Chico, Meriam Library
Mexican Land Grants by County  from UC Berkeley

Geographic Information

Background Notes from the U.S. Department of State
Profiles of countries including maps, history, economy, government, and political conditions
CIA World Factbook Maps, brief descriptions, and statistical information
Country Studies Federal Research Division, Library of Congress
Series describes and analyzes the political, economic, social, national security systems and institutions of foreign countries.
Geography Guide FAQ, online atlases, quizzes, and chat from About.com.
Geography Topics from lii.org Geographic links from the Librarians' Index to the Internet.
Odden's Bookmarks Comprehensive map-related web site with over 20,000 links.

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Understanding and Using Maps

Cartography

All about maps from About.com.

DD to DMS

Convert from decimal degrees to degrees/minutes/seconds.

DMS to DD

And back: degrees/minutes/seconds to decimal degrees.

Glossary of mapping, charting, and geodetic terms

from National Imagery and Mapping Agency.

Making Sense of Maps

Excellent introduction to maps and guide to using maps as historical evidence.

Learn Geography and Maps

"What are maps? Why use maps? Making a good map." From the EPA.

Topographic Map Symbols

From the USGS.

Citing Maps and Cartographic Resources

Guide to Citing Maps and Atlases

from the Lloyd Reeds Map Collection at McMaster University

Docscite

Fill in the blanks, click "submit", and out pops your citation in APA or MLA format!

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Finding Maps

Britain's Ordnance Survey

Search their gazetteers and print maps.

 

Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet -Maps, Gazetteers & Geographical Information

Links for finding historical maps, property ownership and historical place names.

DMOZ Open Directory Project: Maps section

Eagle Geocoding from ETAK

Enter a street address for anywhere in the U.S. and retrieve a map showing its location along with its long/lat coordinates, postal address, and census designation.

Geography and Map Division
Library of Congress Reference

InfoMine: Maps

An excellent tool for finding good map & geography web sites.

Publications of the US Geological Survey (USGS)

Searchable database of bibliographic information on USGS publications dating back to the Survey's inception in 1785.

TopoZone

Calls itself "the Web's first interactive topo map of the entire United States".

Yahoo! Maps for finding street maps.

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