LCR


Online Guide to Early Map Images of the Caribbean
(2006)


Enlarged detail of hand colored engraved map of the island of Jamaica by Herman Moll, 1736. Relief is shown pictorially. Shows towns, churches and sugar, cotton, indigo and cacao works. Original scale 1:1,100,000. (David Rumsey Collection)

Online access to early map images of the Caribbean provides a unique venue for those with limited or no access to these materials. Browser and viewer technology and high resolution images make it possible to examine centuries old historical maps more easily and in greater detail than if one were present at the institution where the originals are held. Also, the ability to download, store, edit, and use these images, within copyright use restrictions, for personal, scholarly, and educational work is an additional plus. This guide presents a descriptive listing of select web sites that contain collections of images of the early cartography of the Caribbean (pre-1900). These web sites have met the following three criteria:

  • contains more than three pre-1900 map images of North America including the images of the Caribbean area and/or images of individual political units in the Caribbean.

  • has high resolution images that allow clear viewing of place names and other map details

  • allows download or export of editable, high resolution images
Some of the web sites in the listing also have:
  • browser-based or downloadable viewers that allow users to select and to zoom in on map locations

  • a searchable image database

Finding Early Map Images on the World Wide Web


There are hundreds of early map web sites. Discovering sites that store map images relevant to a particular search is time consuming and difficult. However, Tony Campbell, former Map Librarian of the British Library, has eased the task considerably. Mr. Campbell explores, catalogs, and reviews web sites related to historical cartography and publishes a thorough guide to his findings on the web site Map History / History of Cartography/ THE Gateway to the Subject. The site is hosted by the Institute of Historical Research, University of London and is part of the WWW-Virtual Library.

To begin an early map image search we recommend going first to Images of early maps on the web, a section of the Map History site. There you will find annotated links to hundreds of sites. The sites are ordered by the quantity of images under General and Miscellaneous Sites, Theme, and by geographic region. Also useful are the canned searches of historical materials found on Odden's Bookmarks at Lists of Links and Gateway Sites, which is another section of the Map History site. Odden's Bookmarks -The Fascinating World of Maps and Mapping, is the ultimate map listing having more than 20,000 links to maps of all kinds on the web. This site is searchable and browseable by region and country, which also can be limited by subject categories such as maps and atlases, map collections, libraries, departments of cartography and so on.

Finally, for researchers who need basic information about how to find and use online map catalogs, see David Y. Allen's Online Map Catalogs in North America and Europe. These resources are some of the best starting places to begin a search for early images of maps on the web.


Web Sites with Early Caribbean Map Images


David Rumsey Map Collection

The David Rumsey Historical Map Collection contains over 12,631 maps and focuses on rare 18th and 19th century North and South American cartographic materials. The collection is comprised of a variety of map types. These include atlas, globe, school geography, maritime chart, state, county, city, pocket, case, wall, children's, and manuscript maps. However, for the Caribbean, map types are limited to atlas, chart, case, book, composite, and pocket maps.

Viewing the Collection

The collection can be viewed with specially developed software and browsers that allow sharp, detailed filled viewing. Searches can be done by publication author, state/province, country, keywords, and available data fields. There are three viewing options, all of which are listed below. We highly recommend using the Insight Java Client and an internet connection equal to or greater than a 56K modem.

The Insight® Browser allows direct viewing through most browsers without plug-ins or downloads. Thumbnail files can be downloaded in windows with a Right Click and in Macintosh with Option-Click or by placing the cursor on the image and holding the mouse button until a dialog box appears. However, downloads cannot be made when images are in view mode
. A preview of the Insight Browser features can be found here. We have found the browser to be very slow in loading and sometimes unreliable, especially on Macintosh systems. It is strongly recommended to download the feature packed Insight Java Client.

The Insight® Java Client is a free standalone Java application designed to search and view the David Rumsey Map Collection and is the best option for this purpose. You can download the Insight Java Client here. Images in .jpeg format can be downloaded in various resolutions (96 to 24,576 pixels) by selecting found image(s), then selecting file>export selected>name the file (individually or by data field)>navigate to download location>save on the menu on the left hand side.
Thumbnail images in .jpeg format can be downoladed by exporting them to an HTML file. To do this, select the image(s), then on the menu, select print>export to HTML> select one of four html file formats>select download location and name the file>save. The client will create a folder with the same name given to the file and inside it will be an HTML document and an associated folder containing the images.

To utilize the many features of the Insight Java Client efficiently, it is strongly recommended to explore the online tutorial.

Caribbean Content

Using the Insight Java Client, simple keyword searches yielded the results found in Table 1 below (In searches with two or more terms, all combinations were tried). From these searches, two hundred-five Caribbean map images were found, seventy-three from the 18th century (1708-1796), one hundred thirty-one from the 19th century (1803-1897), and one from the 20th century (1922). Chronological indexes with thumbnail images and identifying information for the 18th century and 19th century map images were made from files exported using the Insight Java Client. Click on the links below to see the indexes. You also can search and view this group of images using the Insight Java Client by selecting file>open group>select Rumsey Collection> Select RISM Caribbean Area on the menu.


Table 1. Results of Keyword Searches at David Rumsey Map Collection

Search Term
Count
Search Term
Count


Anguilla
1
La Desirade
0
Antigua
5
Saint Kitts
3
Barbuda
5
Nevis
4
Aruba
1
Saint Lucia
3
Bahamas
8
Saint Vincent
3
Barbados
6
Grenadines
3
Belize
4
Netherland Antilles
0
Bermuda
12
Saba
1
British Virgin Islands
1
Sint Eustatius
0
Cayman Islands
1
Sint Maarten
0
Cuba
18
Curacao
4
Dominica
4
Bonaire
0
Dominican Republic
9
Suriname
0
Grenada
5
Trinidad
5
Guyana
18
Tobago
6
Haiti
8
Turks
1
Jamaica
17
Caicos Islands
1
Montserrat
1
United States Virgin Islands
0
Puerto Rico
8
Virgin Islands
9
French Caribbean
0
Hispaniola
6
Guadeloupe
2
British Guiana
2
Martinique
4
West Indies
107
French Guiana
4
Caribbean
6
Saint Barthelemy
0
Antilles, Greater
0
Saint Martin
1
Antilles, Lesser
0
Marie Galante
0
Antilles
8
Iles des Saintes
0
Antillen
1




Library of Congress - Map Collections: 1500-2002

Library of Congress - Map Collections 1500-2002 represents a small digitized part of the more than 4.5 million items held at the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress. The images were scanned from public domain maps and atlases and can be used freely.

Viewing the Collection

Users search by keyword or browse indexes of geographic locations, subjects, creators, and titles. It is recommended to search for digitized maps at the Map Collections site, since each map is usually assigned to only one category and searching here allows users to find maps in all seven major categories as well as in the smaller sub-collections such as the Portolan Charts of Battista Agnese or Selections from The Luso-Hispanic World in Maps or Puerto Rico at the Dawn of the Modern Age: Nineteenth- and Early-Twentieth-Century Perspectives - Cartographic Items. For more information searching the maps at the Library Congress see Searching "Map Collections".

Selected maps can be viewed and zoomed online and the WYSIWYG .gif images can be downloaded in Windows with a Right Click and in Macintosh with Option-Click or by placing the cursor on the image and holding the mouse button until a dialog box appears. Since individual Map Collections image files are in .sid format, they must be downloaded and viewed with a widely distributed, free viewer from LizardTech - MrSid Viewer, which is compatible with Linux, Solaris, Macintosh, and Windows platforms. The average size of a Map Collections .sid file is 5 MB. You can download the viewer here.

Caribbean Content

Though the focus of Map Collections is on Americana and Cartographic Treasures of the Library of Congress (LOC), there are early Caribbbean area and country maps, most of which are from the 18th and 19th centuries. Maps found tend to be those related closely with the founding of the new world and American interests, but not exclusively so. Key word searches performed at the David Rumsey Collection were similarly repeated here and the results are found in Table 2. As can be seen in Table 2, the map images available at this site center around the Caribbean area and the Greater Antilles as a part of North America.


Table 2. Results of Keyword Searches at LOC Map Collections 1500-2002

Search Term
Count
Search Term
Count


Anguilla
0
Iles des Saintes
0
Antigua
3
La Desirade
0
Barbuda
2
Saint Kitts
0
Aruba
0
Nevis
0
Bahamas
2
Saint Lucia
0
Barbados
0
Saint Vincent
0
Belize
3
Grenadines
0
Bermuda
3
Netherland Antilles
0
British Virgin Islands
0
Saba
0
Cayman Islands
0
Sint Eustatius
0
Cuba
18
Sint Maarten
0
Dominica
1
Curacao
0
Dominican Republic
7
Bonaire
0
Grenada
1
Suriname
0
Guyana
0
Trinidad
1
Haiti
0
Tobago
0
Jamaica
5
Turks
0
Montserrat
0
Caicos Islands
0
Puerto Rico
16
United States Virgin Islands
1
French Caribbean
0
Virgin Islands
1
Guadeloupe
0
Hispaniola
5
Martinique
0
British Guiana
0
French Guiana
0
West Indies
25
Saint Barthelemy
0
Caribbean
16
Saint Martin
0
Antilles, Greater
2
Marie Galante
0
Antilles, Lesser
0

 


Caribmap - A Cartographic History of the West Indies

Caribmap is a growing set of lists of old and antique map images of the West Indies (1511-1922). Currently, the site stores sixty-three images in three resolutions, 250K, 700K, and 1,200K, all of which are downloadable.

Viewing the Collection

The collection is viewed by selecting an island on the home page or subsequent pages and then choosing an image in one of the three resolutions. Downloads can be made in windows with a Right Click and in Macintosh with Option-Click or by placing the cursor on the image and holding the mouse button until a dialog box appears. With some browser versions and or download preferences, the files will automatically download when clicked.

Caribbean Content

All of the map images are of Caribbean Islands. These include the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Maps of the Lesser Antilles and the West Indies are also available. Table 3 presents a summary index of Caribmap image information.


Table 3. Summary Index of the Caribmap Database

Political Unit Year/Range Language
Count
Resolutions

Bahamas 1635 Dutch
1
250K, 700K , 1200K
Cuba 1528-1898 Italian, Dutch, English
9
250K, 700K , 1200K
Hispaniola 1492-1897 Italian, Dutch, French, English
20
250K, 700K , 1200K
Jamaica 1528-1897 Italian, English, French
8
250K, 700K , 1200K
Lesser Antilles 1528-1825 Italian, Dutch, English, French
15
250K, 700K , 1200K
Puerto Rico 1635-1922 Dutch, English
5
250K, 700K , 1200K
West Indies 1511-1635 Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch
5
250K, 700K , 1200K

 

Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection Historical Maps of the Americas

The Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection online is a general collection of more than 5,000 map images of various resolutions usually indicated at the end of a map title. Most of the maps on this site are in the public domain. No permissions are needed to copy them and they may be downloaded and used as desired.

Viewing the Collection

There is no special viewer. The collection is viewed by selecting and clicking on an image file. Downloads can be made by a Right Click in Windows or Option-Click or placing the cursor on the image and holding the mouse button until a dialog box appears in Macintosh. With some browser versions, the files will automatically download when clicked.

Caribbean Content

Below is a list of the early 19th to early 20th century Caribbean maps found on the site and dates of publication.

  • Anegada, 1832 [British Virgin Islands]
  • British Guiana, 1832
  • British Guiana, 1896
  • Central America, 1892
  • Cuba, 1919
  • Cuba - Central Cuba, 1919
  • Cuba - Province of Havana, 1919
  • Porto [Puerto] Rico, 1920
  • Virgin Islands, 1920

Jamaica Parish Reference

Jamaica Parish Reference is a part of a web site made in support of genealogical research on the Prestwidge family. There are ten outline maps of Jamaica and twenty-six old and antique maps (1572-1967), most of which are also of Jamaica.

Viewing the Collection

Excluding three unnamed maps, all of the images are very high resolution and are displayed directly in the browser. Because there is no special viewer that allows the display of a selected area of a map, the entire image is loaded, a process that can take a very long time over a 56K modem connection. Loading several images in succession uses a great deal of RAM and can cause images not to be loaded in the browser. In the latter case, it is advised to bookmark the location, quit the browser, and then reopen the application. Downloads can be made by a Right Click in Windows or Option-Click or placing the cursor on the image and holding the mouse button until a dialog box appears in Macintosh. With some browser versions, the files will automatically download when clicked.

Caribbean Content

All ten outline maps are of Jamaica and depict the changing borders of counties and parishes over time, from before 1655 to the present. The title and caption associated with each outline map are listed below. Also, the outline maps are supplemented with high resolution images of early maps of Jamaica, dating from 1527 to 1967. These images are accompanied, in most cases, with a bibliographic note and comments panel. The complete list of identified maps also is listed below.


Outline Maps of Jamaica Parishes


  1. Jamaica before 1655. Before there were parishes, Jamaican territories looked roughly like the map below.Yallahs and Morant were names of large Spanish ranches. Guanaboa was an Arawak name. Liguanea is still used to refer to lower St. Andrew. Traces of these older names can still be found. From 1510 to 1535 the capital was Seville. With the exception of a one year period starting in 1755, Spanish Town was the capital from 1535 to 1872. Kingston was the capital for that brief period and also since 1872. For genealogical purposes, this map can be ignored.

  2. Jamaica 1655-1675. The original English parishes. After Jamaica was taken by England in 1655, the English system of local admistration was implemented and almost everything became Saint This or Saint That.

  3. Jamaica 1675-1692. St. Dorothy separated from Clarendon. St Thomas in the Vale separated from St. Catherine.

  4. Jamaica 1693-1702. Kingston separated from St. Andrew.

  5. Jamaica 1703-1722. Westmoreland separated from St. Elizabeth.

  6. Jamaica 1723-1769. The Duke of Portland became Governor in 1722 and Portland parish was created from St. George and St. Thomas in the East. Hanover separated from Westmoreland.

  7. Jamaica 1770-1813. In memory of Edward Trelawny who was Governor between 1738 and 1752, Trelawny parish was created with land separated from St. James.

  8. Jamaica 1814-1840. The Duke of Manchester governed Jamaica between 1808 and 1811. Manchester parish was created from St Elizabeth, Clarendon, and Vere.

  9. Jamaica 1841-1865. In 1839, Sir Charles Metcalfe became govenor of Jamaica. Just before he left office in 1842, Metcalfe parish was created from St. George and St Mary.

  10. Jamaica 1866-present. 8 parishes were eliminated. Vere was absorbed by Clarendon. St. David was absorbed by St. Thomas in the East. St. Catherine grew dramatically by absorbing St. Dorothy, St. John and St. Thomas in the Vale. St. George was absorbed by Portland. Most of Port Royal was absorbed by St. Andrew and a smaller portion became part of Kingston parish. Metcalfe was absorbed by St. Mary.

Early Maps of Jamaica on the Jamaica Parish Reference Web Site


  • Jamaica - by Tomaso Porcacchi - published 1572
  • Novissima et Accuratissima Jamaicae Descriptio per Johannem Ogiluium Cosmographum Regium 1671 - by J. Ogilby - published 1671
  • Jamaica - by Nicolaum Visscher - published 1680
  • Insula Jamaica - by Robert Morden - published 1688
  • A New Map of the English Empire in the Ocean of America or West Indies - by John Senex - published 1715
  • A New and Accurate Map of the Island of Jamaica - by Emanuel Bowen - published 1744
  • A Correct Map of the Island of Jamaica - by John Gibson - published in Gentlemen's Magazine 1762
  • A New Map of the Island of Jamaica - by Herman Moll - published 1717
  • Carte de l'Isle de Jamaïque - by J.N.Bellin - published 1753
  • Carte de l'Isle de Jamaïque - by J.N.Bellin - published 1758
  • A Correct Map of Jamaica - published 1760
  • A New Map of the Island of Jamaica - by Thomas Kitchen - published 1765
  • Jamaica - by Thomas Jeffreys - published 1775
  • La Giammaica - by Antonio Zatta - published 1779
  • Carte de l'Isle de la Jamaïque - by Rigobert Bonne - 1780
  • A Map of the Island of Jamaica - by Bryan Edwards - 1794
  • Charte von Jamaica - by Jean Baptiste Marie George Bory de Saint Vincent - 1805
  • Geographical, Statistical, and Historical Map of Jamaica - by Carrey & Lea - 1822
  • Jamaica - by J. Rapkin / J. Tallis - published 1851
  • Map of Haiti and Jamaica - by Edward Weller - published 1859
  • Island of Jamaica - Fullarton - published 1860
  • Cuba and Jamaica - D. Appleton & Co. - published 1892 - (Jamaica only)
  • General Chart of the Island of Jamaica - John Purdy - published 1880
  • Jamaica - Dodd, Mead & Co. - published 1903
  • Jamaica - Cram. - published 1910
  • Jamaica Road Map - Esso Standard Oil - published 1967

15th - 17th Century Low Resolution Maps


Most of the high resolution images of maps referred to above date from the 18 and 19th centuries and comparable resources for earlier maps have not been found to date. There are numerous web sites with low resolution images of early maps. One site in particular has an extensive listing of 15th, 16th and 17th century map images that are very useful for understanding the development of cartography of the Caribbean area. Cartographic Images is a web site hosted by Henry Davis Consulting and managed by Jim Siebold. The site, which has not been updated since February 1998, has 986 low resolution images of globes, whole maps, and map details for many historically important maps for the Ancient (6,000 B.C.-400 A.D.), Early and Late Medieval (400-1500) periods and for the Renaissance to the late 19th century (1500-1880). Each era has a chronological index and many of the images have detailed descriptions (monographs) and links to other maps at the bottom of the images. FileMaker Pro 4.0 databases of Cartographic Images have been made for each period and is available upon request. Please make requests to Jim Siebold at jsiebold@cfl.rr.com.

Below is a select chronological listing of maps directly taken from the Renaissance period. The full index can be found at Slides/Photo CDs Illustrating Maps from the Renaissance Period 1500 - 1700. All the links open in a new window so that this page does not have to reload.


Cartographic Images Illustrating Maps of the Late Medieval Period 1490 - 1690 A.D.


257A. The Christopher Columbus Chart, detail world map,

257B. The Christopher Columbus Chart, detail: Africa, Christopher Columbus ?, 1490

257C. The Christopher Columbus Chart, outline, Christopher Columbus ?, modern

300. Map illustrating the geographical concepts of C. Columbus

302. West Indies, Christopher Columbus, 1492-93

303. Map of the Discoveries of Columbus, Christopher Columbus/Carolus Verardus, 1493

304. Sketch map of the equatorial belt of the world, the West Indies, Bartholommeo Columbus/Alessandro Zorzi, 1503-22

305. portolan world map, Juan de la Cosa, 1500

305A. world map, detail: Western Hemisphere, Juan de la Cosa, 1500

306. The "Cantino" Planisphere, unknown, 1502

306A. Cantino's world map, detail: western hemisphere

307. world map, Nicolo Caveri [Canerio], 1502-04

308. world map, Giovanni Contarini/ Francesco Rosselli, 1506

308A. world map, detail: Americas, Giovanni Contarini/ Francesco Rosselli, 1506

309. Annonynous world map, annonymous, 1502-06

310. Universalis Cosmographia Secundum Ptholomaei Traditionem Et Americi . . ., Martin Waldseemüller, (1507)

310A. Universalis Cosmographia . . ., detail: South America, Martin Waldseemüller, (1507) first appearance of the name "America"

313. Universailor Cogniti Orbis Tabula Ex Recentibus Confecta Observationibus', Johannes Ruysch, 1507

313A. Universailor Cogniti Orbis Tabula, detail: Asia and the New World, Johannes Ruysch, 1507

313B. Universailor Cogniti Orbis Tabula, detail: the New World, Johannes Ruysch, 1507

314A. Lenox Globe, unknown ,1503-1507

315. oval world map, Francesco Rosselli, 1508

316. Maggiolo world map, polar, Vesconte Maiolo [de Maggiolo], 1511

318. world map, Bernard Sylvanus, 1511

318A. world map, Bernard Sylvanus, detail: Western Hemisphere,1511

319.1 (Western Hemisphere), Johannes de Stobnicza, 1512

320A. Tabula Terre Nove (Admiral's Map), Martin Waldseemüller, 1513

321. Orbis Typus Universalis Iuxta Hyrographorum Traitionem (Admiral's Map), M.Waldseemüller/Johannes Schott, 1513

322. Chart of the Ocean Sea, Piri Re'is, 1513

322B. Chart of the Ocean Sea, detail: Piri Re'is, 1513

323. world map, Cornelius Aurelius, 1514

324. Universalis Cosmographie . . ., Louis Boulengier, 1514

329. Ingolstadt/Nordenskiöld Gores, (unknown, from Ingolstadt), 1518

331. (world map), Peter Apianus, 1520

336. world map, Salviati, 1525

337. Hoc orbis Hemisphærium cedit regi Lusitaniæ/Hispaniæ, Franciscus Monachus, 1526

337.2 Mexico City

338. world map, Juan Vespucci, 1526

338A. world map, detail: North America, Juan Vespucci, 1526

338B. (world map), Juan Vespucci, detail: North America

340. world map, Vesconte Maggiolo, 1527

343. (world map in Bordone's Isolario), Benedetto Bordone, 1528

344. Paris Gilt Globe, 1528

346. world map, Diego Ribero, 1529

346B. world map, detail: Western Hemisphere, Diego Ribero, 1529

346C. Ribero world map, detail: North America

347. world map, Girolamo de Verrazano, 1529

347A. world map, detail: North & South America, Girolamo de Verrazano, 1529

347B. world map, detail: east coast of North America, Girolamo de Verrazano, 1529

351. Bailly's Globe [Verrazano Globe], Robertus de Bailly, 1530

353. Typus Cosmographicus Universalis, S. Grynaeus/H. Hoblein/S. Münster, 1532

354. globe, Johannes Schöner, 1533

356. Recens, Et Integra Orbis Descriptio . . ., Oronce Fine, 1534

357. Paris Wooden Globe, (1535)

358. (globe gores), anonymous, 1535

359. globe gores, Georg Hartmann, 1535

363. Nancy Globe, (1535)

364. Nova Integra . . ., Caspar Vopell, 1536

367. Regionis Orbis, Euphrosyne Ulpius, 1542

367A. Regionis Orbis, Euphrosyne Ulpius, 1542

368. Chart of the Gulf of Mexico, 1540

369. map of North America and West Indies, Jean Rotz, 1542

372. world map, Sebastian Cabot, 1544

372B. world map, detail: Pacific Ocean, Sebastian Cabot, 1544

372D. world map, detail: North America, Sebastian Cabot, 1544

372G. world map, detail: Eastern Hemisphere, Sebastian Cabot, 1544

373. Harleian Map, detail: east coast of North America, Pierre Descelier or Jean Rotz ?, 1544

378C. Dauphin Map, detail: North America, Pierre Descelier, 1546

381. Die Nüw Welt , Sebastian Münster, 1546

390. Western Hemisphere by Michael Tramezius, 1554

391. Lafreri Atlas, North America, Bolognino Zaltieri, 1556

395. Brazil/Patagonia, Diogo Homen, 1558

395.2. Brazil/Patagonia, detail: indians, Diogo Homen ,1558

396. "A Complete & Perfect Map Describing the Whole World", Haggi Ahmed ,1559

406. Nova Et Aucta Orbis Terrae Descriptio Ad Usum Navigantium emendate . . ., Gerard Mercator, 1569

406B. Nova Et Aucta Orbis Terrae . . ., detail: North America, Gerard Mercator, 1569

406E. Outline drawing, of Mercator world map of 1569

407. Septentrionalium terrarum descriptio (polar), Gerard Mercator, 1595

410A. Maris Pacifici. . ., Abraham Ortelius, 1589

418A. General Map of the Arctic Regions showing parts of North America . . ., Dr. John Dee, 1582

418A. A General Map of the Arctic Regions . . ., detail, North America), Dr. John Dee, 1582

419. North America, Michael Lok, 1582

420. Europe, Deutecum, 1584

431. Floridæa Americæa Provinciae . . .descriptio, Jacques LeMoyne/ deBry, 1590

435. Hemispheriu Ab Aequinoctiali Linea, Ad Circulu Poli Arctici . . .Poli Atarctici, Cornelius de Jode, 1593

435A. Hemispheriu Ab Aequinoctiali Linea, . . .detail: North America, Cornelius de Jode, 1593

436. South America, A.F. Langren/ Linschoten, 1595

441. world map, Matteo Ricci, 1602

452. Europa, Harmen Jansz[oon] en Marten, 1610

458. globe, Western Hemisphere (Chinese), Nicolo Lombardi/ Manual Dias, 1623

461. North America, Henry Briggs, 1625

464. world map, John Speed, 1627

464.6 America, John Speed, 1626

490.1 Terrestrial Globe, Shibukawa Harumi,1690


Modern Maps


Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection - Maps of the Americas - a regionally and alphabetically arranged collection of low, medium, and high resolution maps (shaded relief, political, reference) of the North, South and Central America and the Caribbean, with most of them being of CIA vintage. Some of the maps are in zoomable PDF format.


Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection - World City Maps - An alphabetical listing map images of the capitals and major cities in world including those in the Caribbean. Images files are low to high resolution. However, these maps issued by the U.S. Department of State are, in many cases, dated and inaccurate and are kept online by the PCL because in many cases they represent the only maps of these cities available on the Internet. For alternative source of world city maps, see Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection - City Map Sites - as an supplementary listing of online world city maps.


Lonely Planet Destinations - Choose Region (Americas) and then country. When the page is served click the country listed on the right. On next appearing click the icon or "Click here" in the "View Map" section found on the right side near the bottom portion of the page.


MapQuest - World Altas - MapQuest provides clickable maps and drop down menus by which you may select low resolution map images of the continent, region, country, or U. S. state. You can also begin by selecting from their complete alphabetical listing of maps. You can e-mail maps to others.


Geography - Merriam-Webster's Atlas - Select a country and a page will be served with a political map and associated country information to the right of the map.


Maps.com - The most effective way to search this site is to do a place name search on the home page. When the place name page is served click one of the maps listed under online resources. Clicking outline maps yields only regional maps.Choice found under other headings (wall maps, digital maps, etc.) will present unviewable or unusable map images . These maps are for purchase only. This site worth exploring for other map and mapping needs.


Calabash Skyviews.Com - This site provides downloadabel, usable, low resolution road maps for a number of Caribbean islands.


National Geographic - Xpeditions Atlas - National Geographic provides low resolution GIF images, enlargeable GIF images and PDF files of maps of contintents and countries in the world. Maps are selected by using drop down menus and clickable maps of continents and countries. A customization feature allows users to determine the amount of detail in the map. The choices, detailed and basic and border on or off, yield, depending on choice made, maps with place names and borders, place names without borders, vice versa or a blank outline of the country and continent.


MSN Learning and Reference - Map Center - The Map Center offers a clickable and zoomable globe as well as the ability ot select a region or country from a drop down menu. The GIF images are downloadable and are enlargeable in a graphics program such as Adobe Photoshop.


Caribbean-On-Line-Caribbean Island Maps - This site is a good source for viewing country, city and detailed city area maps online only. Maps on this site are designed for viewing online and as a incentive to purchase high resolution digital or paper maps. Downloaded maps are of very low resolution and place names and other map details are to small to view.


ReliefWeb - Map Search - ReliefWeb is the worldıs premier electronic clearinghouse for those needing timely information on humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters ­ designed specifically to help the humanitarian community improve its response to emergencies.



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