Library of Congress
Geography and Maps
Exhibitions and Presentations
Multimedia resources from the Library of Congress that support instruction about geography and maps. These resources include expert presentations, exhibitions, bibliographies, Webcasts, and other online materials.
- The Atlantic World: The Dutch in America (International) Learn about Dutch involvement in the exploration and settlement of North America. This collection includes a variety of maps This collection includes a variety of maps.
- Atlas sive Cosmographicae (Rare Books) Browse the pages of Mercator's 1595 atlas which includes 107 colored maps.
- The Battle of the Bulge: Interactive Timeline (Presentation) This unique presentation uses U.S. Army situation maps to illustrate this famous WWII battle. Your students will enjoy the interactivity and the historical expertise shared by Library of Congress curators.
- Cartographic Formation of The North American Continent (Exhibition)This animated presentation depicts the emerging European world view of North America from the time of Columbus through the late 1700s.
- Conservation and Environment Maps (American Memory Collection) The maps in this section of Maps Collections show early exploration and subsequent land use in various areas of the United States.
- Country Profiles (International) Link to information on a country’s historical background, geography, society, economy, transportation and telecommunications, government and politics, and national security.
- Country Studies (International) Click on a continent to locate online versions of country handbooks published as part of the Country Study/Area Handbook series.
- Exploring the Early Americas: The Jay I. Kislak Collection (Exhibition) This exhibition examines indigenous cultures, the drama of the encounters between Native Americans and Europeans, and the changes caused by the meeting of the two worlds. Rare maps are featured throughout the exhibition.
- Fill Up the Canvas...Rivers of Words: Exploring with Lewis and Clark (Online Activity) Experience Lewis and Clark's journey westward through words, images, maps and other documents.
- France in America (International) This collaborative digital library explores the history of the French presence in North America from the first decades of the 16th century to the end of the 19th century.
Search this collection using the term "maps".
- Geography and Maps: An Illustrated Guide (Presentation) Learn about the Geography and Map Division collections in this online guide.
- George Washington: Surveyor and Mapmaker (Presentation) Learn about George Washington's lifelong association with geography and cartography.
- Guide to Washington, D.C. (Library of Congress Bibliography) This guide consists of materials relating to the history of Washington, D.C. from the Library of Congress sites and other related web sites. Maps are featured in this section.
- Historias Paralelas: Parallel Histories (International) Examine the history of Spanish expansion into North America in this international multimedia portal. Search this collection using the term "maps."
- History of Mapping the Civil War (Presentation) This article was reproduced from the book - Civil War Maps: An Annotated List of Maps and Atlases in the Library of Congress - compiled by Richard W. Stephens.
- Hotchkiss Map Collection This collection features 119 documents—from maps to newspapers to cultural artifacts - related to the inclusion of Louisiana into the nation.
- Immigration (Presentation) Observe the building of a nation. Click the globe for each ethnic group for a map of migration across the United States.
- Indian Land Cessions in the United States, 1784-1894 (Presentation) Locate maps and tables by date, tribe and state/territory in this Century of Lawmaking presentation of United States Serial Set, Number 4015.
- Language of the Land: Journeys Into Literary America (Exhibition) This exhibition offers an excursion into American literature through literary maps, photographs and quotations from works by American authors.
- Library of Congress Primary Sources by State The extensive collections at the Library of Congress contain historic artifacts and cultural materials from across the U.S. Click on the map to view selected items from each state.
- Los Angeles Mapped (Exhibition) Examine maps as a guide to Los Angeles history.
- Louisiana: European Explorations and the Louisiana Purchase This collection features 119 documents—from maps to newspapers to cultural artifacts - related to the inclusion of Louisiana into the nation.
- Map of the British Plantations on the Continent of North America - (Document) This 1750s map includes colonial histories in the margins.
- Mapping the National Parks (Presentation) View the special presentations on Acadia, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains and Yellowstone National Parks.
- Mapping the West (Exhibition) This animated presentation shows the routes of various expeditions from Lewis and Clark to the 1850s railroad surveys.
- Maps in Our Lives (Exhibition) The maps in this exhibition explore surveying, cartography, geodesy, and geographic information systems.
- Meeting of Frontiers (International) This collaborative collection explores the comparative history of Russian expansion, American expansion westward, and the meeting of the Russian-America frontier in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. A variety of maps are highlighted throughout the site.
- National Atlas of the United States (Document) This 1970 atlas is full of hundreds of maps. Compare these with maps in the 1870 statistical atlas.
- Places in the News (Presentation) Link to maps related to current events. Explore the Archives for previous maps.
- Rivers, Edens, Empires (Exhibition) This online exhibition and virtual tour feature Lewis and Clark maps and other resources documenting westward exploration.
- Sources for the Lewis and Clark Expedition Maps of 1803 and 1814 (Exhibition) This animated presentation shows how King's 1804 map was developed and how the 1814 map became the landmark product of the expedition.
- State Digital Resources: Memory Projects, Online Encyclopedias, Historical and Cultural Materials Collections (Internet Resources) Link to state and regional digital projects that provide free access to primary sources that document local and regional growth and development as well as a look at the cultures and traditions that makes them unique.
- Waldseemuller 1507 Map of the World (Presentation) This was the first map to depict a separate Western Hemisphere, with the Pacific as a separate ocean. It was the first known document to name America.
- Zoom Into Maps (Presentations) Using historic maps from the Library of Congress, help students understand what maps can tell us.