Summer Reading has begun with this year’s theme of Color Our World. Being a bit literal-minded, this made me think of the many colorful maps available of our world, where to find them, and even coloring in some of my own. For library cardholders, there are two online map resources, AtoZ the World, opens a new window and CultureGrams, opens a new window, linked on the History & Culture, opens a new window webpage, and a third online map resource, Sanborn Insurance Maps, opens a new window, linked on the Genealogy, opens a new window webpage.
AtoZ the World, opens a new window is provided by PLYMC and provides a wide variety of maps for each country, such as:
- Political Map where the country is all one color and a darker colored line shows the boundaries of provinces and states.
- Provinces Map has each province or state in a different color.
- Physical Map where colors are used to indicate different geographic features, such as blue for water (rivers and lakes), shades of brown for higher elevations (mountains and hills) and green for lower elevations with lots of vegetation (forests and plains).
- Natural Earth Map uses color shading for elevation and more clearly shows geographic features, such as mountains.
- Population Map indicates population density through colors.
- Precipitation Map indicates rainfall distribution through shades of blue.
- Temperature Map shows temperature distribution through color shading, with red and orange for warmer areas shading to yellow and green for cooler areas and into blue and purple for the coldest regions.
- Outline Map which can be printed and then enjoy coloring it any way you prefer
- Outline with Provinces Map which again can be printed and colored by you
- Antique Maps – here you will find a varying selection of old-style maps for each country, where you can see how boundaries changed over time.
When you open this resource, you can either click on a county on the map or click on a country’s name from the Select Country by List. Then, just scroll down and click on Maps.
CultureGrams, opens a new window is provided to all Ohio residents by the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN). When you open CultureGrams, there are 4 versions to view:
- In the World Edition, when you view a country, clicking on the map image will immediately open a printable PDF detailed outline map.
- The Kids Edition provides both a colored detailed map and black-and-white outline map for each country.
- The States Edition provides 3 maps: a colored detailed map, black-and-white outline map, and black-and-white county map.
- The Provinces Edition provides the choice of a colored detailed map and a black-and-white outline map.
In addition, all 4 editions, you can also print a black-and-white outlined flag which you can then color yourself.
Sanborn Insurance Maps, opens a new window, provided to all Ohio residents by OPLIN, are historical maps of cities which were used for determining fire insurance liability. To understand these maps, see this instructional page, opens a new window provided by the Library of Congress. While this has only black-and-white versions of historic Ohio Sanborn city maps, here are 3 links which provide access to colored Sanborn Maps:
- Library of Congress Sanborn Maps, opens a new window
- Cleveland Public Library Sanborn Maps, opens a new window
- Kent State University Open Access Kent Sanborn Collection, opens a new window
There are also many sites to find maps freely available online, such as:
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides historic and current Topographic Quadrangle Maps, opens a new window of all areas of the U.S.
Mahoning County Government has:
- GIS (Geographic Information System) map, opens a new window viewable online only
- Highway maps, opens a new window from 1860 though the present
- Auditor, opens a new window property search map, opens a new window
Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is a great choice for those interested in locating mines in Ohio:
- Known Abandoned Underground Mines of Ohio, opens a new window
- Abandoned Underground Mines-Mahoning County, opens a new window
- Ohio Mines Locator, opens a new window
Google tools:
Have fun looking at the colorful maps of our world and enjoy coloring your own maps this summer! For more on how to use these resources, you can always receive one-on-one help from a librarian by calling 330-744-8636, emailing ASK@libraryvisit.org, opens a new window or visiting any library, opens a new window.
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