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Maps of Continents,

 

Africa Map

Egypt Map
world map
This colorful world map depicts six continents and their countries.
Cartography is the art and science of graphically depicting a geographic area, usually on a flat-surfaced map.  Nations, states, and cities, as well as roads, railroads, and other man-made features, are also shown on some maps.

Because the earth's surface is a curved geoid (approximating a sphere), a spherical globe most accurately represents it.  However, cartographers have designed various map projections that depict the surface of the earth on flat maps, and modern mapmakers use aerial photographs for accuracy.

Antarctica

Asia

China
Japan
Middle East

Australia

Europe

Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Norway
Russia
Sweden
United Kingdom

North America

Canada
Caribbean
Central America
Mexico
United States

South America

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Our world is awash with maps.  For more than five hundred years, surveyors and cartographers have been measuring and documenting the surface of our planet, and they have accurately recorded their findings graphically, on documents called "maps."  We have maps of airports, zoos, and just about everything in between.

In fact, maps and geographic information systems (GIS) have become integral parts of our busy, modern-day lives.  No one knows how many maps are published each year, but the United States federal government is the most prolific cartographer in the world.  More than 3 dozen federal agencies are involved in some aspect of map-making, and the twelve largest map-making agencies distribute more than 160 million copies of their maps each year, at a cost of about half a billion dollars!  During the 1990s, the world's largest non-government map-maker, Rand McNally, sold up to 400 million maps per year, in the form of printed maps, atlases, and globes.  The 50-million member American Automobile Association (AAA) distributes over 50 million of its state, regional, and local maps each year, and provides online maps through its TripTik® service.  Other map sources include state and local tourism offices as well as oil companies and foreign embassies.  Around the world, there are many other map-makers, who produce anywhere from a handful of maps to hundreds of maps each year for general audiences or specific uses.  In recent years, the Internet has spawned a variety of online map services such as MapQuest and Google Maps.  It is safe to say that over a half-billion map copies are published per annum in the USA, and the types of information being mapped are virtually limitless.

There are good reasons for our preoccupation with maps.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a map may be worth thousands of words.  A printed map, perhaps 3 to 6 square feet in size, can contain thousands of pieces of information about a great number of topics, making it an efficient medium for storing and presenting information.  But we use maps for more reasons than the data they present.  Some people simply enjoy reading maps.  Others find it fun and fascinating to curl up with a good map and get some perspective on life — to figure out where they are, where they're planning to go, or where they have been.  For many, maps are works of art, to frame and display on a wall.  Some antique maps, prized by collectors, truly are works of art, with price tags to match.

The links on Map-Menu.com display maps of the continents and selected countries on planet Earth, as well as relevant geographical information, tourism highlights, and travel photos, to help our visitors better understand the world they live in.

 
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