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Geography and the Environment

Find Maps

Maps are essential tools for students studying geography and the environment at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. They provide visual representations of spatial data, helping you understand and analyze geographical patterns, relationships, and trends. Whether you are working on urban planning, environmental management, climate studies, or any other area within geography, maps can offer valuable insights and support your research.

For human geography students, maps can be particularly useful for visualizing data related to urban planning, population distribution, economic activities, and cultural landscapes. You might look for maps that show zoning areas, demographic patterns, transportation networks, and land use.

For physical geography students, maps are invaluable for studying natural features and processes. You can find topographic maps, climate maps, geological surveys, and hydrological maps. These resources will help you analyze terrain, weather patterns, geological formations, and water resources.

 

Statistics in Map Format

Maps by Type

  • Atlas of Canada
  • iMapBC 2.0  - Use the new version of iMapBC to view thousands of map datasets in an interactive mapping environment: to put together map layers of interest; to upload your own map data; and to produce maps that can be printed or emailed to others.
  • Outline Maps - These maps can be printed or copied for personal or classroom use.
  • World Atlas.com
  • Library of Congress: Cities and Towns - features over 3,000 digitized maps of cities and towns. While the majority of these maps portray U.S. cities, the collection also includes maps of cities in China, Brazil, Canada, and a handful of other countries. The collection includes real estate maps, atlases, and much more. Among the many treasures in this collection are: a colorful 1589 map of St. Augustine, Florida created by Baptista Boazio; a plan for the city of New Orleans, drafted up by Jacques Nicolas Bellin in 1764; and an 1896 atlas of New York from the Metropolitan Street Railway Company.
  • Atlas of the Historical  Geography of the United States - a digital version of a wonderful historical atlas: Charles O. Paullin and John K. Wright's 1932 Atlas of Historical Geography of the United States. Reproducing nearly 700 maps, this digitization project has enhanced the original collection and added the dramatic functionality of 21st century technology, including an amazing zoom feature.
  • Native-Land - Enter your address, or click around on the map to see the relevant Indigenous traditional territories in a location. Once you click, a number of links will appear with different nation names. By clicking on those links, you will be taken to a page specifically about that nation, language, or treaty, where you can view some sources, give feedback, and learn a little more.
  • Persuasive Cartography - "maps intended primarily to reinforce opinions or beliefs - to send or reinforce messages - rather than to communicate objective geographic information."   Site includes over 800 maps, and shows how maps have been used throughout history for a variety of political, cultural, and satirical purposes. 
  •  Statistics Canada and OpenStreetMap initiative to crowdsource information on buildings in Canada

 

  • Old Maps Online - Type a location into the search box and find maps of the past.  For example, entering Abu Dhabi returns dozens of maps dating back to the 18th century, including a beautiful Map of Persia compiled by the British War Office in 1891.
  • Maps that Changed Our World - A selection of maps, chosen from the Library of Congress collection that illustrate specific points when there was a "distinct shift in how the world was perceived and which ultimately lead to how we see the world today".

 

Guide to determine the age of an undated world map

Sites of Interest

Google Earth