President Obama Receives National Geographic Map Cabinet

This is "one gift I will definitely keep," President Obama said when he was presented with a National Geographic Society map cabinet at the White House.

Visit the NATGEO NEWS WATCH Blog by News Editor David Braun for the full story:
http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2009/06/obama-receives-national-geographic-maps.html












Photos courtesy of The White House

College Students Win National Geographic Map Awards

As college campuses across the country close for summer recess, we know of a few students heading home that are perhaps a little happier because their maps earned awards. National Geographic sponsors several map awards
(see http://natgeomaps.com/mapawards) to reward student innovation—so far six students have won this year:

Ben Coakley, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Scheduled Service on Small Airlines in Canada, Summer 2008.
Daniel Huffman, University of Wisconsin-Madison,
Rising Skyline: The Tallest Buildings in Europe, 1875-2007.

Mathieu Noble, Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS), Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), King of Coal.




Wes Jones, Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS), Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens.
Cindy Prostak, Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS), Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Gregg Verutes, San Diego State University, Health, Poverty and Place in Accra, Ghana.

Check out http://natgeomaps.com/mapawards for more information and updates.

NG Maps Produces Online Geotourism Atlas for Greater Yellowstone

National Geographic’s Maps Division and Center for Sustainable Destinations teamed up to produce the first NG-developed Online Geotourism MapGuide to support sustainable tourism across the Greater Yellowstone region of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.

The site, http://www.yellowstonegeotourism.org/, which launched on March 31st, is open to anyone to discover and share information about unique features, tours, and businesses that best represent and sustain the natural and cultural character of the region. Visitors can also request a free print MapGuide.

Geotourism is the kind of travel that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place — its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. Online Geotourism MapGuides are web versions of the print maps that National Geographic has developed for a number of regions around the world, including Crown of the Continent, Baja California, and Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom to name a few.

In addition to producing print and/or web maps, these projects bring together diverse representatives from the local communities to collectively define what makes their region special and how best to communicate it to the rest of the world. NG Maps is excited to participate in these projects that help travelers and local communities discover and preserve special places around the world. Anyone interested in developing a Geotourism MapGuide for their region, or simply becoming a “Geotraveler” should visit http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable/.

To Earth with Love :: Take 20% off all World Maps!

Show your love for Mother Earth this Earth Day! For the month of April, take 20% off our entire line of World maps. All proceeds from the sale will go to support the Society’s many worldly causes. Use code EARTHLOVE09.

Take 20% off All World Maps!
1. Visit natgeomaps.com/vip
2. Register with your email address and the code above in the "New Member Registration" area.
3. Enter the required information and create an account.
BUY NOW ›

Supersize Your Map!

Did you know that three of our most popular wall maps are available as murals?

These super-sized maps will enhance any office, den, kid's room, school, boardroom, hallway or public space. They're approximately 9 feet wide by 6 feet high.

The murals come as three durable latex-coated panels which are hung like wallpaper. Directions are included.

Details and purchase info here.

This Spring Break - Head to the Yucatan! :: We've Got Your Map

While the weather here at the National Geographic maps offices in Colorado has been unseasonably warm, many cities throughout the country have seen record cold temperatures, feet of snow, torrential rain, and even a few rare February tornadoes. If you're one of the poor souls tired of walking past cold windy alleys, digging your car out from behind the snowplow berm, or excited when "spring fever" means 37 degrees - then turn your attention south to Mexico and the lush Yucatan Peninsula.

The Yucatan offers something for every tourist. For the resort set, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and the rest of the Riviera Maya offer 5-star hotels, white sand beaches, warm Caribbean waters, and plenty of nightlife, restaurants, and bars to shake off your mid-winter chills. Those that enjoy a more adventurous vacation will find the Maya sites scattered throughout the peninsula (easily accessible via numerous tour agencies) an alluring attraction with their incredible architecture and historical significance.

In the case you're still undecided on the Yucatan as your spring break destination here are a few other compelling reasons:

* Current temperature in Cancun (11am, 2.27.09) = 79 degrees. Current temperature in Boston = 35 degrees.

* Current water temperature off the coast of Cancun = 78 degrees.

* $1.00 currently equivalent to 14.98 (MXN Pesos)

* Roundtrip airfare from Boston to Cancun the weekend of March 13th, $358.

Now that you're ready to start packing your bags and making the clicks to purchase hotel and airfare, make sure you pick up a copy of our brand new Northern Yucatan Peninsula and Maya Sites Adventure Map. At just $11.95, this is the perfect companion for your trip for both pre-trip planning and in-country navigation.

The front side of the map contains a carefully researched and detailed road layer with hundreds of place names, including the small rural towns that are scattered throughout the peninsula. Two inset maps provide street level detail for Merida and Cancun and include the locations of key infrastructure like post offices, hospitals, and bus stations, but also popular points of interest like parks and museums. Adventure travelers will benefit with the locations of prime snorkeling, surfing, and fishing spots plus Maya historical sites and federal and state protected lands.

The map's reverse contains a detailed guide to (7) of the most popular Maya Sites, complete with inset maps that highlight points of interest at each location. A cool new feature noted on this map are Maya sites with TekTrek multimedia destination guides available for download. These immersive audio and video programs include information on the history and significance of the sites and how to support local sustainability efforts. Sites detailed on the back of the map include: Chichen Itza, Ek' Balam, Tulum, El Rey, Uxmal, Coba', and San Gervasio. Downloadable TekTrek guides are available at their website.

Our new Yucatan map is available now at the NG Online Store and directly from National Geographic Maps. To place an order call 800.962.1643 Mon-Fri between 8:00am and 5:00pm mountain time.

To learn more and browse our Yucatan map - visit it's page on our website.

Quality

At National Geographic we've always prided ourselves on the quality of our cartography. But there's another factor that plays into the quality of our maps, and that is manufacturing.

National Geographic Maps production manager Dutch Holland accepts a "Benny" -- one of the printing industry's highest honors -- for the six-by-four-foot United States Executive map. The presentation was made by Janet Green, head of the board of Printing Industries of America and Graphic Arts Technical Foundation at a recent Premier Print Awards gala in Chicago. Dutch supervised the printing of the map done by National Print Group in Chattanooga, Tenn. The 70 "Benny" winners were chosen from a field of 5,200 entrants. NatGeo's Production Services VP Hans Wegner said maps are among "the most difficult thing to print well, and the primary reason our maps always look good is that we have Dutch at press side." 

Experience National Geographic in London

National Geographic has opened a Flagship Store on London's Regent Street. Of course, there are lots of maps, globes and atlases for sale along with apparel, African crafts, optics and much more. There's a cafe, event space, and the store is flush with video and more to make your visit an immersive experience. A second store will open next month in Singapore.


Retail Week: National Geographic opens on Regent Street, London from Retail Week on Vimeo.

National Geographic Maps Baja California

Snow is starting to fall throughout the U.S. and Canada and with it interest quickly peaks in warmer climates. While the economy has made it less attractive to board a flight to the Mediterranean or other far-flung exotic destinations, Mexico remains tangible for even the most frugal and depending on your location could be just minutes away.

Located on the Northwest corner of Mexico is the Baja Peninsula, over 700 miles in length from the U.S. border to its southern terminus in Cabo San Lucas. Highly diverse, the peninsula contains forests, deserts, agricultural valleys, and a vast coastline with rugged cliffs, protected coves, and hundreds of miles of unmolested sand beaches.

Baja offers a variey of experiences for travelers. Those seeking luxury resorts will find the Los Cabos resort corridor with its Nicklaus designed golf courses and lavish resorts an ideal destination. The Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) at San Jose del Cabo is located just a few miles north of Cabo san Lucas and is serviced with direct flights from Frontier, Alaska Airlines, America West, Continental, Delta, and Mexicana Airlines.

Those seeking a more adventurous, off-the-beaten path experience need only hit the road on MX-1 the main highway which runs the length of the peninsula. This is a drive of a lifetime and is not the typical American road trip. You can easily bridge hours and hundreds of miles in the central portions of the peninsula without seeing a convenience store, let alone a place to stop for gas. With it though comes incredible beauty and the rare opportunity to explore a region of the Earth that is still virgin to over commercialization.


Surfers consider Baja one of the premier destinations in the Western Hemisphere. The Seven Sisters a stretch of seven right point breaks from Punta Cono to Punta Rosarito just north of the Baja California / Baja California Sur state line offer incredible surfing in the winter months with strong west or northwest swells. One of the best things about surfing in Baja is the quantity of great locations and the ability to break free of the crowds with just a little exploration.


Baja is of worldwide importance to marine wildlife as well. Surrounding the peninsula on both the Pacific Ocean side as well as the Gulf of California are a series of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and protected areas. Most notably the El Vizcaino Gray Whale Sanctuary on the western coast of Baja California Sur (mid-peninsula) contains two lagoons, Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio, which serve as key wintering and reproduction areas for Gray Whales, Harbour Seals, Elephant Seals, Blue Whales, and four species of endangered sea turtles.

For the past several months National Geographic cartographers in cooperation with local government, the Nature Conservancy of Mexico, UNESCO, and local experts have been carefully researching and developing a series of two new Adventure Maps for Baja California, which are now available. The two maps, Baja California and Baja California Sur, combine highly detailed topography with up-to-date roads and the locations of key points of interest. Unlike other maps of the peninsula, each of our new Baja maps contain extensive place and feature names, backroads, historical places , and important service features (such as gas and diesel stations). Mexicali, Tijuana, Ensenada, La Paz, Cabo San Lucas, San Jose' Del Cabo, and the Los Cabos Resort Corridor are detailed in inset maps that pinpoint post offices, churches, government facilities, and popular tourist destinations.

Having traveled to Baja on several occasions via car, cruise ship, and plane I recall using a variety of guide books and the now out-of-print AAA map. Obviously I'm a bit biased, but these maps are amazing and are perfect examples of National Geographic quality. Should you be one of the 200,ooo expected in Baja next week for the Baja 1000, be sure to look for our friends at Too Much Fun Promotions (Armando Carrasco) in Ensenada or in the pits at race mile 108.

Our new Baja maps are available at the National Geographic Online store and at retailers in Mexico and of course closer to home.

:: Learn More About Baja ::

Looking for a bit more on Baja? Check out these articles from our Adventure and Traveler magazines:

Preserving Baja's Coastal Treasures from National Geographic Traveler's award-winning Intelligent Travel Blog. "Is Baja on the Block?" looks at how the spread of tourism and development is threatening the integrity of Baja California in Mexico. Here, he introduces some of the people trying to help sustain the marine heritage of the region. See the original article in this month's issue of National Geographic Traveler.

The Baja Blueprint from National Geographic Adventure

It's Geography Awareness Week!

National Geographic invites budding explorers on a seven-day "tour" of the marvelous cultures and natural wonders of the Americas during Geography Awareness Week 2008, Nov. 16-22. Geography Awareness Week is part of Geography Action!, an annual conservation and awareness program for schools and students in grades K through 12, designed to educate and excite youngsters about the world's natural, cultural and historic treasures.

Visit our Geography Action! and My Wonderful World web sites for more information, activities and teacher resources.

Coincident with Geography Awareness Week is GIS Day on November 19th. GIS Day provides an international forum for users of geographic information systems (GIS) technology to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in our society.