Cuba on My Mind - Part II : Hitting the Geographic Jackpot

I have been assigned the task of researching and compiling our forthcoming map of Cuba. During the early stages of my research, I hit the cartographic jackpot—the possibility of two new provinces forming in 2011. Not only were we going to be publishing a map of Cuba for the first time since 1906, we were also going to be among the first to showcase its new administrative structure. This is considered an exciting event for cartographers here at the National Geographic. Why? Because before any element is mapped, we need to assure that it portrays the most up-to-date information.

My first stop was Cuba’s official government website. Unfortunately, it was a bit difficult to navigate, especially since the English version of the site was “under construction.” My next stop was the Cuban Embassy—well, not exactly since Cuba and the U.S. have not had formal diplomatic relations since 1961. But there is the Cuban Interests Section embedded within the Embassy of Switzerland here in Washington. It was there that I was able to obtain the official document (Gaceta Oficial de la Republica de Cuba, No. 023) spelling out the upcoming changes to Cuba’s new administrative divisions—Artemisa and Mayabeque provinces.

As Cuba is organized administratively by province and municipality, we were able to delineate the new provincial boundaries pretty easily by using a map of municipalities contained in the most recent Nuevo Atlas Nacional de Cuba. In the latter stages of my research I was able to reconfirm the delineation of these boundaries with the Cuban statistics office, La Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas, as they were now providing statistics for these two new provinces.

Now I have to keep abreast of the deepwater oil exploration off the northern coast of Cuba. If possible, we would like our map to also showcase the location of such prospective oil fields.

—Julie A. Ibinson
Map Researcher & Editor
National Geographic Maps

The Geographer's Blog: Cuba on My Mind

New and Complete Map of Cuba, supplement to National Geographic magazine, October 1906; NG Maps.

Since our first post, this blog has addressed the history of cartography at National Geographic, geographic names (toponyms), and even the cartographic exploits of James Abbott McNeill Whistler, the American artist best known for the painting "Whistler's Mother." I hope that these topics have proven of interest to some if not all of you. But what we have not addressed is the personal more intimate side of cartography here at the Society.

Unquestionably, National Geographic is the place to be if you love the science as well as the art of mapmaking. Our production schedules are full of stimulating and challenging projects that often test our knowledge of the cartographic profession. Once in a while, we will be assigned a project so close and near to our hearts that it becomes an overriding passion. Several months ago, I was given such an assignment—a large format (36" x 24") political map of Cuba.

The last time the Society published such a map was in October 1906! Those of you in the exiled Cuban community, both in the U.S. and abroad, know the significance of this map. Anyone who has visited Miami's Little Havana, Tampa's Ybor City, or even Union City, New Jersey, can't avoid seeing maps of Cuba painted on walls, plastered on windows, or even printed on the sides of grocery bags.

Read more:

Maps of the News - December 2009 Edition -

Since our inception as a division of the National Geographic Society in 1915, National Geographic Maps (originally the Cartographic Division) has routinely published maps that illustrate the news of the world. Our first supplement map, which appeared in the May 1918 issue of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, titled the Western Theatre of War, served as a useful reference for overseas military personnel and soldier's families alike. Similarly our February 1967 map of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, and recently, our Iraq and the Heart of the Middle East titles filled similar roles.

Maps are an excellent tool for the newshound, providing an accurate sense of place to issues local and abroad. To assist those that are interested in further understanding global news stories through good maps - we're pleased to announce a new monthly feature here on Contours that will highlight maps pertinent to today's news stories.

:: December 2009, Maps of the News ::

Afghanistan and Pakistan. Revised in Fall of 2009, this political map of the region contains thousands of place names, ideal for following news stories and deployed family members. Like all National Geographic cartography, our new Afghanistan and Pakistan map was carefully researched and edited and contains thousands of place names.

Iraq, Iran and the Middle East. This region dominates daily news stories. Our Middle East wall map covers over 18 nations in the region including: Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and more.

Philippines. Follow the recent eruption of the Mayon volcano in the Philippines, with our Asia classic and executive style wall maps for the continent.

Vancouver and the Winter Olympics. A detailed city guide, perfect for global travelers attending the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Brazil and the Summer Olympics. As Brazil enters the limelight and begins preparations for the 2012 Summer Olympic games in Rio, our Brazil wall map makes an ideal addition to your map collection. Completed in the summer of 2009, this large 41" x 41" wall map is one of the most detailed maps available for the country.

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.

Giant Traveling Maps, Oh My!

A giant National Geographic map of North America, measuring 26 feet by 35 feet, is traveling to schools, museums and festivals across the country this year, giving student explorers a geographic experience like no other. The National Geographic Giant Traveling Map brings with it rich content and exciting activities to enliven the study of geography, making it a fun, interactive experience.

The North American map is the third in National Geographic's Giant Traveling Map series. Africa began touring in 2006, followed by Asia in 2007. In the 2008-09 school year, more than 90,000 U.S. students will have the unique experience of walking on a National Geographic Giant Traveling Map.

The new giant map, designed for grades K-8, tours with a trunk full of accessories, including interactive games, geography adventures, atlases and books that teach students about the physical characteristics of North America as well as its rich history and varied cultures. 

Some of the activities included are "A Tale of Twenty Cities," in which students explore the physical and economic reasons behind the locations of North American cities, and "Grocery Store Geography," in which bean-bag-tossing skills are called upon to test students' knowledge of where foods are produced in the continent.

To learn more about the Giant Traveling Map project, for borrowing information, or to download map activities, visit ngsednet.org/giantmaps.

Map Projection

This corny school film from the 40s does a pretty good job of introducing the concept of map projection - the art of translating the round Earth to a flat piece of paper.

Ironically, at the time of this film most schools displayed maps using the Mercator projection. This projection was created for maps that would show shipping channels and was never suited for use as a general use political or physical world map.

All projections involve some distortion, whether of shape, land mass, or distance; generally all three. Thus choice of projection is based on the area depicted, the purpose and desired aesthetics of the map.

National Geographic currently employs the Winkel Tripel projection for all our world maps.

For teachers, a lesson plan on projections is here.

Framed and Mounted Maps

A framed or mounted wall map can make a great gift. There are several retailers who offer our maps enhanced in this fashion.

The National Geographic Online Store has a nice selection of framed NG maps.

Maps.com, 4 Corners Maps, McMaps.com, Omnimap and SwiftMaps offer mounted NG maps as described below:


Art.com has a number of framing and mounting options for NG maps.

And if you are in the vicinity of a Sportsman's Warehouse store, they stock our Classic World, Executive World and Executive USA mounted maps.

Looking for a map-related gift?

If you're a member of Costco, Sam's Club or BJ's Wholesale, look for the National Geographic Deluxe Map Collection.

It's a boxed set of 30 reference maps, including the world, continents, and selected countries, regions, space and thematic titles.

NGS Sponsors New Mountaineering Museum

National Geographic is a sponsor of the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum, which will open in Golden, Colorado next February.

Through historical artifacts, visual and tactile experiences, and multimedia exhibits, the museum will inspire and educate the visitor about mountaineering, how and why mountaineers climb, and the mountains themselves. Portions of the exhibit will be devoted to international themes such as mountain cultures and sacred mountains, regional themes like Colorado's climbing history and the 10th Mountain Division, and global concepts like conservation and safety in mountain environments. The museum will also serve to honor the accomplishments of both its namesake, Bradford Washburn, and the many American mountaineers who followed in his pioneering footsteps.

Brad Washburn was not only a mountaineer and explorer, but a great cartographer. Washburn was project director for our topographic map of Mt. Everest (pictured below) and announced the revised elevation of Everest measured by an expedition co-sponsored by the Society in 1999.


The museum's gift shop will open November 23rd, so if you're in the Denver area consider stopping by. You'll find some of our map products for sale there.

Washburn was perhaps best known for his exploration of Alaska:

Our Newest World Map - Back to the Future

World Hemispheres

National Geographic’s new World Hemispheres map draws its inspiration from some of the classic National Geographic world maps of the 1930s and 1940s.

While most modern world maps show the world as a whole, the hemispheres map was designed by NG Maps using a projection that separates the Eastern and Western hemispheres.

This unique projection shows continents and regions in truer proportion to each other than most other map projections are able to achieve. The map features updated, modern cartography and an elegant earth-tone color palette.

December 1935

NG Maps produced its first hemisphere world map for the December 1935 NGM. The map was created under the tutelage of chief cartographer James Darley and designed by Charles E. Riddiford. It featured insets that showed views of the Earth’s “Land Hemisphere” and its “Water Hemisphere” as well as insets showing the world’s time zones. It also listed some facts about the Earth, including its polar and equatorial diameters; its total area (196,950,284 square miles); the mass of the atmosphere, water, ice, lithosphere; and the total mass of the Earth.

December 1941

The 1935 map was followed by an updated version in December 1941. Albert H. Bumstead was the chief cartographer for this gem, with a “Culture” inset by James Darley and a “Physiography” inset by Charles E. Riddiford. The 1941 map had a decidedly brighter palette than its predecessor, and featured several insets, perhaps the most interesting of which was a star-shaped projection that showed the relative accuracy of the mapping information by region.

April 1943

In April 1943, a world map was published, though instead of featuring the Eastern and Western hemispheres, it showed the Northern and Southern hemispheres. James Darley was chief cartographer, and Charles E. Riddiford designed the map. This fascinating worldview highlights the land mass of the Northern Hemisphere and the relatively close proximity of North America to the USSR and northern Europe. For the first time on an NG world map, air distances were shown between cites across the globe.

Look for the new World Hemispheres map at your favorite map store or online map retailer.

Unfolding Map Supplements

If you get a new issue of National Geographic Magazine that includes a supplement map and wish you could have an unfolded copy, we have in the past year started saving a limited number of maps before they hit the folding machine.

While available, they can be purchased by calling our Evergreen, Colorado office at 800-962-1643.

Old National Geographic Maps

We often are asked for maps that appeared as supplements to National Geographic Magazine in years past.

Although a few are in our current catalog, most are out of print. Of course, you might get lucky find what you want at a flea market or on eBay. But even if in excellent shape, it will be folded.

Now there is a way to view nearly all of our old supplements, and, if desired, buy a ready-to-frame copy printed on demand. Check out the National Geographic Maps Classic Collection offered by our partner maps.com.

Right now the collection goes up to 1999 and we are working on adding more recent maps.

A related question we are often asked is how to obtain a back issue of the magazine. That information is here. If the issue you want included a supplement, the map will still come with that magazine.