An armillary sphere is a model of the heavens featuring a central globe with a framework of rings around it that represent celestial bodies and features. This blog post will discuss these astronomical objects, highlighting the division’s oldest globe and armillary sphere, made by Caspar Vopell in 1543.
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For several hundred years, the term “Tartary” – or its Latin version, Tartaria – appeared on European maps, usually floating somewhere between Eastern Europe and China. This post explores the etymology of the place name and the various regions to which it referred.
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Join us on Tuesday, June 10 at 3pm Eastern for a virtual orientation to maps of the Second World War at the Library of Congress.
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The Geography and Map Division collections include vibrant nineteenth century maps showcasing brand new American communities and promises of the “good life” to prospective lot or home buyers. This post explores the common themes and fascinating details of these highly artistic maps designed to lure investment.
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Florence Bascom broke barriers in the 19th century as a leading geologist of her time. This post discusses her life and career with the United States Geological Survey including the geologic maps she made which are in the Geography and Map Division collections.
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The Geography & Map Division recently digitized an important set of maps of Austria-Hungary. In this post, we explore these 19th- and early 20th-century maps and the layers of history and language that they contain.
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The Geography and Map Division has thousands of topographic maps in its collections but some have a unique take on the rest of the category. This blog post highlights several maps and models that stand out as being different in form and shape from other topographic maps including a chocolate bar map, a pop up map, and a map made of compressed paper among others.
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In the early years of the Maryland colony, Lord Baltimore’s name referred to his estates, an entire county, and a port town that would one day become the third largest city in the United States… 30 miles northeast of its current location.
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Join the Geography and Map Division and Philip Lee Phillips Society for this free in-person event, taking place on Thursday, May 8, 2025, from 1:15 PM to 4:15 PM in the Jefferson Building. Together we will will explore the significance of map surrounds through engaging talks about cartographic self portraits and the watermarks in the William Hacke atlas, along with a themed display.
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Curious about our collections? Please join Geography and Map Division staff next week for a virtual orientation to our collections and resources!
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Among our collection of “bird’s-eye view” maps of U.S. and Canadian cities created from the late 19th to early 20th centuries, the work Augustus Koch in particular stands out for his artistry, geographic range, and incredible cartographic detail. His maps and historical newspaper clippings relating to his work attest not only to his mastery of the form but the value of panoramic maps in instilling civic pride.
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A closer look at the Library’s copy of the Eliot Algonquian Bible (1663) reveals a connection to the local history of the greater Washington area. Family birth and death inscriptions within the Bible show that it was once owned by the famous Gaither family of Gaithersburg in Montgomery County, Maryland. How and when did it arrive at the Library? Read this post to learn more.
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Why is the Moon so dusty?
On Earth, rocks are weathered by wind and water, creating soil and sand
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For centuries, there have been unconventional beliefs about the shape of the Earth. This post provides a historical overview of alternative theories about the Earth’s form.
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[JusticeInfo.net] Using maps, drilling data, and technical explanations, Alexandre Schneiter, the former CEO of Lundin Oil, tried to distance himself from responsibility for war crimes around Block 5A, an oil extraction site located in a territory that is now in South Sudan. But the prosecutor’s questions were not just about what was beneath the surface, but also about what the company knew – and did – when the civil war raged above the oil fields.
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The latest estimates place the global population at approximately 8.2 billion people. However, a new study by researchers at Aalto University in Finland suggests that this figure may be significantly underestimated. The researchers argue that many datasets used to estimate population sizes undercount the number of people living in rural areas. The study was published in Nature Communications. In an analysis of five leading global population datasets—WorldPop, GWP, GRUMP, LandScan, and GHS-POP—the team found that these sources may be missing between 53 and 84 percent of the rural population. For instance, the most reliable data from 2010 underestimated the rural…
The post There May Be Far More People on Earth Than the Official 8.2 Billion appeared first on Anomalien.com.
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Learn about the development of the oscillating scan mirror (a key component of Virginia Norwood’s multi-spectral scanner), which made Landsat I a success, changing the science of earth observation forever. The development of the oscillating scan mirror is documented in the “Virginia Norwood Papers,” a new collection in the Geography & Map Division of the Library of Congress.
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In Chronicling America’s new interface, the image viewer provides tools to help you inspect and interactive with each individual newspaper page. Here are our top five tips for navigating, clipping, and sharing!
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If it hadn’t been for an elder brother taking him under his wing, Saint Peter Damian may have taken a very different path in life. But with his brother’s guidance, he matured into a holy man, monk, and bishop. A man of prayer and devotion, Peter Damian was also a spiritual writer.
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Join us on Tuesday, February 11 at 3pm Eastern for a virtual orientation to GIS and geospatial resources at the Library of Congress.
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Most American cities are encompassed by one or more counties and overlap with them in jurisdiction, but there are 41 unique cases known as independent cities, and 38 of them are in Virginia. Read more to learn why!
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This post highlights some of the maps that were scanned and made available on the Library website in 2024.
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2024 was another busy year for the Rare Book and Special Collections Division. As a way of reflecting on this past year and looking forward to the next, we are here sharing some new resources as well as past memories. Happy 2025!
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[RFI] As the first African country to lead the trillion-dollar G20 group, South Africa will spend 2025 pushing debt relief, climate change and international justice issues. This means there’s a lot at stake for Brics and developing nations.
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An exploration of map scales and comparative areas, from miles and representative fractions to…the Midwest?
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This post features maps of the World’s Columbian Exposition that took place in 1893. Images of a guide map, souvenir maps, floor plans, and bird’s eye views are included in the post.
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This post covers the cultural geographic origins and spread of the gift giver figure through various maps.
Read MoreCurious about our collections? Please join Geography and Map Division staff next week for a virtual orientation to our collections and resources!
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The deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean can be found about 100 miles north of Puerto Rico, in a trench where two tectonic plates meet. This post discusses the Puerto Rico Trench’s unique geology and efforts to map it.
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Learn about the early history of the Women’s Bureau, including the maps they produced to make the case for establishing standards for women in the workplace.
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This blog post highlights unusual maps found in the Geography and Map Division collections including a chart of port cities, a history of the Civil War, and a railroad organization chart.
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This post highlights the Rochambeau map collection, which was purchased by the Library of Congress in 1883.
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Celebrate Geography Awareness Week and GIS Day at the Library of Congress on Thursday, November 21st from 5pm to 8pm with Mapping Our World, a special Live! at the Library event diving into ocean mapping and exploration! This event will feature a collections display, interactive games and crafts, and a talk by Dr. Vicki Ferrini of Columbia University on the history of ocean mapping.
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This post explores a large, colorful map of staple crops in Puerto Rico in the first years of the US administration of the island.
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While Amos Doolittle is best known for his accurate scenes of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, his map engravings, capturing the early years of the new independent nation, deserve recognition as well.
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This blog post explores the early adoption of electrical lighting in 19th century America through maps.
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Explore the fertile history of America’s soil survey maps, which evolved alongside soil science over the course of the 20th century.
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The Borgia world map is described in this post. The map was made during the 15th century by an unknown cartographer. In 1794, the map was purchased at an antique store in Portugal by Cardinal Stefano Borgia.
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I recently heard a factoid in passing that fascinated me and sparked further investigation: after having been decidedly middle of the pack immediately post-Civil War, the United States’ share of total world manufacturing output became the highest in the world between 1880 and 1900, with a near exponential pace of growth during these decades. Oddly, …
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The Geography and Map Division and Philip Lee Phillips Map Society are hosting an in-person and virtual 2024 Fall Presentation on Islamic mapping.
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This post explores a unique geologic map. Ives’s strata map, made up of 10 plates representing different geologic periods, was designed as a tool for instruction in schools and colleges in the late 19th century.
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This post walks you through the 285-day trip of Hawaii King Kalākaua as the first monarch to circumnavigate the globe in 1881, showing many of the routes and places he traveled or visited through maps and images at or near the time period.
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Explore the Library of Congress Geospatial Applications Hub, a new gateway to our online StoryMaps, web maps, and more!
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This post explores the history of a large spherical globe with only latitude and longitude lines in the collections of the Geography & Map Division.
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This post describes a manuscript globe of Mars that was created during the early 20th century by the self-taught Danish astronomer Emmy Ingeborg Brun.
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Excitement about the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics is sweeping our own nation’s capital, as it is in so many places around the world. Here at the Library of Congress, we’re certainly marking the occasion. The Informal Learning Office (ILO) recently hosted an Olympics-themed Family Day, and afterward they published a blog post about it where …
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