Maps in the News from Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News: A Gallery of Maps

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) contains over 140,000 maps available for research and learning. The maps featured above are some that have been used this week due to various events in the news:

The first map of the United States depicts the annual incidence of tornadoes in the United States and is from the Atlas of Natural Hazards. (Click to enlarge the maps).  The latest topographic map of Joplin, Missouri, shows part of the area where a deadly tornado struck last weekend.

The blue map shows the city of Deauville, France, site of this week’s G8 Summit. This historic topographic map was published by the United States Army Map Service in 1944. The map was surveyed by the government of Great Britain during World War II using a military grid, and important streets and building are named—including casinos, hippodromes, cinemas, and a stadium.

The bright yellow map shows part of Irish Family Names Map: Arms and Mediaeval Locations published by Bartholomew Maps in 1984. This map includes a list of family names and illustrations of family shields. Moneygall, the home village of President Obama’s ancestors, is located in County “Offaly,” shown in the center of the map.

The map of Yemen shows the distribution of ethnic and religious groups and key tribal areas of the country. This is an inset map on a map of Yemen published by the Central Intelligence Agency in 2004.

A map of the Middle East from The Israel Historical Atlas depicts The Six Day War, which changed the borders of Israel in 1967.

Maps from the GRMC circulate for two weeks or longer. Atlases from the Atlas Collection circulate for 28 days or longer.