Maps of Iraq from Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News:  Iraq

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) has a significant collection of maps of Iraq and the Middle East available for research and learning.  The maps include both historic maps of the country and the region and new, updated maps.

The top maps shown above (click to enlarge) are insets published by the Central Intelligence Agency in 2003 on the Iraq: Country Profile map in the GRMC.  The first map shows the distribution of the Sunni and Shia Muslims and the concentration of the Kurds in the northern part of the country.  The area surrounding the capital of Baghdad is shown as a mix of Shia and Sunni groups.

The map of the oil infrastructure of Iraq is also from the Iraq: Country Profile map.  This map shows the critical locations of “supergiant” oilfields that hold five billion barrels in reserve  in the northern part of Iraq, near Baghdad, and near the southern border between Iran and Kuwait on the Persian Gulf.  The locations of refineries, pipelines, and tankers are also shown.

The GRMC also includes maps of Iraq published by the U.S. Office of Strategic Services during World War II.  Other maps showing the administrative divisions of Iraq and water supply and land use were published by the U.S. Board of Economic Warfare during World War II.  And topographic maps of Iraq published by the U.S. Army Map Service and the Great Britain War Office during World War II are also included in the collection.

Other historic maps of Iraq and the Middle East are available from the GRMC.  The colorful Illustrated Map of Iraq (above) was published in the 1950’s and includes text in English and Arabic featuring landmarks, roads, railways, and wildlife of the country.

The map of Baghdad (above) was published by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency in 2006.  The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is housed in the New Presidential Palace shown on the map just above the bend in the Tigris River.  The GRMC includes several maps of Baghdad and other cities in Iraq.

The map showing concentric circles around various cities is from the Atlas of the Middle East was published by National Geographic in 2008.  Mosul, one of the cities captured by the Sunni militant group, is shown in the north.  The Atlas Collection on the second floor of Bracken Library includes numerous resources of Iraq and the Middle East, including modern street atlases and atlases depicting historical maps of the region.

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

For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.