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Category: 20th century cartography

Map of the Ganges Delta from a 1781 Atlas.

Pre-Satellite Maps of the Sundarbans Delta: An Interview with a Philip Lee Phillips Society Fellow

Posted by: Abraham Parrish

Interview with Dr. Shouraseni Sen Roy, the Geography and Map Division's latest Phillip Lee Phillips Society Fellow, who has just finished her 8-week stint here at the Library of Congress to conduct research on her topic of historical analysis of transformations in the Sundarbans Delta.

Black and white photograph of a painting of large waves in the Atlantic Ocean.

Mapping the Deep: Marie Tharp’s Physiographic Diagram of the Atlantic Ocean

Posted by: Julie Stoner

This blog post discusses the project done this summer during a Junior Fellowship at the Geography and Map Division. The post highlights Marie Tharp’s 1957 Physiographic Diagram of the Atlantic Ocean, other physiographic diagrams from the G&M collections, and why Tharp chose this kind of map in particular to depict the ocean floor.

page from weather atlas

From Sputnik to Seismology to Solar Power: The International Geophysical Year

Posted by: Lena Mattson

On July 1, 1957, an unprecedented period of global scientific collaboration known as the International Geophysical Year began. Artificial satellites were launched, planetary weather observations were made for the first time, the understanding of plate tectonics was established, and more. Learn how the Army Map Service played a critical role during the IGY, providing the calculations that launched the U.S. into the space race.

Black and white photograph of a man peering through a microscope like device, drawing on a map.

A Unique Perspective – Unusual Topographic Maps in the Collections

Posted by: Julie Stoner

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.