Physical World Wall Maps

World Maps—Physical Physical maps emphasize the natural landforms of the planet, rather than human territories (national boundaries). If a physical map is the type you want, your next task is to decide how big and which projection. The word "projection" refers to the particular means devised to plot or "project" the spherical earth's surface on to a flat map. This is detailed in each description. These maps all come rolled and are sent at the tubed map rate only. We will not mail them out of the USA.
If you think this image looks great, just take a look at the superb detail and coloring of the full size map!	Eartha: Delorme Satellite World Map Outstandingly detailed cartography does tribute to the terrain of the planet, both above and below the surface of the oceans. This is one map which will not soon go out of date, for it shows no political boundaries at all, and no countries are labelled. This map would be a fitting visual companion to John Lennon's song Imagine, for it does indeed help you imagine the earth with no countries. Cities large and small are labelled, however, as are major geographical features. The projection used minimizes both distortion of shapes and relative sizes (with the greatest distortion in the polar regions, as to be expected in rectangular maps). The DeLorme cartographers, making use of satellite imagery, have struck a fine balance between having a beautiful map with no information, and one full of information which is overly cluttered. The Eartha map is one beautiful map which is also useful in learning place names. Scale: about 1:26,000,000. Size: About 59 x 39 inches. Equirectangular projection. Glossy paper. Rolled. Delorme, USA, 1999 (Second Edition). New. Item #DL-Eartha-Wall. Shipping weight: 2.5 lbs. Publisher's price: $14.95. Your price: $13.50 Sent rolled at tubed map rate only. Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. They require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee. How to Order
	National Geographic Satellite World Map Striking depiction of the physical earth, compiled from more than 500 satellite images, showing detail to one kilometer. Only major physical features are labeled; no national boundaries or names are shown. Scale at Equator, 1:38,931,000 (1 inch = about 614 miles). Size: about 43 x 30 inches. Rolled. Paper. Published by National Geographic Maps, 2001. New. Item #NG-622004. Shipping weight: 1.5 lbs. Publisher's price: $12.99. Your price: $11.70 Sent rolled at tubed map rate only. Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. They require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee. How to Order
	National Geographic Satellite World Map Laminated Identical to the preceding, but laminated for durability. Scale at Equator, 1:38,931,000 (1 inch = about 614 miles). Size: about 43 x 30 inches. Rolled. Paper. Published by National Geographic Maps, 2001. New. Item #NG-622011. Shipping weight: 1.5 lbs. Publisher's price: $24.99. Your price: $22.50 (out of stock) Sent rolled at tubed map rate only. Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. They require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee. How to Order
	*NIMA The World* (Mercator Projection)** A very striking and relatively low-priced large physical map which yet also shows the names and boundaries of the nations of the world. The mountains are accented with shaded relief, and the major elevations are distinguished with graduated color tints. Shows lakes and rivers, mountain peaks, important cities, national boundaries (accented with a red tint for emphasis), and regions of permanent ice. While it does not show ocean floor features in detail, there are depth contours colored in various shades of blue, with the darkest blue representing greatest depth. Clock symbols on both upper and lower parts of the map enable you to estimate the time for any part of the world. And a small inset map shows the actual time zones worldwide, which often vary significantly from solar time. This is a Mercator Projection, centered on the Pacific Ocean. Since the Mercator uses parallel lines of longitude (the north-south lines which in reality get closer to each other as they approach the poles), the scale increases dramatically in the polar regions. Thus, Greenland appears to be huge, about the size of Africa, when in reality it is a fraction of the size. Because of the polar size distortion, most of Antarctica is omitted, and the Equator is shown below the center of the map. On the other hand, distortion of relative shapes is small. The shape of Alaska on a Mercator Projection, for example, is very much like it appears on the globe. One unusual feature of the map is that it is printed so that you can cut and paste along the meridian at the margin and mount the map on a cylinder, so that it is continuous. Or alternatively, you could buy more than one copy and attach them side to side, forming a mural of worlds. Since an unskilled map-user will naturally be inclined to compare sizes on a world map, and come to the wrong conclusions using a Mercator Projection, we do not recommend this one for children and other beginners. For them, the Robinson, Van der Grinten, or Winkel projections are more suitable. But for those of us who understand the concept of projection, this map is not only suitable, it is outstanding. Scale at Equator, 1:30,000,000 (1 inch = about 473 miles). Size: about 56 inches wide x 42 inches tall. Rolled. Paper. National Imagery and Mapping Agency (under direction of US Department of Defense), revised, 1998. Item #NIMA-33992. Shipping weight: 2.5 lbs. Publisher’s price: $7.00. Your price: $7.00 Sent rolled at tubed map rate only. Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. They require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee. How to Order
The above image is distorted around the edges, but gives you the idea. Below is a sample of this map.	*Kümmerly + Frey, The World Physical* (van der Grinten projection)** Detailed world map emphasizing the physical features of the planet with shaded relief and with color tints to show the major elevations of the land. The depths of the oceans are also shown with color tints. Though this map emphasizes the physical landscape, it also shows country boundaries and their names, major and regionally important cities, major roads and railroads, and shipping routes. The names and boundaries of US states and Canadian provinces are also included. Lines of latitude and longitude are marked at 10 degree intervals. The main differences between this and the NIMA map above are: 1) This one uses the van der Grinten projection, which distorts relative sizes less than the Mercator. 2) This one has roads and railroads, the NIMA doesn’t. 3) This one is Africa-centered, rather than Pacific-centered. 4) The color scheme is lighter than the bold colors of the NIMA. 5) This map is smaller—it’s almost as wide but not as high. 6) This one costs more. Although made in Switzerland, this map does use English place names. The legend explains symbols in German, English, and French. Scale at Equator, 1:30,000,000 (1 inch = about 473 miles). Size: about 50½ x 36 inches. Paper. Rolled. Published by Kümmerly + Frey, Switzerland, undated, but recent. New. Item #KF-WORLD-PHYS. Shipping weight: 1.5 lbs. Publisher’s price: $19.99. Your price: $18.00 (out of stock) Sent rolled at tubed map rate only. Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. They require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee. How to Order
	National Geographic, The World: Physical (Winkel Tripel Projection), Enlarged A beautiful and very large wall map which shows the physical terrain of the earth, including the form of the ocean floor. You’ll need a lot of space for this one: It is almost six feet wide by over four feet high! The land masses are colored according to the coverage of natural vegetation (or lack thereof), with areas of permanent icecap shown in white. Shaded relief reveals the form of mountain ranges, both above and below the sea. Some physical maps show national boundaries; this one does not. In fact, it shows only a few cities, leaving most off. This makes understanding the physical geography of the planet easier, since the map is not cluttered with cultural place names. Physical features, such as mountains, rivers, deserts, plateaus, and peninsulas (on the land) and escarpments, trenches, basins, fracture zones, and rises (beneath the oceans) are clearly labeled. In the upper left corner is a north polar region map, in upper right is an Antarctica map, both maps in the same style as the main map. At the bottom of the map are two supplementary world maps, one showing the boundaries of tectonic plates, and the other showing major climate regions. As with most recently published world maps by the National Geographic Society, this map uses the Winkel Tripel Projection. It is a great compromise in that is less exaggerated in its depiction of the relative size of polar features than many projections, while minimizing distortion of shape—a problem with most equal-area projections. It is centered on Europe and Africa, and the Equator is shown across the middle of the map (the southern polar regions, for instance, are not cropped off). Scale at Equator, 1:24,031,000 (1 inch = about 379 miles). Size: about 69 inches wide x 48 inches tall. Rolled. Heavy paper. Published by National Geographic Maps, 2002. New. Item #NG-622090. Shipping weight: 4.1 lbs. Publisher’s price: $29.99. Your price: $27.00 Sent rolled at tubed map rate only. Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. They require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee. How to Order
	*National Geographic, The World: Physical* (Winkel Tripel Projection) This map is identical to the above, but smaller. It contains the same outstanding detail, at reduced size. Like the preceding, there are no national boundaries or country names shown. Scale at Equator, 1:38,931,000 (1 inch = about 614 miles). Size: about 44 inches wide x 33 inches tall. Rolled. Paper. Published by National Geographic Maps. 2005. New. Item #NG-622010. Shipping weight: 1.5 lbs. Publisher’s price: $12.99. Your price: $11.70 (out of stock) Sent rolled at tubed map rate only. Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. They require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee. How to Order**
	National Geographic, Earth at Night This intriguing map is based on composite satellite images of our planet on cloudless nights over a one year period. The result is that concentrations of human population are readily located from the white glare of artificial lighting. Also shown are spots of extensive wildfires, places where large-scale natural gas burnoff is occurring, and—perhaps most surprisingly—areas with widespread night-fishing taking place. Explanatory text clues you in to what you're seeing on the map. Size: about 35 inches wide x 22 inches tall. Rolled. Paper. Published by National Geographic Maps. 2004 (2005 reprint). New. Item #NG-620306. Shipping weight: 1.0 lb. Publisher’s price: $12.99. Your price: $11.70 (out of stock) Sent rolled at tubed map rate only. Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. They require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee. How to Order
	National Geographic, The Earth's Fractured Surface This map displays the major fractures and topography of the earth, both above and below sea level. Red lines clearly show the boundaries of tectonic plates, those pieces of the earth which are the units of Continental Drift. Computer-generated relief-shading shows mountains, valleys, sea-mounts, and undersea trenches. Color tints show major levels of elevation and depths. The map does not show political boundaries. The map is centered on the western Pacific Ocean. Scale at Equator, 1:48,000,000 (1 inch = about 578 miles). Size: about 36 x 22 inches. Rolled. Paper. Published by National Geographic, 1999. New. Item #NG-620095. Shipping weight: 1.0 lb. Publisher's price: $10.99. Your price: $10.00 (out of stock) Sent rolled at tubed map rate only. Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. They require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee. How to Order
The full map Map detail	Raven Maps, One World: Three Global Views Both artistic and educational, this map gives a better impression of the true shapes of the Earth's continents and oceans than the other projections we sell. The only thing better for this purpose is a globe! Graduated color tints show elevations above sea level and depths beneath. Shaded relief gives it the illusion of a three dimensional model. The map is quite detailed, showing numerous rivers and lakes, mountain ranges large and small. Emphasis is on physical features, which are labeled. While the map shows national capitals, and major cities, it does not include country boundaries or names. These maps are rather pricey, even for their fine quality, but will be treasured by any map aficinado. Scale, 1:23,000,000 (1 inch = about 363 miles). Size: about 64 x 36 inches. Rolled. Paper. Published by Raven Maps & Images, 1990. New. Item #RAV-1WORLD. Shipping weight: 1.5 lbs. Publisher's price: $40.00. Your price: $36.00 Sent rolled at tubed map rate only. Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. They require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee. How to Order
	Raven Maps, One World: Three Global Views (laminated) This map is identical to the preceding, except laminated for extra durability. Scale, 1:23,000,000 (1 inch = about 363 miles). Size: about 64 x 36 inches. Rolled. Laminated. Published by Raven Maps & Images, 1990. New. Item #RAV-1WORLD-LAM. Shipping weight: 1.7 lbs. Publisher's price: $60.00. Your price: $54.00 (out of stock) Sent rolled at tubed map rate only. Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. They require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee. How to Order
The full map Map detail, showing the northeastern US and adjacent Canada	USGS, World Seismicity 1979-1988 Viewed from a distance, this map looks pretty much the same as the Raven Maps "One World" publication described immediately above (and, in fact, the base map was prepared by Raven Maps). If all you want from the map is the three global views and want to spend less money, then this is a better alternative, for it is a fraction of the price. On the other hand, if you would like your map to tell you the names of the physical features you are looking at, the Raven map is better, for this World Seismicity map does not label any of the features, and does not even show the locations—much less the names—of cities and towns. Though it can serve as a very attractive work of cartographic art, its highest use is to show the locations of the epicenters of earthquakes occuring in the world during a ten-year period. In the sample detail at left, the little red circles and dots represent earthquakes, not towns—a fact that may surprise northeasterners who think their region is immune from quakes! (But true to expectations, California is dotted with a much higher concentration of quakes). Since earthquakes occur along fault lines and especially along the borders of the earth's tectonic plates, this map is then a great learning tool. The different-sized circles represent different magnitudes of quakes. According to the map, 97,069 earthquakes are represented. Color tints on the map represent elevation levels and depths above and below sea level. Lines of latitude and longitude are drawn at 20 degree intervals. Scale: not stated, but probably exactly the same as the Raven One World maps. Size: About 64 x 35½ inches. Rolled. Paper. Published by USGS, National Earthquake Information Center, 1989. New. Item #USGS-WORLD-19029. Shipping weight: 1.5 lbs. Publisher's price: $10.00. Your price: $10.00 Sent rolled at tubed map rate only. Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. They require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee. How to Order
This image is of a slightly different edtion: the version we sell is headed with an English title only, it doesn't include the French translation as shown. Map detail	Gabelli World of Wild Animals wall map Decorative and informative wall map featuring fairly detailed and usually accurately-depicted animals of the world shown within their home regions. Of the 197 kinds of animals presented, most are mammals, many are birds, and a few are reptiles, fish, and invertebrates. The name of each is listed at the bottom. The background map is physical, with no country boundaries indicated and no cities located. (Since the wild animal paintings cover many of the features of the planet, this is no substitute for a world map.) Geographic labels cover important bodies of water, islands, mountain ranges, and other features. As with other many other maps published by Gabelli, ice packs and undersea features are shown in stylized fashion. Shows the Equator, the Tropics, and the Arctic Circle, but no other lines of latitude and no longitudinal lines. Scale not given. Size: about 38 x 29 inches. Rolled. Paper. Published by Gabelli US, 1994. New. Item #GAB-WORLD-ANIM. Shipping weight: 1.5 lbs. Publisher’s price: $18.95. Your price: $17.05 (out of stock) Sent rolled at tubed map rate only. Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. They require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee. How to Order