General Maps | Topographical Maps

General Maps
• Japan's Geography on japan-guide.com
(www.japan-guide.com/list/e1000.html)
This Web site, sponsored by Shauwecker's Guide to Japan, contains basic statistics on Japan's geography and sections on earthquakes, hot springs, environmental issues, and nature.

• ACASIAN (Australian Centre of the Asian Spatial Information and Analysis Network)
(www.asian.gu.edu.au)
An academic and applied research institution specializing in Geographical Information System (GIS) databases for Asia. Most data sets are for sale, but the site includes clickable demonstration maps.

• Antique Maps of Japan (The Philadelphia Print Shop, Ltd.)
(www.philaprintshop.com/japan.html)
Old maps and views of Japan for sale as well as enjoyment.

• Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI), University of California Berkeley
(ecai.org)
ECAI is a collaborative project that combines global mapping, imagery, and texts to provide scholars and other users with a research resource based on digital technology.

• MapQuest.com
(www.mapquest.com)
Select any city or region of Japan at this popular map resource.

• Maps and Satellite Images from Geocarto
(www.geocarto.com)
A broad array of satellite images of East Asia, as well as atlases and maps.

• Maps of Japan in the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, University of Texas, Austin
(www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/japan.html)
An extensive list of contemporary and historical maps of Japan found in The Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection of the University of Texas, Austin.

• Local Maps of Japan's Administrative Divisions on Multimap.com
(www.multimap.com/index/JA.htm)
Part of a complete interactive Web-based world atlas, this site offers detailed local maps of places throughout Japan.

• Earth From Space (NASA)
(earth.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/efs/)
Beautiful satellite images taken from space of Japan and elsewhere in the world. Well indexed and annotated.

• MapMachine, NationalGeographic.com
(plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine)
National Geographic's Map Machine provides a range of maps on Japan, including political maps; a country page on Japan with a map and some basic facts; and a satellite image of Japan with place names and borders superimposed on it.

• Online Map Creation
(www.aquarius.geomar.de/omc/omc_intro.html)
An interactive site that lets you create your own maps using different projections.

• Worldatlas.com
(www.graphicmaps.com/aatlas/world.htm)
Country maps with added information in a growing database.

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Topographical Maps
Suggested sources on the Internet for topographical maps of Japan are given here. Teachers are encouraged to have a topographical (or relief, contour, or physical) map on display when teaching about Japan. A good topographical map is essential for explaining the distribution of population in Japan, Japan's historical contact with other civilizations, and the definition of Japan's "core" areas.

• National Geographic Map Machine
(plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine)
This site opens to a dynamic world relief map colored according to altitude. Follow the instructions to drag and frame or to click arrow guides for zooming in on a particular area. Country borders and names and major city names are indicated.

• Japan: National Geographic Physical Map
(www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/maps/view/images/japkorm.jpg)
A satellite image with borders and city and country names added. Contours and altitudes are distinguished by the actual photo image colors (from green for lowlands to white for highest mountain peaks).

• Japan: Colored Elevation Map (on AskAsia.org)
(www.askasia.org/image/maps/ele_japan.htm)
This map on the AskAsia.org Web site shows elevation with color but no relief indications. Major geographical features (mountain ranges, rivers, seas) and country borders and names are listed.

• Japan: Outline Map (on About.com)
(geography.about.com/library/blank/blxjapan.htm?once=true&)
This page offers free blank outline maps that can be printed from the Internet, as well as links to Japan materials on the internet, including some of the maps listed here.

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