The Maps of the Week

It has been a couple of weeks since the last Google Maps Mania weekly round-up so this time around we have a special Google Maps of the Fortnight edition. You might also want to check out this round-up of the 200 Best Maps of 2013.


Mapping the Sea is a gorgeous interactive map of the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides.

The map was created by artist Stephen Hurrel and social ecologist Ruth Brennan. For the map local school pupils interviewed local fishermen and older inhabitants of the island. The map explores the rich cultural knowledge of the islanders, particularly in relation to the seas around the island.

The map features a number of interactive markers that allow you to explore photos of Barra and audio-clips that allow you to listen to the tales of the islanders directly from the map.


Charles O. Paullin and John K. Wright's Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States was first published in 1932. The Atlas contained nearly 700 maps covering a vast range of social, economic and political aspects of life in the Untied States.

Most map fans will probably be familiar with at least some of the maps featured in this comprehensive Atlas of life in America. For example Paullin and Wright's maps of travel times, which show how long it took to travel from New York to other locations throughout America at various points in its history, are reproduced to this day.

The University of Richmond’s Digital Scholarship Lab has now released an awesome online interactive showcase of the nearly 700 maps in the Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States. All of the maps have been made interactive and overlaid on the modern map of the United States (using Leaflet). Not only can you view all the maps using the zooming and panning tolls familiar to online map platforms but the University of Richmond has added a number of interactive features that update these historical maps for the digital age.


Kindred Britain is a fascinating tool for exploring the connections between people. The site shows the family connections between nearly 30,000 people (mainly British and mainly dead ).

For example, you may already know about George Washington's role as commander-in-chief during the American Revolutionary War, however did you know he was leading the United States against his distant relative George III of the United Kingdom.

The maps on Kindred Britain are probably the least interesting aspect of the site - but there are maps. The maps show where individuals in the Network panel are from. Regions are highlighted on the map to show you where all the individuals in the current visualization are from.