The World History Map

The WorldMap is an open source mapping platform from Harvard’s Center for Geographic Analysis. Users of WorldMap can quickly create a map using their own data layers or using the hundreds of data layers already added to the WorldMap.

WorldMap has 23,000 registered users who have created over 6,000 maps with 29,000 data layers. You can explore some of these by following the links in the Examples section of WorldMap. These examples include the Trade Routes and Cities in Europe from Rome to the Middle Ages interactive map. This map includes layers which allow you to explore the major historical land and sea trade routes which were used to transfer goods in Europe, North Africa and the Middle-East.

Another interesting history map created with World Map is the AP World History Map, which provides a number of overlays related to topics in the AP World History curriculum. The topics on the AP World History Map are organized into seven categories, including Civilizations, Trade Routes and Travel & Exploration. The Travel and Exploration/Conquest Routes category includes overlays showing the three voyages of Christoper Columbus, the travels of Ibn Battuta, the travels of Marco Polo and the travels of Zheng He.

If you want to learn more about the travels of Ibn Battuta then you might also want to have a look at the UC Berkeley's The Travels of Ibn Battuta. This guide to Ibn Battuta's medieval travels includes maps of his travel routes accompanied by his own observations, as recorded in his book of travels the Rihla.