Military maps

A lot of military maps were produced by National Geographic of countries at war at the time the maps came out. Some of the maps on this page reflect this and help give a better insight to these wars. These maps are listed from the earliest down to the most present.

Click on Map Titles that are Links to see a Picture of that map.

1. Submarine Cables of the World - March 1896 (18"x13") This military map was first developed for The Department of the Navy. It was published by National Geographic in 1896 and shows where the submarine cables were laid, along with the locations where they connect with the land cables. It also shows the locations of refueling stations, repair facilities and docking facilities for ships.

2. Seat of War in Africa - December 1899 (49"x35") This military map was put out shortly after the start of the Second Boer war in South Africa. It contains Tribe names, camping places and desert stations, roads, railways and telegraph lines. There is also an inset map of South Africa.

3. Theatre of Military Operations in Luzon - June 1899 (40"x26") Historical black and white military map illustrating the Theatre of Military Operations in Luzon during the Spanish-American war. It contains cities and towns, rivers, reservoirs and mountains.

4. Philippines Military Telegraph Lines Northern - January 1902 (40"x33.5")
Side A: Very detailed map of the entire Northern group of islands of the Philippines. This map has hundreds of cities and towns, military cable and telegraph lines, commercial and military telegraph and telephone stations, ports, lighthouses and post offices. It includes an inset of the Manila Bay area. 

5. Philippines Military Telegraph Lines Southern - January 1902 (40"x33.5")
Side B: This is a detailed military map of the Southern Philippine islands with an inset of the Tawi Tawi Islands. This also contains hundreds of cities and towns, military cable and telegraph lines, commercial and military telegraph and telephone stations, ports, lighthouses and post offices.

6. Europe Map 1915 with Africa and Asia - July 1915 (31"x28") This political map of Europe came out one year into the First World War. It includes a detailed inset map of the Dardanelles. A fantastic map for those interested in the Great War.

7. Western Theatre of War - May 1918 (33"x28") Printed shortly before the end of World War 1. This military map shows the western theatre of war in France and Belgium. It has details of battle lines including the German advance in 1914 and the battle line before the spring drive in 1918.

8. Southeast Asia- December 1968 (33.5"x26.5") Published during the time when the United States was at war in Viet Nam. It has inset maps of Taiwan (Formosa) and the continuation of Indonesia.

9. Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand - January 1965 (20.5"x11")
Side A: Beautiful political map marking the beginning of heavy troop deployment to Viet Nam. It contains a location map inset showing the relationship to the rest of the Asia.

10. Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand - January 1965 (20.5"x11")
Side B: This is the index for the map on the opposite side. It also includes historical information about French Indochina.

11. Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand - February 1967 (39"x31.5") Very detailed historical map with relief shading. Has an inset on the Continuation of Thailand. It has a relief shown by light as if from the sun low in the northwest.

12. Mideast in Turmoil - September 1980 (20.5"x14")
Side A: This military map summarizes the social and economic turmoil in the Middle East at this time. It includes the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the War in Ethiopia and the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

13. Two Centuries of Conflict in the Middle East - September 1980 (20.5"x14")
Side B: This has a large physical map showing the percentage of Muslims amongst the various ethnicities of the region. It also has four maps highlighting the historical conflicts of the region.

14. Middle East: States in Turmoil - February 1991 (24.5"x20")
Side B: This is a fantastic relief map highlighting each country's military facilities, population, troops, oil reserves, Gross National Product and more.

15. Afghanistan: Land in Crisis - December 2001 (31"x20")
Side A: Beautiful physical map of Afghanistan with a timeline of Afghan life from 1838 to 2001. Contains inset maps showing the patchwork of ethnic minorities, drought and earthquakes throughout the region and the refugee status and famine.

16. The Forgotten War - July 2003 (31"x20")
Side B: This military map uses small maps with lots of information showing the time line of the Korean war, from the seeds of strife in 1894-1948 till after the war in 1953

Link from Military maps back to Historical maps
Link back to the home page