Topographic Maps

Topographic maps use contour lines to show the shape of the earth's surface.

The United States Geological Survey began mapping the country in 1879 and has been the primary civilian mapping agency of the United States ever since. The best known USGS maps are the 1:24,000-scale topographic maps, also known as 7.5-minute quadrangles. In addition to elevation, they show such features as streets, buildings, streams, and woods. This is the only uniform map series that covers the entire area of the United States in considerable detail.

The UNT Libraries' Government Documents Department has 7.5-minute topographic maps in hardcopy for most of Texas, as well as for Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and New Mexico. If you would like to see a topographic map for a particular area, ask for the map by quadrangle name at the Government Documents Service Desk. An index map for identifying quadrangle names is also available at the Service Desk, or you can use the U.S. Geological Survey's Online Map Lists. Many of the USGS 7.5-minute topographic maps for Texas can be downloaded from the Perry-Castañeda Map Collection Texas Topographic Maps page.

The 7.5-minute map series was officially completed in 1992, and the program was replaced by The National Map in 2001.

The following Web sites also provide topographic maps or information about them:

Download digital scans of topo maps (U.S. Geological Survey)

Search USGS topographic maps by address, place, or map name, and download the entire map in digital format.

TerraServer-USA (Microsoft)

Enter a street and city or a latitude and longitude to get a 1:24,000-scale topographic map of any location in the United States.

Libre Map Project

This project makes maps and related GIS data available online for free. It currently contains 7.5-minute, 1:24,000 detailed topographic maps for all 50 states.

Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)

The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), a specially modified radar system that flew onboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour during an 11-day mission in February of 2000, obtained elevation data on a near-global scale to generate the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of Earth.

MapServer (Maptech, Inc.)

The largest online mapping resource for U.S. topographic maps and charts for land, sea, and air. Browse, view, print, and E-mail the maps for free.

Finding and Ordering USGS Topographic Maps (U.S. Geological Survey)

Price lists, order forms, and other information on how to purchase a topographic map. Includes a database to help you find retailers that sell USGS products.

Topographic Map Symbols (U.S. Geological Survey)

A guide to interpreting the symbols on USGS topographic maps.

Topographic Mapping (U.S. Geological Survey)

Describes the topographic map, its use, its history, its production, and—in light of new technology and the digital mapping revolution—its potential.

TopoZone (Trails.com)

This interactive database of USGS topographic maps of the entire United States used to be free until it was bought by trails.com. Now it requires payment of a subscription fee to view the maps.