Road Maps
Road maps typically show the available roads that people could have traveled on, who was using those roads (governmental purposes or personal travel), and what was the designated mode of transportation for that road. As such, road maps can answer questions like:
- Is the road map being utilized by a cyclist? An automobile driver? Governmental officials?
- What routes still exist?
- What routes no longer exist?
- What routes were not present, at the time the map was created?
- Were the maps created during boundary changes and changing governing bodies? If so, how does that affect travel for the local resident?
Road maps can answer these questions, as well as many more.
See below for a selection of essential road maps, for each continent.
Catalog Tips
When searching the Online Research Catalog for road maps, in the Advanced Search, checkmark "Cartographic" under Format and type the following into either the Keyword Field or Subject Field for most results:
- Roads [Name of location]
- Example:
- Keyword Search: Roads Uganda
- Subject Search: Roads Uganda.
- Example:
For holdings of other years and places that are not in the Online Research Catalog, please search in the printed Dictionary Catalog of the Map Division (available online via HathiTrust), in volume 8 p. 552, under Roads.
A Selection of Road Maps of Africa, African Regions, and Countries
- Afrique, centre et sud, Madagascar = Africa, central and south, Madagascar, 1974.
- Map Div. 95-426
- Illustrated road atlas of Africa. [2000]
- *R-Map Div. G2446.P2 M28 2000 +
- Nordafrika Autokarte = Afrique du Nord, carte routière = North Africa, road map. [1982?]
- Map Div. 94-5862
- Carte Michelin, Afrique occidentale, Bassin du Niger [West Africa]. [1960]
- Sc Map S-54
- Shell Road map of Southern Africa. 1953
- Map Div. 98-6250
- The Caltex road map : Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika. [1959]
- Sc Map Q-17
- Mapa de Abisinia (Etiopia). [1931]
- Map Div. 19-742
- Notice sur les routes et ports de l'Algérie. 1900
- VDC p.v. 94 no. 1-12
- Road map of Ethiopia. 1964
- Map Div. 92-15632
- Road map of Nigeria. 1972
- Map Div. 95-2562
- Service map of the Cape Peninsula : Dienskaart van die Kaapse Skiereland. [1953]
- Map Div. 19-2022
- Shell road map of Ghana. 1962
- Sc Map P-130
- South African book of the road. 1988
- JFG 92-216
- Zimbabwe. 1984
- Map Div. 87-5720
A Selection of Road Maps of Asia, Asian Regions, and Countries
- Asia overland. 1977
- Map Div. 01-5392
- Asian Highway. 1973-
- Map Div. 89-5193
- Asian highway with interregional links. 1981
- Map Div. 89-5192
- Central Asia--Kazakhstan (south), Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan (east), Uzbekistan. 1999
- Map Div. 02-302
- World-country map 1:4,000,000. Southeast Asia : completely up to date, points of interest. [1998]
- Map Div. 00-310
- Cambodge, Laos, Viet Nam, croquis physique et routier. 1954
- Map Div. 05-241
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A Selection of Road Maps of Australasia, Regions, and Countries
- The Ampol touring atlas of Australia. 1971
- Map Div. 73-652
- Hildebrand's travelmap. 2-21-1, New Zealand, 1:2 000 000 : with comprehensive tourist information and city plans. 1986
- Map Div. 93-255
- Motorist's map of south east Australia. [1985]
- Map Div. 92-68
- New Zealand road maps. [1956]
- Map Div. (New Zealand) (Shell Company of New Zealand, Ltd. Shell road maps, New Zealand. 1953)
- Tasmanian towns street atlas. 1987
- Map Div. 11-7708
- Territory of Papua & New Guinea : road system. 1969
- Map Div. 96-17164
- Wellington : with large scale central city map, includes Kapiti Coast, Levin, Masterton & district map : the complete map of Wellington.
- Map Div. 19-412
A Selection of Road Maps of Regions and Countries of Europe
- L'Europe en automobile. 1929
- Map Div. (Atlas Cases) (Europe en automobile)
- Motoring map = karte für kraftfahrer = carte routiére. 1937
- Map Div. 19-1832
- Focus on Northern Europe
- Neueste Post-Karte durch ganz Deutschland und Frankreich bis Paris, durch Ober-Italien, Östreich, Ungarn, Preussen, Pohlen und Dänemark / gestechen von Jäck, die Post Course eingetragen von C.F. Klöden. 1820
- Map Div. (Europe, Central. 1820) (Neueste Post-Karte durch ganz Deutschland und Frankreich bis Paris ...)
- New post map of central Europe : exhibiting the great and secondary routes ... 1827
- Map Div. (Europe, Central. 1835) (New post map of central Europe)
- Stanford's library map of Europe : New Edition, 1910.
- Map Div. 22-1930
- Britannia. ... 1675
- Map Div. 79-29
- Continental Atlas für Mittel-Europa. [1924]
- Map Div. 83-672
- The "contour" road book of Ireland. 1908-1909
- Map Div. 88-560
- Danmark-Island-Norge-Suomi/Finland-Sverige. 1970
- Map Div. 76-2393
- The Dunlop road maps of France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland. [1926]
- Map Div. (France) (Dunlop Rubber Company, ltd. Dunlop road maps of France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland)
- H. Keller's Reisecharte der Schweiz. 1819
- Map Div. (Switzerland. 1819) (H. Keller's Reisecharte der Schweiz)
- Other editions are available for the years 1853, 1854, 1855, 1865, 1880
- Hodikoi chartai kai touristikos hodēgos Hellados. [1967]
- Map Div. (Greece. 1967) (Hellēnikē Leschē Autokinētou kai Periēgēseōn. Hodikoi chartai kai touristikos hodēgos Hellados)
- L'indicateur fidèle, ou Guide des voyageurs, qui enseigne toutes les routes royales et particulières de la France. 1772
- Map Div. (Atlas cases) (Michel. Indicateur fidele)
- Mapa Michelin España en 13 hojas. [193-?]
- Map Div. (Spain. 193-) (Mapa Michelin España en 13 hojas)
- Nuova carta stradale d'Italia. [1915?]
- Map Div. (Italy. 1915) (Nuova carta stradale d'Italia)
- Reichs Autobahn Atlas. [1938-
- Map Div. (Germany) (Germany. Strassenwesen, Generalinspektor für das. Reichs Autobahn Atlas)
- Reiseatlas DDR : mit ČSSR, Polen, UdSSR, Ungarn, Rumänien, Bulgarien. 1977
- Map Div. 85-416
A Selection of Road Maps of Latin American and Caribbean Regions, Islands, and Countries
- AAA official road map, South America. [194-?]
- Map Div. 87-5616
- AAA official road map, South America. 1968
- Map Div. 87-5614
- América del sur [cartographic material] : mapa de carreteras, mapa de estradas = America do sul.
- Map Div. 87-5676
- Caribbean, Central America & South America including the Bahamas & Bermuda. [2000?]
- Map Div. 04-347
- Atlas de rutas [cartographic material] : Argentina, sur de Brasil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay. 2006
- G1701.P2 .B75 2006
- Texaco tourist guide to the inter-American highway = Texaco guia turistica de la carretera interamericana. 1961
- Map Div. 87-5245
- Atlas de rutas [cartographic material] : Argentina, sur de Brasil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay. 2006
- G1701.P2 .B75 2006
- Belize, Central America: Tourist map. Produced by Cubola for Belize Tourist Board. 1975
- Map Div. 78-3356
- Brasil, mapa rodoviário. 1971
- Map Div. 87-5515
- Carta general de los principales caminos de la república Mexicana. 1939
- Map Div. 87-5634
- Guia general de las carreteras del Peru, con 15 mapas y tablas de distancias. [1939?]
- Map Div. (Peru. 1939) (Touring y automovil club del Peru. Guia general de las carreteras del Peru)
- Honduras. Propiedad de Rand McNally & Co. [Preparada para] Texaco. Ed. de 1972. 1971
- Map Div. 75-1233
- Jamaica Automobile Association map of Jamaica. 1960
- Map Div. (Jamaica, West Indies) (Jamaica Automobile Association map of Jamaica. 1960) text
- La República de El Salvador [cartographic material]. 1960
- Map Div. 87-5244
- Mapa de la Isla de Santo Domingo y Haiti. 1906
- Map Div. (Santo Domingo (Island) 1906) (Mapa de la Isla de Santo Domingo y Haiti)
- Mapa de la República de Costa Rica. 1947
- Map Div. 87-5230
- Mapa de la republica de Guatemala. [1947?]
- Map Div. 87-5217
- Mapa de la Republica de Nicaragua. [1950?]
- Map Div. 87-5794
- Mapa de la República de Panamá. [1950?]
- Map Div. 87-5698
- Mapa, República de Cuba [cartographic material] : [preparado por] Esso Standard Oil Company (Cuba). 1949
- Map Div. 87-5797
- Península de Baja California. [1975?]
- Map Div. 87-5759
- Puerto Rico. 1966
- Map Div. 87-5804
- Republica Dominicana = Dominican Republic. 1964
- Map Div. 87-5792
- Road map of Mexico. 1951
- Map Div. 87-5791
North America Road Maps
- AAA road atlas : United States, Canada, Mexico. 1985-1998
- Map Div. 86-375
- AAA Atlas. United States, Canada, Mexico. 2005-
- Call number varies, depending on year.
- AAA North American road atlas : United States, Canada, Mexico. 1999-2004
- Map Div. 04-1
- American highway atlas. 1959, 1962
- Map Div. 86-3217
- Published by H.M. Gousha Company.
- Gallup's Highway atlas of the United States and Canada : a map of every State in the United States, also southern Canada : with index to towns showing population. 1931
- Map Div. (Gallup's, Inc. Highway atlas of the U.S. & Canada. 1931)
- Leahy's hotel-motel guide and travel atlas of the United States, Canada and Mexico. 1947-1979
- KBB+ (Leahy's hotel guide and travel atlas: United States, Canada and Mexico.)
- Road atlas: United States, Canada & Mexico. 1940-
- Call number varies, depending on year.
- Published by Rand McNally.
- Road atlas : United States, Canada, Mexico. 1998-2006
- Map Div. 98-37
- Published by American Map Corporation
- Road atlas, United States, Canada, Mexico : how to plan a trip, where to go, what to see. 1980
- Map Div. 84-171
- Published by General Drafting Company.
For holdings of other years from these publishers, search in the NYPL's Online Research Catalog using the publisher's name (either in the title of the item or bullet-pointed above) as keywords in your search.
- Example: You can search General Drafting Company Road Atlas as a keyword search, to find other road atlases that this company has published.
Please see below for a selection of pre-1900s United States road maps:
- Ensign's Travellers' guide and map of the United States : containing the roads, distances, steam boat and canal routes &c. 1845
- Map Div. 00-479
- Map of the roads, canals and steam boat routes of the United States : with the distances from place to place carefully noticed ... / designed for the use of travellers by H.S. Tanner. 1825.
- Map Div. 01-11494
- Map of the United States : exhibiting the post-roads, the situations, connecions & distances of the post-offices, stage roads, counties, ports of entry and delivery for foreign vessels, and the principal rivers. [1796]
- Map Div. 00-387
- A new map of the United States, upon which are delineated its vast works of internal communication, routes across the continent &c. : showing also Canada and the island of Cuba. 1854
- Map Div. 15-5097
- A survey of the roads of the United States of America, 1789.
- *R-Map Div. GA407.C6 .R5 1961
- The Theatre of war in North America : with the roads and a table of the distances. 1776
- Map Div. 97-6145 or Map Div. (Atlas Cases) (Theatre of war in North America)
- The traveller's directory, or A pocket companion: shewing the course of the main road from Philadelphia to New York, and from Philadelphia to Washington. With descriptions of the places through which it passes ... 1802.
- Map Div. 97-6238
The Department of Transportation or Department of Highways for each state publishes official state road maps for their jurisdiction. As such, the Map Division has these road maps for a variety of years, dating from the early 20th century to the present:
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- British Columbia. 1971
- Map Div. 78-3280
- Canada's Northwest Territories official explorers' map [cartographic material]. 1991
- Map Div. 09-5903
- Highways of Canada and northern United States. 1970
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JX 22-10830
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- Manitoba and Saskatchewan. 1971
- Map Div. 78-3362
- Newfoundland and Labrador. 1970-
- Map Div. 81-3043
- Nova Scotia, Canada's Ocean Playground. 1930-
- Map Div. 80-3081
- The "Picture Province" of Canada, New Brunswick. Nouveau-Brunswick, la "Province pittoresque" au Canada. [Prepared for Tourist Information Services]. 1971
- Map Div. 78-3320
- Prince Edward Island. 1967
- Map Div. 77-2510
- Province of Alberta, Canada official road map. 1955-1996
- Map Div. 81-3040
- Province of Ontario. 1932/1933-
- Map Div. 82-3035
- Rand McNally map of Quebec, Atlantic Provinces. 1975
- Map Div. 99-297
- Touring Canada : showing Trans-Canada Highway and 75,000 miles of main travelled highways of Canada and the United States, including associated tours of the Automobile Club of America. 1928
- Map Div. 19-1955