UNOSAT‘s* latest satellite map releases shows Al Zaatari Refugee Camp, with ongoing updates likely. Other maps recently produced include the Yida refugee camp in South Sudan, floods on the Chad/Cameroon border and a Satellite Analysis of Standing Waters in Rivers State, Nigeria.

The UN cartographic section also has general and peace keeping maps for Syria, and other areas of current interest, such as Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection (University of Texas), provides some political maps, including of Syria and Israel from the CIA collections. Check the date of production, and also be careful as some maps are from less reliable sources.The main home page also has links to other maps of fighting in the region compiled by news services such as the BBC. The site is also a good source of historical maps. For example, there is an extensive archive of maps on the 2011 Japanese Earthquake, the Tsunami and it’s aftermath.

More advice about finding maps can be found on our website. I would also recommend checking the subject guides as these will point to an array of resources for regional maps.

Remember: virtually all maps are subject to copyright restrictions too! So if you are planning to reproduce them, make sure that you are doing so legally and that you have permission if required.

You can also use maps to display your data. There will be a future post on this.

*UNOSAT is a technology-intensive UN programme delivering imagery analysis and satellite solutions to relief and development organisations.