Guides: Maps & Geospatial Data: Topographic maps of the Americas

Topographic maps of the Americas

A topographic map provides a detailed graphic representation of the natural and man-made features found on the earth’s surface. Topographic maps use contour lines to portray the shape and elevation of the terrain on a two-dimensional surface. Standard symbols and styles are used to identify general physical and cultural information such as mountains, lakes, vegetation, roads, and railways.

A topographic map is usually published as part of a larger map series, made up of two or more map sheets that combine to form the whole map for a defined area. Most countries of any significant size have several topographic map series, produced at different scales.

Canada

National Topographic System (NTS) : The most frequently used topographic maps in the collection are the Canadian National Topographic System 1:50 000 and 1:250 000 series. Current edition paper NTS maps may be available at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library. Please contact Sharon Rankin for more information.

The Canadiana (CKRN) Maps Collection currently contains nearly 22,000 Canadian maps digitized from the 1:50 000 scale National Topographic Series. The maps date from 1905 to 2012 and cover all of the Canadian provinces and territories. It should be noted that the collection is not 100% complete and gaps will be filled in as missing maps become available.

Digital scanned copies of current NTS 1:50 000 and 1:250 000 map sheets are available for free public download via GeoGratis/National Resources Canada. Both series are also available as vector files.

Historical National Topographic System

McGill Library also holds several historical topographic map series. These maps are located in the Humanities and Social Sciences Library and are available for consultation by request. Please contact Sharon Rankin for more information. The links below provide lists of specific maps held for each series.

Series	Location
1:506 880 (1 Inch : 8 Miles)	Storage
1:126 720 (1 Inch : 2 Miles)	Storage
1:63 360 (1 Inch : 1 Mile)	Storage

Quebec

Series	Index	Location
1:20 000	Index	Map Collection

Greenland

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
AMS C401	1944	1:500 000	100%	link	Int. Topo. 7
AMS C501	1957	1:250 000	20%	link	Int. Topo. 7
	1939-76	1:250 000	80%	link	Int. Topo. 7

Mexico

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
	1957	1:500 000	100%	link	Int. Topo. 1
	1981	1:250 000	100%	link	Int. Topo. 1

Central America

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
AMS E503	1968	1:250 000	26%	link	Int. Topo. 1

Belize

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
DOS 649	1980	1:250 000	100%	link	Int. Topo. 2
E552	1963	1:250 000	100%	link	Int. Topo. 2
E755 DOS 4499	1976	1:50 000	100%	link	Int. Topo. 2

Costa Rica

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
E561	1970	1:200 000	100%	link	Int. Topo. 2
E763	1983	1:50 000	99%	link	Int. Topo. 2

Guatemala

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
E754	1988	1:50 000	97%	link	Int. Topo. 2

Panama

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
	1978	1:250 000	100%	link	Int. Topo. 2
E762	1993	1:50 000	62%	link	Int. Topo. 2

Argentina

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
	var.	1:500 000	83%	link	Int.Topo. 2
11723	1953-73	1:250 000	7%	link	Int.Topo. 2
	1948-53	1:100 000	<5%	link	Int.Topo. 2
	1949-56	1:25 000	<5%	link	Int.Topo. 2

Bolivia

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
H531	var.	1:250 000	21%	link	Int.Topo. 2
H731	var.	1:50 000	<5%	link	Int.Topo. 2

Brazil

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
	var.	1:1 000 000	18%	link	Int.Topo. 2

Chile

Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
1971-75	1:500 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 3
var.	1:250 000	94%	link	Int.Topo. 3
	1:25 000	<5%	link	Int.Topo. 3

Colombia

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
	var.	1:100 000	17%	link	Int.Topo. 3

Guyana

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
E791	var.	1:50 000	26%	link	Int.Topo. 3

Guyane (French Guiana)

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
	1947-51	1:100 000	65%	link	Int.Topo. 3
	var.	1:50 000	29%	link	Int.Topo. 3

Peru

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
	var.	1:250 000	89%	link	Int.Topo. 3

Venezuela

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
	1962-70	1:100 000	<5%	link	Int.Topo. 3

Anguilla

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
DOS 443	1973	1:50 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
DOS 343	1961	1:25 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4

Antigua and Barbuda

Region	Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
Antigua	E 703 DOS 406	1977	1:50 000	100%	link	G5051 E635 1977 G7
Antigua		1952	1:25 000	50%	link	G5051 C222 1952 G7 East
Barbuda	DOS 357	1970	1:25 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
Barbuda	DOS 257	1970-71	1:10 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4

The Bahamas

Region	Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
Bahamas	DOS 358	1962-64	1:25 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 3
Bahamas	DOS 158	1961	1:2 500	<5%	link	Int.Topo. 3

Barbados

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
OSD 2961	1989	1:50 000	100%	link	G5141 E635 1989 G7
E703 DOS 418	1958-1993	1:50 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
OSD 218/1	1986	1:10 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
DCS 18	1955-56	1:10 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4

British Virgin Islands

Region	Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
British Virgin Islands	E633 DOS 546	1963	1:100 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
British Virgin Islands	E837 DOS 346	1959-77	1:25 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
Beef Island		1952	1:5 000	100%	link	G5022.B4 C222 1952 G7

Cayman Islands

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
DOS 328	1965-66	1:25 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4

Dominica

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
E703 DOS 451	1963	1:50 000	100%		G5101.C224 1963 G7
DOS 351	1991	1:50 000	100%		G5101 E635 1991 G7
E803	1978	1:25 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4

Dominican Republic

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
E733	1962-68	1:50 000	<5%	link	Int.Topo. 4

Grenada

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
DOS 995	1980	1:150 000	100%		G5131 C1 1980 G7
E703 DOS 442	1966	1:50 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
E703 DOS 442	1979	1:50 000	100%		G5131 C222 1979 G7
E803 DOS 342	1979	1:25 000	100%		G5131 C222 S25 G7

Guadeloupe

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
	1954-69	1:50 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
	1969	1:20 000	94%	link	Int.Topo. 4

Jamaica

Region	Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
Kingston	E922	1972	1:10 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
Jamaica	DOS 602 Series 521	1966	1:250 000	100%	link	G4961 C1 1966 G7
	E721	1958-73	1:50 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
	DOS 301/1	1971	1:25 000	<5%	link	Int.Topo. 4
	DOS 201/1	1958	1:12 500	9%	link	Int.Topo. 4
		1970	1:12 500	<5%	link	Int.Topo. 4

La Martinique

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
	1958	1:50 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
	1955	1:20 000	96%	link	Int.Topo. 4

Montserrat

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
DOS 359	1967	1:25 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4

Puerto Rico

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
	1940-53	1:30 000	97%	link	Int.Topo. 4
	var.	1:20 000	81%	link	Int.Topo. 4

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
E703 DOS 443	1979	1:50 000	100%		G5041 C224 1978 G7
DOS 343	1975	1:25 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4

Saint Lucia

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
E743	1964	1:50 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
	1991	1:50 000	100%		G5111 E635 1991 G7
DOS 345	1981	1:25 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Region	Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
St. Vincent & the Grenadines		1991	1:50 000	100%		G5121 E635 1991 G7
Grenadines	E803	1968-69	1:25 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
Grenadines	E802	1967-69	1:10 000	94%	link	Int.Topo. 4
Saint Vincent	E703	1968	1:50 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
Saint Vincent	E803	1973	1:25 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4

Trinidad and Tobago

Region	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
Trindad and Tobago	1926-27	1:50 000	67%	link	Int.Topo. 4
Trinidad	1944	1:62 500	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
	1970-77	1:25 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
	1962-63	1:10 000	15%	link	Int.Topo. 4
Tobago	1969	1:47 500	100%		G5161.E635 1969 T7
	1961-63	1:25 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4
	1964-66	1:10 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4

Turks and Caicos Islands

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
DOS 609	1971	1:200 000	100%	link	G4985 1971 G7
	1968-69	1:25 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 3
	1971-73	1:10 000	8%	link	Int.Topo. 3

US Virgin Islands

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
	1982	1:24 000	100%	link	Int.Topo. 4

West Indies

Series	Dates	Scale	Coverage	Index	Location
	1955	1:250 000	<5%	link	Int.Topo. 3