Fun and Educational Wall Maps: Gifts for Kids

Looking for the perfect gift that is both fun as well as educational? We've picked out the top educational wall maps as perfect gifts for kids this holiday season! Give the gift that looks awesome on their bedroom wall and is a useful tool for homework reference and exploring the world! Educational wall maps are available for every grade level and age.

Cindy is halfway through first grade. We’re choosing a colorful World Deluxe Political Wall Map with protective lamination. We used poster putty to adhere the laminated wall map close to the ground, next to her coloring table. She has special dry erase markers she can use to decorate the world wall map.

Jennifer is in the fifth grade. She has a big test at the end of the year in which she has to write down every state and its capital by memory. The US Flags Wall Map has more than enough information to help her study! We recommend the US Wall Map with wooden rails so the map can be pulled down and revealed for study time.

Abraham is entering high school next year. He’s already into WWII weapons and machinery, so the World War II Europe Wall Map is the perfect choice for his interests as well as his World Cultures Class. We choose the magnetic wall map so he can track the location of troops as he reads more about the war.

Find Wall Maps for Kids

• Wall Maps on wooden rails
• Shop Wall Maps by Grade
• World, USA, Continent, State Wall Maps
• Historical, Social, Political and other wall maps
• Wall Map Bundles for classrooms or gifts

Map News: This Month’s Best Articles and Maps

I've scoured the web for the most interesting Map News this month for all you map-lovers!

Map Comic this month from Savage Chicken

New Maps of Alaska: : New mapping data changes what we know about the landscape of Alaska, with some data that hadn’t been updated for 50 years! The results? The highest mountain in North America, Mount McKinley, is shorter than previously thought…Read More

Even with a GPS, You Can’t Get There From Here: Join us on a road trip through Maine, where getting lost with a GPS is painfully easy. Get your paper maps ready for visiting the rural portions of the USA…Read More

Where is the Center of Each United State? And why would you care to know? Some interesting and some funny insights…Read More

What Did the Continents Look Like Millions of Years Ago? Features an interview with artist-geologist Robert Blakey. This article goes into serious depth and really shows the making of these astounding maps in detail. The comment section is pretty interesting as well!…Read More

Facts for Features: Halloween: Did you know the Census Bureau publishes a series on dates and holidays? It boosts interesting facts gathered from all over the immense census database. For example, 47,800 acres of pumpkins were harvested in the US in 2012! Read More Halloween Facts

Did you enjoy reading these articles as much as we did? Use the buttons below to share them with your friends!

Why Is North Up on Maps? Upside Down Maps Break Conventional Perspective

Why Is North Up on Maps?

We see it everyday, even on google maps: North is at the top, up, above on most 2-dimensional depictions of the world. But why is north up on maps so often that countries become unrecognizable when show 'upside down'?

Maps Throughout History

Throughout history, the orientation of maps has actually changed more than you might have assumed. In medieval Europe during the crusades, Jerusalem was positioned at the top of the map, putting East at the top. This alignment to where the sun rose helped give us the word ‘orient’.

Arabic maps placed south at the top. Possibly because when one wakes up to face the sun, south is on the right (right having a positive connotation).

In the west, the tradition of orienting maps to the north began with the 5th century Alexandrian geographer Claudius Ptolemy. Ptolemy’s work, the Geographica, is considered the first known geography. Ptolemy was familiar with Polaris, the North Star, and in order to encapsulate his known world and celestial space, he chose to make north up on maps.

North-South Up-Down Concept Affects Perceptions

Similarly, as explorers continued on the quest to map the world in later centuries it was easier to start a map at the top, with the area explorers were most familiar with: the Northern hemisphere. Writing location names and notes in this orientation discouraged the turning or rotation of maps so north remained up on maps.

The orientation of maps is reflective of and has an effect on our perception of the world. We often think of space in the form of ‘above’ and ‘below’ according to the North is Up perspective on most modern maps. That city is ‘below the river’. The United States is ‘above Mexico’ and ‘below Canada’. Australia is known as the ‘land down under’. Although literally ground is below and sky is above nearly any given location, because maps have taught us that north is up and south is down, we talk about places in this way.

View The World From a Different Perspective on Upside Down Maps

Upside down maps force us to view the world differently. When we see south at the top of the map and north at the bottom, we may notice new things about the world. For instance, on an upside down map it is easier to notice:

• most of the land mass of the world is concentrated in the northern hemispheres
• South America is more south-east than directly south of North America
• Europe appears less significant ‘below’ the large continent Africa

If you read this entire article you must have liked it. Please share using one of the buttons below, thanks!

Texas State Maps: Best Wall Maps of Texas

Texas State Maps with roads, cities, counties, outlines, colors and more!

mapsales.com has compiled a list of our favorite Texas State Maps. Whether you're planning a trip, marking business locations or decorating your home, if Texas holds a place in your heart, the beautiful state terrain belongs on your walls too!

Texas Satellite Wall Map 

This Texas State Map shows what TX looks like from space! The striking map combines images obtained from NASA's Landsat satellites with 3-D shading to provide an image of Texas unlike anything you've ever seen. High resolution satellite imagery and clear visibility of individual crop fields  rivers, urban areas, and even large airports make this Texas Wall Map stand out in vivid detail. Order the largest size which will fit your wall to enhance the visibility of detail. Enjoy the natural beauty of the state of Texas with a Texas Satellite Wall Map!

Texas County Outline Map

This Texas State Map features county names and boundaries with major cities. The clear county borders and lack of clutter make this state map great for businesses! Use dry erase markers to write on this laminated map. Color in your county, or your business's market areas on this Texas County Outline Map.

Texas Zip Code Map with Cities

This Texas State Map features a beautiful red colorcasting of all major highways and roads across Texas. Find all major cities on this Texas Map with cities. Insets feature road maps of 17 metro areas. With 5 digit zip codes and a zip code grid locator, the Texas Zip Code Map shows the details you need for finding locations and planning road trips!

If you read this far, you probably liked this post, so please share!

Napa Valley Winery Map: Plan a Visit to the California Country

Explore Napa Valley Wine Country on this beautiful wall map! World over, Napa Valley is popular for its wines, wineries and vineyards. Located just north of San Francisco in northern California, Napa Valley boosts beautiful sunny weather and lush fields.




Planning a trip to Napa Valley this summer? Use this beautifully designed Napa Valley Winery Map to plan your trip!

Find the locations of Napa Valley wineries & vineyards. The vineyard location legend tells you accessibility features, hours, contact info and cross-referenced locations. This Napa Valley Winery Map is perfect for planning your vacation to visit the Napa Valley County in California.


There are over 150 Vineyards & Wineries on the Napa Valley Winery Map, including these popular locations:

• Joseph Phelps Vineyard
• Bravante Vineyards
• Domaine Carneros
• Artesa Vineyards & Winery
• Silverado Vineyards

This Napa Valley Winery Wall Map features:

• Vineyards
• Cities
• Interstates/Highways
• Secondary Roads
• Physical Terrain
• Latitude/Longitude lines
• Points of Interest
• Legend
• Index
• Elevation Info

Zoom in on the Napa Valley Winery Map to see the stunning detail. Great for planning, this wall map also makes a wonderful keepsake that will display the memories of your trip for years.

Best Yosemite National Park Map

What's the best Yosemite National Park Map to plan a trip with?

Yosemite has some killer maps, photos and stories all across the web...here's a couple of map options so you can plan your trip with the best Yosemite National Park Map!

View this Yosemite National Park Map

What does this Yosemite National Park Map by Geonova feature?

• All campground locations
• Points of Interest including Yosemite Falls, Badger Pass, Wapama Falls and more!
• Mountains with peak height
• Information Center locations
• Locations of lakes and rivers
• Detailed roads and trails

Zoom in on Yosemite Park Map

How does it compare to the Yosemite National Park Map by National Geographic?

• Detailed topography
• Picnic as well as campground locations
• Hiking train mile markers - know how long trails are!

The result? While we love the Yosemite National Park Map by Geonova for the vivid color, it's better as a keepsake and  decorative map. The Yosemite National Park Map by National Geographic is the best map for planning, traveling and camping in Yosemite Park.

What are some interesting facts about Yosemite National Park?

• Giant Sequioas are the largest living things on the planet! They grow in Yosemite National Park
• The vast majority of the park's 1,200 square miles is uninhabited by humans and often only 7 square miles are traversed by visitors!
• Yosemite contains 20% of California's 7,000 known plant species.
• Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in North America and third highest in the world, standing out at 2425 feet.

Places on Earth that Look like Mars

Landscapes of Mars? Some photoshop trick? No, these weird places are real...and a lot closer than they look. On earth, in fact! Take a look at these places on earth that look like Mars and see where they are really located on wall maps.

Rio Tinto, Spain 

The tinted waters of Rio Tinto in Spain give an eerie martian glow. Acidic with a pH of 2 and a deep redish hue, Rio Tinto looks both alien and beautiful. The extreme conditions in the river are analogous to other locations in the solar system thought to contain liquid water, such as subterranean Mars. The Rio Tinto is located in southwestern Spain, originates in the Sierra Morena mountains of Andalusia and flows to the Gulf of Cádiz at Huelva.

Lake Natron, Tanzania

The red coloration in lake Natron occurs as salt-loving microorganisms are colored red and use photosynthesize with red pigmented accessories. See it on a Wall Map of Tanzania!

Yellowstone National Park, USA

The weird colors of Yellowstone National Park are caused by the extremophiles living in very hot water. The landscape of Yellowstone National Park is varied and unusual due to the high concentration of geothermal features including geysers, volcanic activity and earthquakes.

And, finally, see a physical wall map of Mars, with all the physical features we have mapped despite the 50-100 million kilometers of distance between Earth and Mars.

Where Are NASCAR Race Tracks Located?

Brand New Map Shows Where NASCAR Race Tracks are Located

Ever wonder where all the racetracks across the USA are located? Visualize your favorite and new racetracks with the new Racetracks of the United States Wall Map from publisher MarketMAPS. 

This racetrack map features 29 major racetrack locations across the USA and everything you need to keep track of your favorite races!

Answer these questions with the Racetracks Wall Map!

• What's the longest race track?
• Which auto race track has the weirdest shape?
• Where's the closest superspeedway to your location?
• What's the schedule for the 2013 NASCAR races?

Imagine planning a cross country road trip to visit all 29 major racetracks! 

We love the bold, bright colors on this map and the starting flag symbols representing cities. The larger flags represent higher-population cities.

Explore the Racetracks Wall Map in greater detail at mapsales.com!

If you read all the way to here, you probably liked this article, please share it!

The Best Wall Map Ideas for the Home

Ever see those beautiful maps on Pinterest and wondered where to buy them and how to decorate with maps? We've scouted out some beautiful wall map decor ideas for the home, and how you can get the same maps!

Bold USA Wall Map for the Bedroom

This USA Wall Map looks great over a master or guest bed. The blue, red and yellow primary color scheme is consistent throughout the room. Following the color scheme in a map is an easy way to make design choices for a room!

We found where to buy this USA Executive Wall Map below!

Get this USA Executive Wall Map!

A Wall Map Across the Entire Wall

This room is one of our favorites, and it's popular on pinterest as well! The white and brown color scheme allows the blue of the beautiful oceans to really pop.

I just imagine having an intimate dinner here with friends just back from vacation. We'd be able to see exactly where they'd gone on this map! And, we found this same Political Wall Map for sale online. You can get it as large as 9x12 feet!

Political World Wall Map

Unusual Thematic Wall Maps for Modern Decor

This wall map hangs over the bed with wooden railings. Just like an old vintage classroom map!

The stark white combined with bright pops of color add life to the room. The hanging lights draw the focus further to the focal piece of the room, the World Climate Wall Map! This unusual wall map features bright bold colors for a modern design.

World Climate Wall Map Available on Spring Rollers

If you read this article to the end, you probably liked it, please share it with your friends using the buttons below!

How To Get Permanent Marker Off Laminate Maps

Did you accidentally use a permanent marker on your laminated map? Don't give up! Try this for a quick fix!

"I swear it said Dry Erase!"

1. Take a regular dry erase marker and mark over the permanent mark, completely covering it
2. Wipe off the marks as usual with a dry eraser or cloth.

That should take the permanent marker on your laminated map (or poster!) right off!

Just as Good as New, USA Outline Wall Map!

New Baseball Map - Track Your Favorite Teams this Season

Baseball season has begun! Track your favorite teams this season with mapsales.com’s comprehensive Baseball Map. This wall map compliments collections of baseball memorabilia, brings a favorite sport to offices in a professional display and encourages children’s interest in Little League. The new baseball map from publisher MarketMAPS shows the city stadium locations of 303 teams from 26 Major, Minor and Independent Leagues across the US and Canada.

Explore Favorite Teams and Discover New Favorites
Marvel at the sheer amount of teams and stadiums across the US and Canada. Find your favorite team on the wall map and learn about lesser known teams, spring training leagues and baseball popularity in any area. Track their travel as favorite teams play at different stadiums throughout the season. This comprehensive wall map includes team classes, baseball symbols for league types, city sizes, state boundaries, and major highways. 24 smaller maps showcase each league and the locations of their teams’ stadiums.

Decorate with A Baseball Wall Map
This baseball map comes in a range of sizes, starting at 3x3 feet, perfect for any wall. The wall map’s color scheme embraces the green of the field balanced with sophisticated warm tones. mapsales.com recommends an executive frame for this wall map for professional and decorative display!

Hawaii Wall Map: View the Happiest State in the USA

The Hawaiians are the happiest people in the nation according to a new Gallup-Healthways poll. mapsales.com takes a look at the survey and the best Wall Maps of Hawaii.

It’s no surprise: Hawaii is a prime vacation location and Hawaii Wall Maps are popular travel keepsakes, reminding visitors of the lush greenery, beautiful beaches and surfing. Although we usually imagine only travelers having great experiences in Hawaii, apparently the residents make this the happiest state in the USA. At the bottom of the poll, West Virginia represented the lowest overall well-being among US States.

Our Favorite Hawaii Wall Map

Learn more about the happiest state in the USA with this Hawaii Wall Map. The poll used telephone interviews conducted all last year.  A total of 353,564 random American adults were polled from all across the USA, and even the District of Columbia. They measured six elements of happiness: life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behavior and basic access.

Hawaiian residents reported the highest score on life evaluation, which included self-evaluation about your present life situation and anticipated one in five years. They also scored high for emotional health: they were more likely to have smiled or laughed a lot the previous day, and the least likely to have daily worry or stress.  Although they didn't score the highest in each category, Hawaiian happiness overall makes Hawaii the happiest state in the USA.

The Happiest State: Hawaii Wall Map

Another great wall map of Hawaii, FindIt Hawaii shows all roads and topographical features, perfect for the traveler. Explore, plan and travel across the major islands: Hawaii, Maui, Oahu and Kauai with this Hawaii Wall Map. Where would you go first? Or would you prefer to live all year in Hawaii?