Mapping Canada’s Mineral Resources

With Beautiful Landscapes & Wall Maps of Canada

Lake Louis, Alberta, Canada from Piriya Photo

Geo-Mapping is the Key to Mineral Opportunities in Canada's North

GEM is the Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals program, recentlyrefunded to facilitate exploration activities in Canada’s North.

Why are Mineral Resources so Important?

Canada’s mineral resources include gold, diamonds, copper, zinc and lead among others. The mining sector is proportionally the largest private sector employer of Aboriginal peoples in Canada, and employment is poised to increase (Exploration and Mining Guide toAboriginal Communities).

This Canada Physical Wall Map features lakes, rivers, mountain ranges with a range of colors. 

Mapping Canada’s Mineral Resources

Canada is the number 1 destination for mineral exploration on the planet since 2006. Like Canada’s neighbor, Alaska (which we explored in Alaska's Frontiers: Mapping Strategies for Mineral Resources), Canada is abundant in mineral resources, but largely unmapped. Mapping these key resources will show the best locations for mining and minimize environmental impact.

British Columbia, Alberta and Yukon Wall Map 1978 Wall Map

The Future: Looking at the Past on Wall Maps of Canada

National Geographic’s 1978 take on Canada as “Beauty to Flaunt and Bounty to Grown On” on this vintage Canada Wall Map shows that the vast resources of Canada were enviable several decades ago as well. As time goes on and development continues, unexplored areas become more desirable and even more important for further development.

Pingualuit Crater, Northern Canada

GbBIS at Oracle OpenWorld 2013

Join us at Oracle OpenWorld 2013!

Oracle OpenWorld in San Francisco 2013 features thousands of sessions from which attendees can choose, including keynotes, technical sessions, demos, and hands-on labs. Hundreds of exhibitors (including us!) will be on hand to share what they’re bringing to the leading edge of Oracle technology.

Look for GbBIS at booth 200!

GbBIS --Geography-based Business Information Solutions-- provides accurate postal data and mapping geographies, geo-data and analytics to manage growth and business operations. For a better understanding of customers, markets, optimal territories and site selection, GbBIS provides the geographic, demographic and location intelligence you need. 

And, you can still register below!

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

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Master List of Map and Geography Jokes!

mapsales.com has searched the web far and wide for the best map jokes. We’ve included funny geography jokes and travel jokes as well. Whether you are taking a family trip or teaching students about geography, map jokes can break the ice and get children and adults conversing about places around the world, geography and maps!

Enjoy these funny map jokes!

Q. What do John Wayne and a map key have in common?
A. Both are legends.

Q. Why do paper maps never win at poker?
A. Because they always fold.

Q. What did the mapmaker send his sweetheart on Valentine’s Day?
A. A dozen compass roses.

Q: What always sits in the corner but can move all round the world?
A: A stamp!

Q: Why is it easy to get into Florida?
A: Because there are so many keys.

Q: What is round at each end and high in the middle?
A: Ohio.

Q: What did the sea say to the shore?
A: Nothing, it just waved!

Q: What do fish and maps have in common?
A: They both have scales!

Q: What kind of maps do spiders make?
A: Web-based maps!

Q. What is smarter, longitude or latitude?
A. Longitude, because it has 360 degrees

Q. Why does west longitude need to be cheered up?
A. Because it is always negative.

Q. What map element plays in the band?
A. The symbols (cymbals).

Q: What’s a map favorite type of syrup?
A: Map-le syrup!

Q: Where do fish keep their money?
A: In riverbanks.

Q: Where is it always 90 degrees, but never hot?
A: The North and South Poles.

Q: What do you get if you cross a farm animal with a map maker?
A: A cow-tographer!

Q: What rock group has four men that don't sing?
A: Mount Rushmore!

Q: What would you get if you crossed a river and a desert?
A: Wet and thirsty.

Q: Who is the coldest relative on earth?
A: Aunt Arctica.

Q: What's the coldest city in Germany?
A: Brrr lin (Berlin).

Q: Where can you find lots of shoes?
A: In the foothills!

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Tips for Hiking in the Rain: Synthetic Maps Won’t Get Wet!

Explore the Outdoors with Synthetic Topographic Maps

Backpackers, get ready for your summer adventures with detailed topographic maps from mapsales.com. All you need is a map and a compass to start exploring!

Topographic Quad Map of Mount Saint Helen

1. Choose Synthetic Maps

However, weather is unpredictable, and in the summer, sudden rains can make navigating (especially with electronic devices!) difficult. There are a few options for adventurers:

• Put your maps in plastic sleeves (difficult to remove and open to new section without getting the paper wet)
• Get Laminated Maps (difficult to fold)
• Get Synthetic Maps!

Synthetic Paper Maps are water-resistant and fold-able, perfect for hiking in any weather!

2. Get Detailed Topographic Maps

County Topographic Maps Feature

• Every County Across the USA
• Contour Lines with Elevation and Shape of Terrain
• Towns, Water Ways and Other Landmarks
• Quad Maps show Even Greater Detail

3. Have a Back-up Plan

While we don’t like having to rely on GPS (sometimes they spoil the fun of exploring!) it’s good to have a back-up plan. This may take some extra planning, including: overestimating the time it will take you to navigate, bringing extra food and water, having a meeting place and a plan for bad weather! Plan alternate routes in case of flooding rivers or low visibility of geographic features.

Your back-up plan should also include having a back-up map or GPS system on hand!

So, this summer, put your GPS away (as a backup) and explore the outdoors with the old-fashioned compass and map, even in the rain!

Vintage Wall Maps: Interior Decor with Vintage Maps

Continuing our interior décor series, mapsales.com shows how to display beautiful large vintage maps. If you’re impatient and don’t want to spend time scouring flea markets and secondhand shops for old maps, simply make a new map look old! Add some wooden rails to give any map a vintage charm. I’ve found some great examples of gorgeous wooden vintage maps on pinterest recently and I’ll show you how to get the look!

Choose any map and add wooden rails to create a vintage wall map.

Get a vintage wall map of Europe.

Get this wooden rails vintage map.

Get this vintage world map with wooden rails.

Maps with wooden rails establish a classic, vintage classroom style instantly!

I’ve also spotted some nifty DIY Map Crafts and Artwork across the web and on pinterest.

A penchant for the unusual? Take a look at the oddest, most bizarre maps.

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DIY Map Crafts: Beautiful Map Artwork and Do-it-Yourself Map Crafts

Here are some of the best map crafts we've seen around the web lately. If you follow us on pinterest, you can find even more map do it yourself crafts and art.

There’s no limit to what you can do with maps. Already graphically engaging and informative, maps lend themselves well to incorporation or inspiration in all kinds of art. Artists render their own maps using an outline as a starting point, or cut, paste and overlay maps for visual interest. We love what these artists have done with maps!

Like this beautiful quilled map by Amber Rousse. You can tell she spent many hours perfecting each quill. The land even has mountains! Now that’s a three dimensional map!

We love this DIY map clock, it’s beautiful and inexpensive! The materials? Clock workings, a round tin plate and a map. You could do this with any map, or get a custom map printed just for you!

Create a wall full of maps! Your own unique map wallpaper of the places you been, and/or where you dream to go one day! We love this example of DIY map wallpaper. You can take any maps, old, new, vintage, antique and artistically design your own world.

Simple and elegant, these vintage maps are craftily displayed in wooden embroidery hoops. Similarly, you could use maps of any location and any style to achieve this look. Reminds me of maps with wooden rails because they have this vintage feel to them!

A beautiful wedding gift. This map could represent the location and date of the wedding, where they met, or the location of the proposal. If you’re not a designer, you can get a custom map made with the location marked and the names printed in any design, of any location!

I hope you felt inspired and not intimidated by all this beautiful DIY map artwork! And, if you don’t have crazy amounts of time or the will to stay up all night and craft with maps, you can always go to mapsales.com and shop for beautiful paper, laminated, framed and magnetic maps of all sizes (even large enough to cover an entire wall!). Or call and have a map custom designed just for you!

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