Editorial policy
How we choose maps, write about them and keep our content accurate.
Choosing maps
We publish maps that are informative, historically significant or useful in practice. Many of the maps in the library are public-domain historical works or openly licensed maps from collections such as Wikimedia Commons, OpenStreetMap and government agencies including the U.S. National Park Service and the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Writing the guides
Each guide aims to explain what a map shows, the place or period it covers and the facts that help readers interpret it. Where a map reflects a particular point of view, such as a historical border claim or a contested theory, we describe it as such rather than presenting it as settled fact.
Accuracy and corrections
We try to get every detail right, but maps and the subjects they cover are complex and sometimes disputed. If you believe something on the site is wrong, please email info@landofmaps.com with the page address and the correction. Substantive corrections are made to the page as soon as they are verified.
Independence and advertising
Land of Maps is supported by advertising, including ads served by Google AdSense. Advertisers have no influence over which maps we publish or what we write about them, and we do not accept payment to include or exclude a map. Advertising is always visually separate from editorial content. See our advertiser disclosure for details.
Image credits and licences
Maps in our reviewed collection are credited on their page, with the author where known, the licence and a link to the source file on Wikimedia Commons. Maps in the wider archive are shown as they appeared in the original library and credit their source where we hold it. Maps made from OpenStreetMap data carry the credit “© OpenStreetMap contributors”. Public-domain works are marked as such. If you are a rights holder and believe a credit is wrong or a work should be removed, email us and we will act promptly.
Fact-checking
Guides are written from reference works and primary sources, and key dates and figures are checked against them. Statistics are labelled with the year they refer to, because maps and data age quickly. Where a map shows a snapshot, such as a league line-up or a census, we say so.
Authorship
Guides are published under the name of the Land of Maps editorial team rather than individual bylines.