Travel Maps with Pins

A country is an area of land with recognized boundaries and unified by one central government. The government represents the nation of people. Generally, the four characteristics of a country include

1. an area of land that is defined by borders
2. a permanent population
3. a formal government
4. sovereign territory that is diplomatically reinforced by one single independent government.

However, what specific areas constitute a country is an ever-evolving debate, with various regions claiming independence to varying degrees of recognition around the globe. The Holy See and Palestine, notable as UN observers, have wide recognition though are not UN members. Areas of disputed sovereignty have less recognition, such as Taiwan and Kosovo, which change over time.

Our world maps represent all of the countries using the United Nations geographic database.  However, there are many constraints when displaying the world as a flat rectangular wall map in a very small scale. The Earth covers 196.9 million square miles (510 million kilometers). Using GIS technology, we can reduce geographic features to a fraction to enable the visual display as a wall map. When appropriate, we must take measures to prioritize details in a map where labeling may obscure the visibility of the geography. We prioritize the visualization of features to enable a perspective of the location, size, and shape of areas. We apply comprehensive and modern projections that eliminate large exaggerations of lands such as Greenland when the Mercator projection is applied. Using two parallels at the 45-degree latitude on both the northern and southern hemispheres, we can optimize the visualization of the major bodies of land. Our projections are designed to prioritize the shape and area of land to maximize our visualization. 

We make our maps at our studio in Pleasanton, California, USA. These are our works of art, and we craft each one to order - we do not keep stock products in inventory.

Each map is a product of years of research and design. We love the opportunity to combine science and art in these wonderful travel maps, and we especially love personalizing them just for you!

Your map will be produced to your specifications using our archival quality materials and fade-resistant inks on large format printers. If you choose a poster in canvas or paper it will be rolled and mailed to you. For ready-to-hang options in framed or stretched canvas, we will mount your map on archival quality pin board and include everything you need to start pinning and build lifelong memories.

We do not use foamcore or cork backing - the gatorfoam we mount pin maps to is a premium archival quality rigid material that will not warp over time, bend away, or crush as you pin your travels. Your pins will be held tight for a lifetime. This material also enables us to offer you incredible clarity with satin paper options that have a smooth finish, in addition to our canvas offerings.

Our canvas wrap and framed maps include premium hanging hardware as well. You will find the pre-installed rigid hangers make it easy for you to hang your map and keep it solidly level, and no guessing or measuring where to drill like for a wire!

The details matter:  Our products are created by a professional Geographer and Cartographer who has the passion and experience, including Master's degrees in GIS and Environmental Science, to create impressive maps for your home or office. We understand the massive amount of accurate information necessary for a great map, so we highly recommend our maps — professionally designed with GIS.

The main differences are the colors and cartographic styles. The informative details (labeling) are the same throughout the maps with a few exceptions:  

The Voyager 2 includes snow/ice modeling. We use the MODIS satellite data collected in February to show the snow/ice cover on the landscape, which you can see represented in white in the northern hemisphere.

The Voyager 1 excludes the snow/ice modeling, so you can visualize the elevation and landscape of the terrain that lies beneath the snow cover.

The Magellan World Map features additional facts about Ferdinand Magellan's epic voyage around the world.

The Voyager, Nautilus, Magellan, Darwin, and Odyssey World Maps include modeling of the landscape and terrain (deserts, forests, flat lands, and more) and elevation features — which illustrate the mountainous regions. We applied a hillshade to model the sunlight at 3 p.m. consistently around the world. The hillshade provides a 3D effect. It is a flat surface — yet looks 3D due to the incredible modeling technique.

The Voyager, Nautilus, Magellan, and Odyssey World Maps include all 63 USA National Parks (as of 2024). In addition, all of these maps include renowned National Parks in several countries around the world.

The Endeavor, USS Enterprise, Humboldt, and Columbus World Maps provide a classic look at Earth without terrain modeling. Each of these maps depicts beautiful cartographic styles — from modern, sleek designs to antique-inspired designs that capture the character of old-world maps.  

All of our world maps feature our unique ocean floor elevation modeling derived from NOAA oceanic data. This data illustrates the formations of islands, archipelagos, plate tectonics, and ocean currents by displaying the sea floor elevation across the Earth's oceans.  

We offer poster prints in canvas and paper, shipped rolled in a tube. While we love making pin board maps, our maps are comprehensive and will be useful in whatever way is important to you. Our posters are a great entry point to travel maps and are easy to take with you on your adventures (canvas will work best for packing). You may also DIY a display solution, choose from our poster hanger kits, or seek out a frame service local to you.

You will find on our product pages a variety of framing options. Framed maps will ship ready to hang and include push pins so you can get started pinning your location easily. We have developed an incredibly unique and easy hanging solution which every framed map includes. These do not feature glazings unless the page states so or you request it - it would get in the way of the pins!

Traditional stretched canvas in a gallery style wrap, with the art continuing over the sides. This format is lightweight at smaller sizes, and also is available at giant wall-spanning multi panel sizes.

The canvas is wrapped around a solid wood frame, premium pinboard, and is installed with our premium rigid hanging solution that makes it easy to mount on your wall.

All of our maps are handcrafted, made to order just for you, and we will work with you to craft your personal masterpiece map. Most of our map product pages will guide you through their options, but ALL of our maps can be customized. Include your quote, family names, or logo as directed, or reach out to our support for something special - we can also accept commissions for custom colorways!

All custom maps will receive a proof via email, and you will approve your proof before we print your map and begin crafting it to your specs. This will elevate your map to be an unforgettable gift, family heirloom, or personal travel diary.