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What type of material is found in the Geography and Map Division?
Maps and atlases have been an important part of the collections of the Library of Congress since its beginning in 1800 when a joint congressional committee purchased three maps and an atlas from a London dealer. From this modest beginning, the Library's cartographic holdings have grown during the 220 years to more than 5, 500,000 map sheets, 80,000 atlases, 700,000 microfilm images, 300 globes, 2,000 terrain models, 1,600,000 aerial photographs and remote sensing images, and over 2,000 computer files.
Today, the cartographic collections of the Library of Congress are the largest and most comprehensive in the world.
