Map of the United States of America in 1940

Large maps communicate something about the era in which they were published. This map of the United States, first published in National Geographic in December 1940, is a cartographic gem. This map included two inserts that reveal much about the era in which it was published. One shows the population change between 1930 and 1940, after the devastation caused by the droughts of the 1930s. Another insert shows the Army's service command areas and naval districts as the United States prepared to enter World War II. Any map collector will rejoice in the balance of extraordinary features and detail.