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North American Atlas – Political Boundaries |
What this map layer shows:
Political boundaries
of North America. |
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Background Information |
Sample Map
The North American Atlas is a cooperative project involving the Atlas
of Canada, which is part of Natural
Resources Canada; Mexico's National Institute of Statistics and Geography
(Instituto
Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática – INEGI);
and the National Atlas of the United
States®.
Initial North American Atlas efforts have focused on production
of standardized geospatial data sets at 1:10,000,000 scale, such as
boundaries, water features, and transportation networks. These basic
data layers have been integrated so that their relative positions are
correct. The data are intended to provide a continental view useful for
studying issues that cross political boundaries, such as energy use,
the generation of greenhouse gases, water quality, avian migration, and
biodiversity. Wall maps and additional data layers are planned for the
future.
This collection of data sets forms a base with which other North American
thematic data may be integrated. Any data outside of Canada, Mexico,
and the United States of America included in the North American Atlas
data sets is strictly to complete the context of the data.
The three national atlas programs work collaboratively to produce
the trilingual data and documentation and to make the data sets available
online. The North American
Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) provides coordination
activities, and is adopting the North American Atlas frameworks (fundamental
map layers, such as streams, roads, and boundaries) as an integral piece
of its information management strategy. The CEC is an international organization
created by Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America under the
North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC). It was
established to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent
potential trade and environmental conflicts, and to promote the effective
enforcement of environmental law. The Agreement complements the environmental
provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The North American Atlas – Political Boundaries data set shows
political entities in North America as polygons representing jurisdictional
areas, and as lines representing political boundaries including International
boundaries, Provincial boundaries, State or territory boundaries, and
the International Date Line. This data set was compiled by the Atlas
of Canada, INEGI, and the National Atlas of the United States®.
This data set is available for download only; it cannot be viewed in
the National Atlas Map Maker.
The North American Atlas also includes data sets showing bathymetry,
glaciers, hydrography, populated
places, railroads, roads, and sea
ice. |
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