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North American Atlas – Populated Places |
What this map layer shows:
Cities and towns in
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 – Populated Places data set shows a
selection of named populated places suitable for use at a scale of
1:10,000,000. Places, which refer to individual municipalities, are
represented as points. Each point indicates the approximate location
of a place, relative to data in the North American Atlas roads, railroads,
and hydrography layers. The selection of populated places was based
on local importance (determined by population size), importance as
a cross-border point, and, occasionally, on other factors. All capital
cities (national, provincial, territorial or State) are included for
Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America. 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, political
boundaries, railroads, roads, and sea
ice. |
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