Costa Rica Maps

To learn more about maps in general, go to the  Maps Record Page.

Online Maps

 * Google Maps
 * David Rumsey Historical Maps Collection
 * Old Maps Online Collection
 * Library of Congress Maps Collection
 * Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library
 * Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection

Tips for Using Maps
Maps must be used carefully for several reasons:


 * There are often several places with the same name. You may want to use a  Gazetteer to help you.
 * The spelling and even names of some towns may have changed since your ancestor lived there.
 * Place-names are often misspelled in English sources. Difficult names may have been shortened and important diacritic marks omitted.
 * Political boundaries are not clearly indicated on all maps. Look for neighboring towns and geographic features to find the area where your ancestor came from.
 * Boundaries changed over time. Use historical maps to understand boundary changes.

For more tips and information on using maps, go to the general Maps Record Page.

Finding the Specific Town on the Map
To successfully research maps from Costa Rica, you must identify the town where your ancestor lived. Because there are several towns that have the same name, you may need some additional information before you can locate the correct town on a map. Using gazetteers can help you to identify a place's the jurisdiction and help you locate it on a map. See the Costa Rica Gazetteers article for more information.

Types of Maps
Different types of maps help you in different ways, for example:


 * Historical atlases describe the growth and development of countries, showing boundaries, migration routes, settlement patterns, military campaigns, and other historical information.
 * Road atlases are useful because of the detail they provide.
 * Other types of maps include: parish maps, state maps, tourist maps, topographical maps, and air navigation maps. City maps are extremely helpful when researching in large cities.

To learn more about different types of maps, go to the general Maps Record Page.

Historical Maps Collections
Historical map collections are helpful because they can show you the geography of your ancestor's residence at or around the time they lived there. The following collections are helpful:


 * University of Wisconsin Milwaukee American Geographical Society Library Digital Map Collection
 * University of Alabama Department of Geography Maps -Historic maps of Central America. To find the maps for Costa Rica, do a search for the words "Costa Rica" on the page.