1. General set-up
A map number always has six digits. It is composed of four parts:
1. The area code
2. The category number
3. The subcategory number
4. The serial number
The subcategory number is optional, all other parts are obligatory.
1.1. The area code
An area is a country, a group of countries that have a special relationship, a continent or the whole world.
Area codes are usually derived from telephone country codes or parts thereof, e.g. the first digit that is common to all country codes in the region in question.
1.2. The category number
The following categories exist:
0 Complete area
1 Parts (general)
2 Parts (in series)
3-6 Topographical maps
7 Cities and towns
70 Cities and towns series
71-79 Cities and towns derived from telephone area codes if avaiable
8 Thematic maps
80 Road construction, road numbering and road maintenance
81 Railways
82 Postal codes
83 Telephone area codes
84 Administrative division
85 Technology
86 Historical
87 Public transport
88 Special maps, curiosities
9 Reserved
1.3. The subcategory number
These are dependent on areas. Sometimes a subdivision according to languages, land of origin or publisher is used, which is more or less standardized as follows:
0 American English
1 English
2 ANWB
3 Dutch
4 German
5 French, not Michelin
6 Michelin
7 Russian
8 Swiss
In countries whose national language is not mentioned in the list above, 0 is used for the national language and for internally published maps and 1 is used for English in general.
1.4. The serial number
The serial number is based either on the actual number the publisher uses or on the year of publication, whether known or estimated.
2. Examples
2.1. Stadtatlas München: 497089
Area 49 (Germany), 70 for the series of city atlasses, 89 is the area code of München (this is a serial number).
2.2. DeLorme atlas Maine: 121231
Area 1 (United States of America), 2 for parts (series), 1 for DeLorme atlasses, 23 for Maine (the FIPS code) and 1 for the first edition in the collection.
2.3. Ravenstein Strassen 1997: 490197
Area 49 (Germany), 0 for the whole country, 1 for Ravenstein, 97 for the year 1997
This atlas contains maps of Switzerland, but because the main part is Germany, it has a German number.
2.4. Malawi: 265089
Area 265 (Malawi), 0 for the whole country and 89 for 1989. There is no subcategory number.
3. Criterion for inclusion in the list
There is no distinction between actual maps and maps in brochures, booklets etc.
Whenever a book contains sufficiently interesting maps, it is included.
4. List of (sub)categories
The following list does not contain (sub)categories that can be derived from the rules above (e.g. Hungarian city maps in have number 367 because 36 is the country code of Hungary).
0 More than one country
00 The whole world
000 Globe
001 World maps
002 World atlases
005 Hotel guides
0051 Ramada
006 Diaries
007 Airline route maps
00731 KLM
00733 Air France
00735 Finnair
00741 Swissair
00749 Lufthansa
00782 Korean Airlines
00796 Saudia
0[0-9] Other maps of more than one country, other than where one country is
clearly the most important
01 North America
0101 National Geographic
0102 Rand McNally
0103 AAA
02 Africa
0211 Northwest
0215 East
0217 South
03 Europe
0302 Road atlases
0305 Shell atlases
0310 Large areas
0311 Benelux
03130 Greece and Turkey
03133 France and Belgium
03134 Iberian peninsula
03137 Baltic States
03138 Yugoslavia and surrounding area
03139 Mediterranean
03140 Romania and Bulgaria
03141 Alps
03143 Switzerland and Austria
03144 British Isles
0316 Scandinavia
0317 Eastern Europe
0319 Germany and surrounding area
04 Central America
041 Caribbean
045 Central America
05 South America
08 Asia
0816 Thailand and surrounding area
0818 Indochina
0819 Middle East and South Asia
10 Canada
1010 East
1011 Central
1012 West
1013 Newfoundland
1014 New Brunswick/Nova Scotia/Prince Edward Island
1015 Québec
1016 Ontario
1017 Manitoba/Saskatchewan
1018 British Columbia/Alberta
1019 Northwest Territories/Yukon Territories
1020 The Making of Canada
1 United States of America
1100 Whole
11.. Parts are derived from the FIPS code of the states.
Maps comprising several states are numbered using the most important
state.
121 DeLorme atlases
123 National Geographic
1238 The Making of America
1251 Standard Oil
126 Michelin
20 Egypt
212 Morocco
216 Tunisia
218 Libya
228 Togo
243 Republic of Congo
244 Angola
246 Barbados
249 Sudan
264 Namibia
265 Malawi
266 Lesotho
27 South Africa
30 Greece
31 Netherlands
3120 ANWB 1:100000 old style
3121-3 ANWB 1:100000 new style
3124 ANWB 1:200000
313 Topographical maps, 4th and 5th digits are official number
1:50000, serial numbers:
0 West or not divided into west and east
1 East
1:25000, serial numbers:
2=A, 3=B, …, 9=H
(some exceptions for old maps)
31366 copies
31465 Topographical maps 1:10000
316 Military editions of topographical maps, further subdivision as 313
3170 Amsterdam
31800 Provinciale planwegen
32 Belgium
33 France
3320 IGN 1:100000 (Serie Verte)
34 Spain
3424 Michelin 1:400000
351 Portugal
352 Luxembourg
353 Ireland
357 Cyprus
358 Finland
36 Hungary
380 Ukraine
381 Yugoslavia (3810 contains maps of all former Yugoslavia)
385 Croatia
386 Slovenia
39 Italy
3924 Michelin 1:400000
41 Switzerland
4120 Migros
41241-4 Generalkarten old style
41245 Generalkarten new style
420 Czech Republic (4200 contains maps of former Czechoslovakia)
421 Slovakia
43 Austria
4320 Freytag&Berndt
4324 Generalkarten
44 Great Britain
4405 Ordnance Survey
4406 Collins/Geographia/Bartholomew
4407 Philip
4410 England
4411 Southeast England
4412 Southwest England
4413 Central England
4414 Wales
4415 Northeast England
4416 Northwest England
4417 Scotland
4418 Northern Ireland
4419 Islands
447 The 1 at the beginning of the area code is omitted
4470 Ordnance Survey Street Atlases
44774-9 London
45 Denmark
46 Sweden
47 Norway
48 Poland
49 Germany
4901 Ravenstein Strassen
4902 Atlases (German)
4903 Maps (German)
4911 Larger areas North
4912 Nordrhein-Westfalen
4913 East
4914 North
4915 Niedersachsen
4916 Hessen and Rheinland-Pfalz
4917 Baden-Württemberg
4918 Bayern
4919 Larger areas South
4920-2 Generalkarten old style
4923 Generalkarten new style
4924 Ravenstein
4929 Military topographical maps and copies
4930 Special topographical maps
4931 Topographical maps 1:100000
493-6 Topographical maps 1:50000: the last 4 digits are the official number
4968 Special editions Landesvermessungsamt Baden-Württemberg
52 Mexico
53 Cuba
54 Argentina
55 Brazil
57 Colombia
595 Paraguay
61 Australia
62 Indonesia
63 Philippines
64 New Zealand
66 Thailand
7 Former Soviet Union, including all Russian topographical maps
7010 National Geographic
7027 Atlas avtomobilnyx dorog GUGK
7028 Other atlases GUGK
7100 Bartholomew
7102 VTU
7104 Karta
7106 Temp
7108 UIR
731 GUGK 1:1000000
73-4 Generalnyj stab 1:500000
73ABCD = 15-00-AB-CD
74ABCD = 15-01-AB-CD
75 GUGK 1:500000
752ABX = L-AB-X
754ABX = N-AB-X
755ABX = O-AB-X
756ABX = P-AB-X
where A and B are digits and X=1 means A, X=2 means B,
X=3 means V and X=4 means G
76 GUGK 1:200000
7609 Podmoskov’e
7610 Oblast atlases
7615 Surroundings of cities
764-8 Regular sheets
769 GUGK 1:150000
76900 Saratov and surroundings
76901 Volgograd and surroundings
76902 Volga delta
76903-5 Various
7709 Moskva
7781 Sankt-Peterburg
81 Japan
82 South Korea
86 China
875 Arctic
876 Antarctic
90 Turkey
90721 Istanbul
965 Kuwayt
966 Saudi Arabia
967 Yemen
968 Oman
972 Israel