A topographic map is a detailed representation of cultural and physical features on the ground. They show features such as roads, buildings, urban development, water, elevation, vegetation, and place names.
Step #1: Each topographic map at the scale of 1:50,000 in Canada has a unique code called the National Topographic System (NTS) number. You need this number to find the map in our collection. To determine the NTS number you need you have one of three options:
Step #2: Go to the Map Collection located on the first floor of Scott Library. The 1:50,000 topographic maps have the call number of Scott Maps G/3400/50, and are located in map cabinets #4 to #13. Each drawer in these cabinets has a label indicating the range of NTS maps in the drawer. For example, the topographic map of Alliston [031D04] is located in the drawer labelled, "Canada. National Topographic System. 1:50,000. G/3400/50 (31C - 31D)". The older editions of 1:50,000 topographic maps of the Greater Toronto Area are located in map cabinet #71.
We have a collection of print topographic maps at several other scales at the Map Collection. To locate these, use the online index maps below, and go to the corresponding map cabinet that contains the maps.
We also have some Canadian National Topographic System maps in storage. To determine if we have the map you need, consult one of these three indexes (Index Map 1:253,440, Index Map 1:506,880, and Index map 1:63,360) and record the topographic map number. Send a request to gislib@yorku.ca.
The Map Collection located on the first floor of Scott Library has a collection of print topographic maps of Ontario and Toronto. The indexes are for these maps are located in the map cabinet drawers that contain the maps.
Our topographic maps for the US include series at 1:24,000, 1:25,000, 1:50,000, 1:62,500, and 1:100,000. These maps can be found at G/3700/24, G/3700/25, G/3700/50, G/3700/62, and G/3700/100. The 1:24,000, 1:25,000 and 1:62,500 holdings and indexes are located on this page.
Our holdings are organized by regions in the world. For example, if you want a topographic map of Peru, it is found under World and Americas.
For more information on how to find print maps located in the Map Collection, consult our guide : How to find a map in the Map Collection.
The list below is of digitized topographic maps that were originally in print format. For geospatial data of topographic maps, please see the Geospatial Data guide.