Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey 1999 Because a map conveys information visually, it is often the best way to present facts about the size, shape, and appearance of our world and about the changes that people have imposed on the world. Some world maps show the mountains, rivers, oceans, and plains that make up the face of the Earth. Some show only the boundaries that divide our world into nations. Others show the Earth's resources, population centers, or areas of earthquake activity. application/pdf 10.3133/70039243 en U.S. Geological Survey Maps of the World reports