Physical Map of the Coterminous United States

Author: Joao Henrique Quoos
IFSC Campus Garopaba, Santa Catarina, Brazil
MAGe laboratory in partnership with the GEOLAB laboratory at the State University of Santa Catarina (UDESC)

This is a unique and intriguing 3D puzzle representing the Physical Map of the Contiguous United States. The map was created using data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), an international space mission that obtained high-resolution topographic data for most of the world.

The map is presented in a 3D relief model, providing a stunning visual representation of the geography of the United States. Mountains, valleys, plains, and other physical features are clearly visible, giving the map a sense of depth and realism.

The projection used for this map is the Albers Projection, a conical projection that is particularly suitable for mid-latitude regions such as the United States. This projection preserves area, meaning that all regions on the map are represented in correct proportion to their actual area. For more information about the cartographic projection process, get in touch.

A notable aspect of this puzzle is the 60x vertical exaggeration. This means that the elevations on the map are exaggerated by 60 times the horizontal scale. This exaggeration helps to highlight the characteristics of the terrain and makes the relief more noticeable.

This puzzle is designed for 3D printing, allowing you to create a physical replica of the map. This not only provides an immersive puzzle experience, but also results in an attractive display model when completed. This model includes an extra border to encompass the islands on both ocean coasts.

As a teacher and researcher, in my publications I have called this process of producing relief maps where some adaptations are made to better represent "Landscape Prototyping".

IMPORTANT: Adjust the print scale from the lowest setting. Every size change factor you apply to one state requires applying the same resize factor to all others.