TimeMaps is best described as a mash-up of encyclopedia, timeline, and map elements. TimeMaps’ world map is designed as an overview of the development of the world’s societies. The map’s timeline begins in 3500BC and concludes in 2005AD. Click on the timeline’s icons or on the map’s icons to learn more about each place represented on the map. The map changes as you progress through the timeline. For example, the 3500BC map represents only five places while the 1871AD map highlights places all over the globe.

Applications for Education
The information provided by TimeMaps is typical of the information you might find in an encyclopedia for elementary or middle school students. The appeal of the TimeMaps is that students can see where the places they’re reading about are in global context. For example, if students look at the map in the 1400’s they might better understand why Europeans thought they were discovering a new world in 1492 and beyond.

Here are some related items that may be of interest to you:
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4 Ways to View the World in Panoramic