Whereas we believe the best way to learn geography is in relation to something (history, literature, current events, etc.) so that the child has context and a motivating interest, we’re always on the lookout for great map sources. Well, here is one of the most complete world geography resources that we’ve found to date: PAT — a free, open source, portable atlas.

PAT is really software that provides an interactive map. You’ll want to read the about page to get the most from the site.

Here are a few favorite features:

• Includes some typically hard-to-find countries.
• Region Maps
  A nice variety of regional maps.
• World Maps
  Several options including a do-it-yourself option.
• Planets drawn to scale.
• Maps are available in high-contrast colors for viewing and traditional colors for printing.
• Free!
  All of the maps are free and in the public domain. (Please read the license for distribution information.)

Sure, nothing beats a globe for that initial investigation — but globes don’t fit in notebooks!