The May 1918 issue of National Geographic included an oversized map of the western front, the 400-mile battle line across France and Belgium where much of the fighting in World War I took place. The roughly 2 by 3 foot sheet was the first supplement map—a folded bonus map tucked into the magazine’s pages—made entirely by the National Geographic Society’s own cartography department, which had been created just three years earlier. Since then, National Geographic cartographers have created hundreds of supplement maps exploring the world, its people and cultures, and the natural environment.

The gallery above highlights some of the most memorable maps from this great tradition, most of them chosen by the current cartography team and by National