The vast blank space on the dining room wall stared at me every day. What was it trying to tell me? What did it want? Finally, after a little thought, I figured it out – the dining room wall was crying out for a map!

Great idea, I thought. But what kind of map should I put there? Our dining room is a utilitarian rather than a formal space, so I decided a useful map would be best. A U.S. Map (we live in the United States) would certainly look good across from the table and would provide plenty of opportunities for education and armchair road-tripping (there’s an oxymoron for you).

The National Geographic map of the United States offers a lot of useful features such as interstate and state highway markings, a huge number of cities and towns plotted, and some nice terrain shading to give a sense of the relief. Also, Alaska and Hawaii are neatly inset in the lower quarter of the print.

After some family discussion however, we decided a world map would extract the most geographical value out of that space. We settled on a 55 x 39 inch political wall map. Here’s what we looked for in world map to occupy this part of our home where the family regularly gathers:

• Up to date political boundaries and country names are a must have.
• Big enough to fill the space and be easy to read, even from a slight distance
• Time Zone demarcations and indicators.
• Clearly labeled parallels and meridians.
• Inexpensive

This last point is especially important. I like to draw on my maps and certainly the kids would find ways to mark it up or even tear it off the wall completely. The map needs to not cost a fortune because it will undoubtedly have to be replaced at some point. The giant Political Wall Map fits the bill nicely and will look great on our dining room wall. Not only will it be nice to look at and use a point of discussion, but since the kids often tackle their homework on the dining table, the map is a ready resource for geography, science, and social studies.