School Map - Physical World Map: Land Relief, Watercourses, Navigation Channels

Physical World Map, an antique wall map by J. Forest and L. Bonnefont: land relief, waterways, oceans, climates and ocean currents of the globe for educational use.

This wall-mounted physical world map depicts the globe (Physical World Map - Land Relief - Waterways), drawn by J. Forest, geographer, and L. Bonnefont, teacher at Lycée Condorcet. Published by Maison J. Forest Éditeur in Paris, this vintage cartographic document is a large, iconic school wall map of the kind found in French classrooms in the first half of the 20th century.

The history of Forest school world maps is inseparable from the golden age of geography teaching under the French Third Republic. Designed to offer a comprehensive, educational view of the Earth, this map brings together the physical geography of the world: the arrangement of the continents, major relief features (mountain ranges and plateaus), major river systems, and ocean bathymetry. Along the bottom of the document, several thematic panels complement the central map, detailing the poles (North Pole and South Pole), climates, ocean currents, and the Earth's rotation, along with time differences by longitude from the Paris meridian.

Places and geographical features shown:

• Continents and major landforms (orography): Europe, Asia (Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau, Ural Mountains), Africa (Sahara, Atlas Mountains), North America (Rocky Mountains), South America (Andes), and Oceania / Australia.

• Oceans, seas, and bathymetry: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Oceans, with shades of blue indicating the depth of the ocean floor.

• Polar regions and southern lands: the Arctic regions in the north and the Antarctic continent in the south are shown (Southern Lands).

• Hemispheres and poles in insets: at the bottom left and bottom right, two circular maps detail the North Pole and South Pole.

• Thematic map of climates and ocean currents: at the bottom of the composition, a smaller world map shows the distribution of climate zones and warm and cold ocean currents.

• Time-zone and Earth's rotation indicator: the lower border shows the direction of the planet's rotation and the corresponding times when it is noon on the Paris meridian (When It Is Noon on the Paris Meridian...).

• Legend and color scales: the Conventional Colors key shows land elevation (from under 200 m to over 2,000 m) and water depth (from 0 to over 8,000 m).

Cartographic key: this physical world map, published by J. Forest in Paris (17, rue de Buci), features an exceptionally rich and expressive color palette. Lowlands and plains are shaded light green, plateaus in ochre yellow, high mountain ranges in deep reddish brown, and ocean depths in several shades of blue. The two metal hanging eyelets are clearly visible in the upper corners of the cream border, confirming the authenticity of this large educational school poster.

In short: for anyone interested in world geography, the history of educational cartography, vintage décor, or large-format wall maps by Maison Forest, this world map offers a panorama of great visual and educational value.

What area does this physical world map cover? It covers the entire surface of the globe: the six continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania), all the world's oceans and seas, as well as the polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctica.

In what year was this map published? This school world map was designed and published in the early 20th century (circa 1910–1925) by Maison J. Forest Éditeur in Paris.

Technical details Reproduction of the “School Map – Physical World Map” (J. Forest Éditeur / L. Bonnefont), published by J. Forest in Paris.

Printed on 100% cotton canvas with eyelets. Landscape orientation, sizes 50x70 and 70x100 cm.