At least two or three a year, someone will want to add a flag or map to their yearbook layout. They ask, “Where is a good place to get maps or flags of foreign countries for our exchange student page or on a current events page?” DO NOT just search Google and hope you can find something. Images you find on the web have two problems. A lack of resolution (most are only 72DPI and we need 300DPI to print) and you don’t own them. They belong to someone else. So you have to buy them (if they are for sale).
Now there is an amazing site called the World Factbook with maps and flags that the site states right at the top of the copyright page, “The Factbook is in Public Domain.” Which means that ANYONE can use any of the maps, the flags or even the photos of foreign countries on the site...for free. And the are all high resolution and easily downloadable.
So, who creates this amazing site and lets you download all this for free? The Central Intelligence Agency. That’s right, the CIA. You know the bad guys in the Jason Borne movies? Well when they aren't programming rogue assassins or covering up conspiracy theories, it seams they are scanning high quality images for yearbooks to use.
Don’t believe me? Check out https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html. What an amazing resource.
CIA MAP WEBSITE
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