(All websites taken from besthistorysites.net)

Odden's Bookmarks: The Fascinating World of Maps.
http://oddens.geog.uu.nl/index.php

Online database connecting to other sites that deal with maps up to present day.

Links to other sites that have very good resources and links of their own, in many cases these websites offer better, more tightly focused links. At times, these sites seem better sources of informaiton than the Odden site. (example:http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/map_sites/hist_sites.html)
There is also a comprehensive list of other organizations and groups with their own interest in geographical studies, which all contain very interesting historical.

However, there are certain parts of the site that seem suspect or frivolous. This can be seen in sites links to sites that obtain their information from Wikipedia, "Legolas Fantasy Maps", etc. Also, searching by groups seems to work much better than using the search function, which can be a major hindrance considering the density of the information available.


Open Directory: Geography
http://www.dmoz.org/Science/Social_Sciences/Geography/

Part of the Open Directory Project which claims to be "the largest, most comprehensive human edited directory of the Web" according to their website. Attempts to correct what the administrators of the site believe is the inability for automated search engines to keep up with the ever increasing size of the Internet. In partnership with AOL Search.

Geography Section layout is very plain, with blue links to different categories on a white background, similar to many other database websites. Contains many different categories, from geographic regions to areas of specific interest. Not too many map sites under the historical listing, though it is possible to find historical maps in other sections.

Historical Atlas of the Twentieth Century
http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/20centry.htm

Here seems to be more of a site with potential if not actual executed in the best manner. the concept is very promising, offering animated and at times interactive maps of major events in the twentieth century. everything from borders, to troop movements, to statistics are provided. The animation may seem a little low tech in comparison to other sites but the information it provides is not affected by this. There are also buttons representing different international trends in relation to the individual maps.

There are many items that could be improved about the site though. First, once the map animation loads up, there are no options available to stop it. In regards to accessibility, some of the fonts and colors chosen are not very legible. some of the ways chosen to represent different information is awkward, mainly due to the fact that maps are not enlarged enough or that there are too many maps placed on one page.