Titled simply “Darien,” this 1979 US Geological Survey map presents the low-country landscape of coastal Georgia with the precision and quiet beauty characteristic of late twentieth-century federal cartography. At a scale of 1:24,000, it offers an intimate view of Darien and its surrounding marshes, waterways, roads, and settlements, enhanced by orthophoto elements that lend the map an unusually immediate, almost aerial quality. The result is both practical and atmospheric: a topographical document in which shaded relief, tonal variation, and carefully differentiated land classifications reveal the subtle forms of a coastal terrain shaped less by altitude than by water, sediment, forest, and tide.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map nearly a century of institutional expertise in measuring and representing the American landscape. Founded in 1879, the USGS became synonymous with reliable topographic mapping, especially through its celebrated 7.5-minute quadrangles, which documented the nation at a scale useful for engineers, planners, scientists, and travelers alike. In “Darien,” that tradition is visible in the disciplined treatment of roads, waterways, wetland boundaries, elevation cues, and cultural features. The map’s orthophoto character adds another layer of authority, integrating photographic ground information with cartographic interpretation to create a richly legible portrait of place.

Darien itself lies amid one of the most distinctive environments on the Atlantic coast: the tidal world of the Altamaha River delta and the sounds that open toward the sea. The map includes the Altamaha River, Sapelo Sound, Doboy Sound, Broughton Island, Lumber Landing, and a lacework of unnamed creeks and marsh channels. Here, the landscape is not organized by dramatic mountain forms but by drainage, salinity, mudflats, and vegetation. The colored distinctions between forest, wetland, open water, and developed ground make the map especially rewarding, revealing how human settlement occupies higher, drier margins while broad tidal wetlands dominate the surrounding geography.

Historically, Darien is one of Georgia’s most evocative coastal towns, associated with colonial settlement, rice cultivation, timber, shipping, and the complex history of the lower Altamaha region. By 1979, the town and its environs had entered a different era, one marked by highway travel, small-scale aviation, and changing relationships between commerce, conservation, and coastal development. The map records this moment with understated clarity. Georgia Highway 17 threads through the area, connecting Darien to the wider coastal corridor, while Darien Crooked River Airport marks the presence of modern infrastructure within a landscape still powerfully defined by rivers, creeks, and marshlands.

As a historical document, this map captures the Darien region at a particular point in its transformation. Roads, land uses, waterways, and populated places appear in a configuration that may differ from the present coast, where development, environmental management, and natural processes continue to reshape the terrain. Notable locations such as Satellite Beach, Lumber Landing, and Broughton Island sit within a broader mosaic of wetlands and water bodies, emphasizing the close interdependence of settlement and ecology. Elegant in its restraint and dense with geographic information, “Darien” is a compelling record of coastal Georgia’s terrain, infrastructure, and tidal character as surveyed and represented in 1979.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Darien, Georgia
• Altamaha River
• Sapelo Sound
• Doboy Sound
• Lumber Landing
• Broughton Island
• Georgia Highway 17
• Satellite Beach
• Darien Crooked River Airport
• Various water bodies and wetlands
• Additional unnamed rivers and streams in the area

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS).
• Dated and published in 1979.
• 1:24,000 topographical map featuring orthophoto aspects.
• Centers on the populated place of Darien, Georgia, and includes surrounding areas.
• Reflects the USGS tradition of reliable topographical mapping based on precise survey data.
• Features shaded relief to help show elevation changes across the region.
• Illustrates varying elevations, waterways, land uses, geographic features, and landforms.
• Captures the historical landscape of Darien and its surroundings in 1979, including infrastructure and natural features that may have changed over time.
• Uses distinct coloring to indicate forests, wetlands, and urban areas.
• Includes delineated roads to support navigation of the region.

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.