The paper discusses two maps for higher education, scale 1:4 000 000, of the extraction industrial sectors of Russia, closely related to export: metallurgy, oil, and gas. Reproduction of printed wall maps of such a scale is rather expensive. Creation of digital maps (DM) based on existing data bases, which can be viewed on computer monitors, is more feasible. The maps can be saved in electronic vector or raster formats and be used by students in individual studies of industrial-geography. The maps can be also placed on Internet or Intranet for the benefit of all interested users. The paper describes preparation of such maps compiled initially in a vector format, which allows, if necessary, printing them from digital files.

The faculty of Geography of M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University in collaboration with several institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences continues to compile maps for the higher school education. The priority in the development of a series of maps of Russia socio-economic issues was given maps of population and industry. Created three thematically interconnected wall maps: Population, Nations and Religions of the Russian Federation in 1:7 500 000 scale and two maps of industry scale 1:4 000 000.

Geographical faculty staffers of Lomonosov Moscow State University in cooperation with institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences developed a series of 11 thematic maps of Russia and the World for higher and secondary schools. This series of maps is an important information resource for professional training specialists at higher educational institutions. No less significant this maps are for scientific research, and some of them make the only source of spatially distributed data for whole World and regions of Russia.