Q. Cool image. But what am I looking at?

A. It's a graph of how the Internet might look if you were a packet of data like an e-mail message. The lines show the paths you might take, network-by-network, if you started at a computer in the U.S. and visited almost every known network around the world. The lines branch at each network switch or router along the way.

Q. How was the graph created?

A. The latest graph was made by recording the shortest path taken by test messages sent on January 1, 2002, from a computer in Somerset, New Jersey, to each of the 177,017 odd networks registered in the routing databases kept by Merit Network Inc and other authoritative sources. The data were then graphed using special software developed by Hal Burch, while a PhD student at Carnegie Mellon University, and Bill Cheswick, while a scientist with an affiliate of Lucent Technologies. Their research into large-scale network mapping is now being applied commercially by Lumeta Corporation.

Q. What do the colors mean?

A. The colors highlight the geographical and commercial distribution of the Internet's various networks. Colors were assigned based upon the top level geographic domain (for example, .de for Germany) or industry category (.net for Internet service provider) where each network router was registered. (Caution: Even though a router is registered in a particular country, it may not be located there.)

Q. I think I've seen these images before...perhaps in a magazine?

A. Quite likely. Since the first edition of this poster was published in July 1999, our "tree and branch" maps of the Internet have won worldwide attention. They have been featured in The New York Times (September 30, 1999), Paris Match (March 23, 2000), National Geographic (January, 2000) and Richard Saul Wurman's new book Understanding USA.

Q. I like your posters, but I am still not sure I should place an order because I have never bought anything from Peacock Maps before. Can I return a poster and get my money back?

A. Peacock Maps offers a Money Back Guarantee. If you are not satisfied with a poster for any reason, then simply return it to us in good condition within 10 days after you receive it and we will refund the purchase price in full, no questions asked. That's right... if you are unhappy with one of our posters, you can return it for a full refund. We are a service-oriented company, and we believe in our products and our customers. Our business was founded by Gregory Staple, the Washington D.C. communications lawyer who also began TeleGeography, Inc., the leading publisher of maps and data on international telecommunications. Please let us know if you would like a customer reference.