Help me get a physical picture of the internet

[rv31]

Ok so say you request somesite.com, then starting directly after it leaves the users modem where does the signal go next? This is what i've pieced together so far from reading bits and pieces, how much or this is correct,

1) IThe signal travels down an optical fibre to the local loop meeting point, the local loop which basically consists of switchs and routers, the local loop can be referred to at the "edge router" or "edge gateway".

2) The local loop exchange takes all these connections and connects them to next point of presence POP again via fibre,

so the local loop and POP are owned by local ISPs.

3) The POP is again just a bunch of switches and routers same idea as the local loop, and from the POP your signal is redirected to the next IXP of which there are not many and directly after the signal passes through the IXP it enters into the internet. The IXP is where major ISP backbones are conected together

4) If ADSL then the internet is the national telecommunications system of telephone wires/exchanges and if cable then.....???

5) the signal is then routed to the corresponding server of somesite.com

6) The signal makes its way back to you etc...

I am making progress but can anyone polish this up a bit, there is much info it seems on these things??

[Tripredacus]

Maybe one of these will be helpful? I searched specifically for CMTS (Cable Modem Termination System) so these diagrams are relevant to Cable ISPs.

http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&...+map+cisco+cmts

[eyeball]

You cant have a map of the internets! Such responsibility! Such power!.....