Name ___________________________
Date___________________
Class ____________
MapMaster Skills Handbook
MapMaster Skills: Reading a Political Map
A political map shows political features such as national or state boundaries,
capital cities and other major cities. Some political maps use color to differentiate
countries or states. The map of Western Europe below is an example of a
political map.
Directions: Study the map and the key below. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Western Europe: Political
FINLAND
Helsinki
NORWAY SWEDEN
Oslo
Stockholm
National boundaries
NORTH
SEA
IRELAND
Dublin
Capital Cities
DENMARK
UNITED
KINGDOM
Copenhagen
NETHERLANDS
London
Amsterdam
Berlin
MapMaster Skills
Handbook
Brussels
GERMANY
BELGIUM
LUXEMBOURG
ATLANTIC OCEAN
LIECHTENSTEIN
Paris
Vienna
AUSTRIA
FRANCE
Bern
SWITZERLAND
ITALY
Rome
PORTUGAL
Lisbon
Madrid
SPAIN
GREECE
Athens
AFRICA
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
1. What does a solid black line on the map signify?
______________________________________________________________________
2. Which nations of Western Europe border on the Mediterranean Sea?
______________________________________________________________________
3. List the nations that share a border with Belgium.
______________________________________________________________________
4. What is the capital of Spain?
______________________________________________________________________
5. What is the capital of Germany?
______________________________________________________________________
6. Which western European country lies closest to the North African coast?
______________________________________________________________________
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51
Name ___________________________
Date___________________
Class ____________
MapMaster Skills Handbook
MapMaster Skills: Reading a Physical Map
Physical maps are usually colored or shaded to show a region’s landforms and
waterways. Color is often used on physical maps to show elevation or the height of
land above sea level. Shading illustrates relief or how the land is uneven. Shading
also helps give a physical map a three-dimensional appearance. Unlike political
maps, physical maps show more than the boundaries of countries or states. They
also show the geographic features of the land.
Directions: Study the map of Ecuador below. Then, answer the questions that follow.
1. Where is the highest elevation located? ____________________________________
2. Where can you find the largest area of flat land? ____________________________
3. Describe the physical features found between the cities of Quito and Salinas.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
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56
Name ___________________________
Date___________________
Class ____________
MapMaster Skills Handbook
MapMaster Skills: Elevation on a Map
Elevation refers to the height of land above sea level. Mountains are the landforms
with the highest elevation. Elevation is shown on maps by different colors or
different types of shading. On a color map, lower elevations are generally shown in
different shades of green, while higher elevations are shown in shades of brown.
On the map of Canada below, different elevations are indicated by different types
of patterns, the lighter the pattern, the higher the elevation.
Directions: Study the map and the map key below. Then, answer the questions.
Canada: Physical-Political
20
°W
°W
15
14
0°
0°
W
W
30
Elevation of Land
ARCTIC
OCEAN
Meters
1,525 to 3,050
60
°
Feet
Over 10,000
5,000 to 10,000
610 to 1,525
2,000 to 5,000
305 to 610
1,000 to 2,000
N
0 to 305
0 to 1,000
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
°N
50
Hudson
Bay
50°
LA
HI UR
G E
HL N
AN TIA
DS N
N
Edmonton
Vancouver
PACIFIC
OCEAN
Winnipeg
N
Quebec
°N
40
Ottawa
W
E
S
0
0
300
300
600 miles
600 Kilometers
Great
Lakes
130°W
70°W
60°W
1. In which area of Canada are the highest elevations found?
______________________________________________________________________
2. What is the elevation of most of the land around Hudson Bay?
______________________________________________________________________
3. Which city is at a higher elevation, Quebec or Edmonton?
______________________________________________________________________
4. What kinds of landforms would you expect to find in the western part of
Canada?
______________________________________________________________________
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57
MapMaster Skills
Handbook
Over 3,050
Name ___________________________
Date___________________
Class ____________
MapMaster Skills Handbook
MapMaster Skills: Reading a Climate Graph
A climate graph consists of a line graph and a bar graph that provide information
on temperature and precipitation. The line on the graph below shows average
temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. The scale for the line graph is on the left. The
bars show average precipitation in inches. The scale for the bars is on the right.
Temperature and precipitation are given for each month of the year. Letters
representing each month appear along the bottom of the graph. This climate graph
shows temperature and precipitation for Mumbai (Bombay), India.
Directions: Study the climate graph. Then, answer the questions that follow.
°F
Mumbai, India
In.
100
30
90
27
80
24
70
21
60
18
50
15
40
12
30
9
20
6
10
3
0
0
J
F M A M
J
J
A S O N D
1. What information is presented in the climate graph?
______________________________________________________________________
2. Which is the rainiest month in Mumbai?
______________________________________________________________________
3. During which months does Mumbai receive less than 3 inches of rain?
______________________________________________________________________
4. During which months does Mumbai receive more than 12 inches of rain?
______________________________________________________________________
5. How would you describe the temperature pattern of Mumbai?
______________________________________________________________________
6. Do you think the temperatures in Mumbai affect the amount of rainfall? Why or
why not?
______________________________________________________________________
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62