Atlas skills – how competent are you?
Starter
Look at the PowerPoint slide and answer the questions:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
What is the map showing?
Who might make use of such a map?
Where might you find such a map?
When was the first atlas produced?
Why was it produced?
How useful do you think atlases are today?
Student tasks
You may work in pairs for this activity.
Use either an online atlas or a hard copy of an atlas to see if you can discover the answers to
the following questions:
1. Using a physical map of the world:
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Which mountain range, and which continent has the highest point in the world?
What is the height, in metres, of the highest point in the world?
2. Using a map showing the world’s climatic regions:
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Which climatic regions are found in Australia?
3. Using a map showing the world’s biomes:
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Which biomes are found north of the Arctic Circle?
4. Using a geological map of the British Isles:
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Which rock type is most common in northern and central Scotland?
5. Using a map of Eastern Europe and European Russia:
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Name the capital city of Russia
Name the capital city of Ukraine
Name the capital city of Belarus
6. Using a political map of Africa:
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With which countries does Namibia share borders?
7. Using a physical map of Africa:
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Which desert covers much of northern Africa?
8. Using a map showing the population of Africa:
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Identify three African cities with a population of more than 5 million
9. Using a physical map of Asia:
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Name the largest river that flows through Pakistan.
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Atlas skills – how competent are you?
10. Using a political map of Asia:
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Which country is located both north of China and south of Russia?
11. Using a land use map of Asia:
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Which land use is most common in India?
12. Using a political map of the Middle East:
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Name three countries in the Arabian Peninsula.
13. Using a physical map of Asia:
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Which body of water lies between China and South Korea?
14. Using a physical map of Oceania:
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What feature is located off the northeast coast of Australia?
15. Using a political map of North America:
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Which two countries cover much of this continent?
16. Using a physical map of North America:
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How many ‘Great Lakes’ are there within Canada?
17. Using a physical map of Central America and the Caribbean:
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On which island might you find Kingston, Spanish Town and Montego Bay?
18. Using a physical map of South America:
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Which mountain range runs along west coast of this continent?
19. Using the index at the back of a hard copy of an atlas or a search facility online, find
the coordinates (latitude and longitude) for the following destinations:
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Kathmandu, Nepal
Lima, Peru
Adelaide, Australia
Mumbai, India
Toronto, Canada
Tirana, Albania
Vostok, Antarctica
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
20. Using a physical map of the Arctic.

Approximately, what is the distance from the northern tip of Greenland to the
North Pole?
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Atlas skills – how competent are you?
Teaching notes
Learning objectives:
To extend locational knowledge and deepen spatial awareness of the world using an atlas
focusing on:
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environmental regions
physical and human characteristics
countries
major cities
To use Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to view, analyse and interpret places and data.
Answers
1. Mount Everest is in the Himalayas in the continent of Asia
The height of Everest will depend on the atlas used but should be 8,848 or 8,850 metres above sea
level.
2. This answer is also dependent on the atlas used but is likely to include variations on the following:
The climatic regions of Australia are:
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Tropical rainy climate
Dry climate
Warm temperate rainy climate
Or the climatic regions of Australia are:
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Monsoon
Tropical savanna
Warm desert
Cold desert
Warm semi-arid
Cold semi-arid
Mediterranean
Warm oceanic
Temperate oceanic
3. This answer is again dependent on the atlas used.
The biomes north of the Arctic Circle are:
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Polar and mountainous ice desert
Arctic tundra
Coniferous forest (taiga or boreal)
4. Northern and central Scotland are dominated by igneous rock – both intrusive and extrusive.
5. Eastern European and European Russian capital cities:
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The capital city of Russia is Moscow
The capital city of Ukraine is Kiev
The capital city of Belarus is Minsk
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Atlas skills – how competent are you?
6. Namibia shares borders with
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Angola
Botswana
South Africa
Zambia
Zimbabwe
7. The Sahara Desert covers most of northern Africa.
8. Atlases will differ as to what constitutes a city and consequently, answer may be dependent on
the atlas used.
The following African cities had a population of more than 5 million in 2010:
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Cairo, Egypt – a population of 11,001,000
Lagos, Nigeria – 10,578,000
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo – 8,754,000
Luanda, Angola – 4,772,000
9. The River Indus is the largest river in Pakistan.
10. Mongolia is north of China and south of Russia.
11. Agricultural land or cropland is the dominant land use in India.
12. The following are countries in the Arabian peninsula:
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Saudi Arabia
Yemen
Oman
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Qatar
Kuwait
13. The Yellow Sea is located between China and South Korea.
14. The Great Barrier Reef is located off the northeast coast of Australia.
15. Canada and the United States of America (USA) cover most of North America.
16. Four of the five ‘Great Lakes’ (Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario) are shared
between the USA and Canada. Lake Michigan is solely within the USA.
17. Kingston, Spanish Town and Montego Bay are located on the island of Jamaica.
18. The Andes are the mountain chain along the western spine of South America.
19. Latitude and longitude:
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Kathmandu, Nepal - 27.70 N 85.33 E
Lima, Peru - 12.05 S 77.04 W
Adelaide, Australia - 34.93 S 138.60 E
Mumbai, India - 19.08 N 72.88 E
Toronto, Canada - 43.65 N 79.38 W
Tirana, Albania - 41.33 N 19.82 E
Vostok, Antarctica - 10.10 S; 152.38 W
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) - 24.47 N 54.37 E
20. It is approximately 1,400 kilometres from the northern tip of Greenland to the North Pole.
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