Understanding Geography: Map Skills and Our World - Level 416

Continents,Countries, and Capitals 3

Key Words: political map, borders

A friend asks, “Which country would you like to visit— Africa, Canada, or California?” What is wrong with that question?

Only one of the places your friend named is a country. Africa is not a country but one of the large landmasses called continents. Most continents have many countries on them. Canada is one of the countries on the continent of North America. (And California is not a continent or a country but a state in the United States.)

17Understanding Geography: Map Skills and Our World - Level 4

The map of North America on page 16 is called a political map. Political maps show the locations of countries and the borders between them, and often show the locations of states and cities.

If you live in the United States, you live on the continent of North America. There are several countries in North America. Canada, the United States, and Mexico are the three largest countries in North America. Find these countries on the map of North America.

This map also shows the capital cities of each of these three countries. A capital is the city in a country or state where government officials meet and work. Maps often use a star to show the location of a capital city.

1. Name the capital cities of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Honduras, and Haiti.

2. Is Canada’s capital in the eastern or western part of Canada?

3. Name the two countries south of Nicaragua.

4. If you flew from San José, Costa Rica, to Kingston, Jamaica, what direction would you travel?

5. What direction would you travel to go from Nassau in the Bahamas to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic?

6. Find the capital cities of Mexico and El Salvador. What country would you pass through if you drove northwest from San Salvador to Mexico City?

7. Name two capitals east of Havana, Cuba.

8. What two countries touch both the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean?

9. Name two countries that touch both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

Plaza of the Constitution in the capital city of Mexico

Understanding Geography: Map Skills and Our World - Level 418

The United States is one country, but it is divided into 50 states. The map above shows some of the states in the Southeastern region of the United States. It also shows the capital cities and some other major cities of these states.

On this map, there are thin gray lines between the states. These lines on the map represent the borders between the states. A border is the dividing line between two places, such as two states or countries.

Some borders are formed by natural features. For example, a river often forms the border between two states or countries. Borders that are very crooked are more likely to be formed by natural features such as rivers, lakes, or larger bodies of water like oceans or seas. The Mississippi River, one of the world’s longest rivers, forms the borders of several states. Barges on the Mississippi River

19Understanding Geography: Map Skills and Our World - Level 4

Skill Builder

Review1. What does a political map show?

2. Name one natural feature that forms part of the border between Canada and the United States.

3. What natural feature forms much of the border between Mexico and the United States?

4. On a map, what symbol is most often used to show the location of a capital city?

Use the United States map on pages 70-71 to answer the following questions.

5. Name the capital of each of the following states—Idaho, Arizona, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Maine.

6. What river forms the boundary between California and Arizona?

7. Find the capital of Vermont. If you travel west to the capital of Minnesota, what other states and country will you pass through?

Use the world map on pages 66-67 to answer the following question.

8. Name the continent on which you will find each of the following countries— Argentina, China, France, Chad, and Peru.

Try It YourselfExamine a map of your state. Are its borders straight lines or are they crooked? Why? Find a book, encyclopedia, or website article about your state, and read about the state’s history. See if you can find out why your state has the boundaries it does.

Look at the map on page 18 and answer the following questions.

10. Jackson is the capital of which state?

11. What river forms the boundary between Alabama and Georgia?

12. Name two states that border the Mississippi River.

13. Name the capitals of Louisiana, Florida, and North Carolina.

14. Name two capitals west of Montgomery, Alabama.

15. Name two capitals south of Nashville, Tennessee.

16. What direction would you travel to go from Richmond, Virginia to Atlanta, Georgia?

17. What states on this map border the Atlantic Ocean?

18. What five states are on the Gulf of Mexico?

The Mississippi River flowing into the Gulf of Mexico