Maps of the world: Junior Scholastic 2003-2004.How to Read the Maps Independent countries are in bold, capital letters. Example: SAUDI ARABIA Saudi Arabia (sä  `dē ərā`bēə, sou`–, sô–), officially Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, kingdom (2005 est. pop. Colonies and trust territories: Areas administered by another country under the supervision of the United Nations are shown in italic, small-capital letters. Following, in parentheses See parenthesis. parentheses - See left parenthesis, right parenthesis. , is the name of the country that governs it. Example: GREENLAND (DENMARK) Continents: Our maps show all continents except Antarctica. Land that is not part of the featured continent is shown in tan. Europe/Asia: Europe and Asia share the same landmass land·mass n. A large unbroken area of land. landmass Noun a large continuous area of land landmass . Geographers divide the two continents along a line formed by the Ural Mountains Ural Mountains Mountain range, Russia and Kazakhstan. Generally held to constitute the boundary between Europe and Asia, the range extends north-south for some 1,550 mi (2,500 km) from just south of the Kara Sea to the Ural River; a southward spur extends into northwestern , Ural River Ural River River, Russia and Kazakhstan. Rising at the southern end of the Ural Mountains, it flows southwest to cross through western Kazakhstan to the Caspian Sea at Atyrau. It is 1,509 mi (2,428 km) long and drains an area of 91,500 sq mi (237,000 sq km). , Caspian Sea Caspian Sea (kăs`pēən), Lat. Mare Caspium or Mare Hyrcanium, salt lake, c.144,000 sq mi (373,000 sq km), between Europe and Asia; the largest lake in the world. , and Caucasus Mountains. Our maps use a dotted line (as at left) to mark this division. NORTH AMERICA [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SOUTH AMERICA [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AFRICA Africa (ăf`rĭkə), second largest continent (1997 est. pop. 743,000,000), c.11,677,240 sq mi (30,244,050 sq km) including adjacent islands. Broad to the north (c.4,600 mi/7,400 km wide), Africa straddles the equator and stretches c. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] EUROPE [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ASIA [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MIDDLE EAST [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] OCEANIA [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ECONOMIC MAP OF THE WORLD [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Continents Key Facts
CONTINENT AREA POPULATION
North America 9.3 million sq mi 505 million
South Africa 7 million sq mi 358 miliinn
Africa 11.7 million sq mi 861 million
Europe 4 million sq mi 727 million
Asia 17 million sq mi 3,830 million
Oceania* 3 million sq mi 32 million
Antartica 5.4 million sq mi no permanent
residents
* Oceania is a region that includes the continent of Australia,
New Zealand, and nearby islands in the Pacific Ocean.
OBJECTIVES Students should understand: * How to use maps to locate the world's 193 countries and the capital city of each; * How to identify and interpret physical characteristics of the world, such as mountains, rivers, and oceans, using topographical maps and symbols. TEACHING STRATEGY Ask students to identify family, friends, or people they might know who have immigrated to the U.S. Using a world map or globe, keep track of which world areas are represented by students' relationships. BACKGROUND The oldest existing map charts a Babylonian village and shows settlements, waterways, and mountains. Archeologists believe the map was carved onto a clay tablet sometime before 2000 B.C. The Babylonians developed the system of dividing a circle into 360, which is still used today to measure latitude and longitude latitude and longitude Coordinate system by which the position or location of any place on the Earth's surface can be determined and described. Latitude is a measurement of location north or south of the Equator. . THINKING SKILLS COMPREHENSION: How can you identify independent countries from the ones that are not? (Independent countries are shown ill bold, large-capital letters on our maps. Territories and colonies are shown in italic, small capital letters have the form of capital letters and height of the body of the lower-case letters. See also: Capital .) MAKING CONNECTIONS: Why do you think maps, atlases, and globes are updated every year? (Countries, governments, and borders change continually. Maps, which often show the names, borders, and capitals of different countries, must be updated annually to reflect these changes.) ACTIVITY POLITICAL WORLD MAP: Create a chart comparing the various types of government, such as democracy, Communism, dictatorship, monarchy, and oligarchy oligarchy (ŏl`əgärkē) [Gr.,=rule by the few], rule by a few members of a community or group. When referring to governments, the classical definition of oligarchy, as given for example by Aristotle, is of government by a few, usually . Then indicate on a world map where different governments are practiced, assigning a different color to each type of government, and shading in the countries with that government system. STANDARDS SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8 * People, places, and environment: How the geography of different world regions affects the governments and economies of countries as well as the lives of their citizens. * Global connections: How maps can help students understand and analyze the relationships between various countries and regions across the globe. RESOURCES * Fonda, Suzanne, National Geographic World Atlas for Young Explorers (National Geographic 2003). Grades 5-8. * Johnson, Sylvia A., Mapping the World (Atheneum ath·e·nae·um also ath·e·ne·um n. 1. An institution, such as a literary club or scientific academy, for the promotion of learning. 2. A place, such as a library, where printed materials are available for reading. , 1999). Grades 5-8. WEB SITES * World Maps http://www.nationalgeographic. com/maps/ * U.S. Geography http://geography.usgs.gov/ 
You all really gave me a foudation of thought on how to study a map and what key features to be aware of that provide memorization and insight. Thank You All.
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