Grade by Grade
A. Heritage and Identity · Early Societies to 1500 CE

Finding Early Societies on Maps and Globes

A3.1 A2.3About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can find where some early societies were on a globe or world map.
  • I can name the continent and present-day countries where they were.
  • I can read a thematic map to learn about the environment.
  • I can explain why many early societies grew near rivers.

Words to know

continent
One of the seven large areas of land on Earth: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia (Oceania) and Antarctica.
globe
A round model of Earth.
thematic map
A map about one theme (topic), like rainfall, climate, plants, soil or trade routes.
legend
The box on a map that explains what the colours and symbols mean.
river valley
Low land along a river. The soil is often rich and good for farming.
trade route
A path that traders used again and again to carry goods from place to place.
Indigenous place name
A place name that comes from a First Nations, Métis or Inuit language.

Where in the world?

Early societies lived on every continent except Antarctica. To understand them, we first need to know where they were.

A globe is a round model of Earth. A world map shows the whole Earth flat, so we can see it all at once. Use either one with the table below.

Early societyContinentWhere it was (present-day places)
HaudenosauneeNorth AmericaSouth and east of Lake Ontario, in what is now New York State; today also in Ontario and Quebec
AnishinaabeNorth AmericaAround the Great Lakes, including much of what is now Ontario
Thule (ancestors of Inuit)North AmericaThe Arctic, from Alaska across what is now northern Canada to Greenland
MayaNorth America (Central America)Southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and parts of Honduras and El Salvador
Ancient EgyptAfricaAlong the Nile River, in Egypt
Mali EmpireAfricaWest Africa, along the Niger River, including what is now Mali
MesopotamiaAsiaBetween the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, mostly in what is now Iraq
Ancient ChinaAsiaAlong the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, in China
Ancient GreeceEuropeGreece and islands around the Mediterranean Sea
Medieval EuropeEuropeCountries such as England and France
Find each society on a globe or world map. Three are in North America, like us!

Why near rivers?

Look at the table again. Many early societies grew up beside rivers: the Nile, the Tigris and Euphrates, the Yellow River, the Niger. The Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe lived near the Great Lakes and rivers. Why?

  • Water to drink, cook and wash.
  • Rich soil for farming. When some rivers flood, they leave behind a layer of dark, rich mud called silt.
  • Fish and animals that come to drink.
  • Travel and trade by boat or canoe.

Rivers could also be dangerous. Big floods could wash away homes and crops.

A wide blue river flowing through a dry desert, with green fields and palm trees growing only along its banks.
See how the green strip of farmland stops where the river's water stops? Rivers gave early societies water, rich soil and a way to travel. AI-generated image
riverwaterto drink, cook, washrich silt soilfor farmingfish and animalsfor foodtravel and tradeby boat or canoe
Four reasons early societies settled beside rivers. (But watch out: big floods could also wash away homes and crops.)

Thematic maps

A thematic map shows one theme (topic). For example:

  • a climate map shows where it is hot, cold, wet or dry,
  • a vegetation map shows forests, grasslands, deserts and tundra,
  • a rainfall map shows how much rain falls,
  • a trade route map shows paths that traders used.

Always read the title and the legend first. The legend tells you what each colour or symbol means.

desertdesertfarmlandriver(very little rain)(very little rain)
A simple thematic map of part of the Nile River valley in ancient Egypt (not to scale). Legend: yellow = desert, green = farmland, blue line = Nile River.
Worked example

Let's read the thematic map

Look at the Nile map. Where did ancient Egyptians grow their crops, and why there?

  1. Read the legend: yellow is desert, green is farmland, the blue line is the river.
  2. Find the green. It is a thin strip right along both sides of the river.
  3. Look at the yellow: desert, with very little rain. Crops can't grow there without water.
  4. So the farms were next to the river, where there was water and rich soil left by the river's floods.

They farmed in a narrow strip beside the Nile, because the river gave water and rich soil, and the land around it was dry desert.

Indigenous place names

Many places in Canada have names that come from First Nations and Inuit languages. They remind us whose land this has been for thousands of years.

  • Canada comes from the word kanata, meaning "village" or "settlement", from the language of the Iroquoian people who lived along the St. Lawrence River.
  • Ottawa comes from the name of the Odawa (Ottawa) nation, an Anishinaabe nation.
  • Nunavut means "our land" in Inuktitut.

Some maps now show Indigenous place names and the territories of different nations. These maps help us understand who has lived where.

Worked example

Let's locate a society

Your friend says, "The Maya lived in South America." Use the table to check.

  1. Find the Maya row in the table.
  2. The Maya lived in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and nearby. That is Central America.
  3. Central America is the narrow southern part of the continent of North America, not South America.
  4. On a globe, put your finger on Canada, then move south past the United States and Mexico. That is where the Maya lived.

Not quite: the Maya lived in Central America, which is part of North America.

Just for fun

Why are rivers always so rich?

Because they have two banks!

Hands-on activity

Make your own thematic map

You need: paper, a pencil, and 3 crayons or markers.

  1. Draw a simple map of your home, your street or a park nearby, seen from above.
  2. Choose one theme, such as "Where plants grow" or "Where water is" or "Where it is sunny or shady".
  3. Colour your map for that theme only.
  4. Add a title and a legend that explains each colour.
  5. Ask someone at home to read your map using only the legend. Could they understand it?

Bonus: if you have a globe or atlas (or a map on a device, with a grown-up), find the Nile, the Great Lakes and the Yellow River.

Your turn

1

On which continent did ancient Egypt grow?

2

Which two rivers was Mesopotamia between?

3

Name two early societies in this unit that were in North America.

4

What is a thematic map?

5

What does a map's legend tell you?

6

Give two reasons early societies often grew near rivers.

7

What does Nunavut mean, and what language is it from?

More practice: warm-up

1

What is a globe?

2

Which river flows through Egypt?

3

Name the continent we live on.

4

Where did the Thule live?

5

The word Canada comes from kanata. What does kanata mean?

More practice: on your own

1

On the Nile map, why is the farmland so narrow?

2

Which kind of thematic map would help you find out where it was too dry to farm?

3

Which present-day province has many Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee communities?

4

Why can a river be both helpful and dangerous?

5

Why do some maps show Indigenous place names and territories?

Challenge

1

The Thule lived far from any big farming river. What do you think they used for food instead? Explain using the environment.

2

Use the table. Name two societies from this unit that were on the same continent, but not in North America.

3

A trade route map shows paths across a big desert, with symbols for camels. What can you conclude?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Ancient China grew along which river?

2.

A map that shows only rainfall is a...

3.

Where should you look first to understand a map's colours?

4.

Which early society lived in the Arctic?

5.

Why did many early farming societies grow beside rivers?

6.

Mesopotamia was mostly in what is now...

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Location shapes life. This lesson connects each society in the unit to a place on the globe and introduces thematic maps (A2.3, A3.1).

How to help at home:

  • Use a globe, atlas or online map together. Have your child point to each society from the table and say the continent.
  • When you see any map (a weather map on the news, a park map, a transit map), ask "What is the theme? What does the legend say?"
  • Look up the Indigenous origin of your own town's name, or the nations whose traditional territory you live on.

Common difficulties:

  • Central America: many children think it is South America. It is the southern part of North America.
  • Ignoring the legend: children guess colours (e.g., think blue is always cold). Always read the legend first.
  • "Indigenous peoples only lived in Canada": Indigenous peoples live all over the world. The Maya are Indigenous people of Mexico and Central America.