Grade by Grade
B. People and Environments · Political and Physical Regions of Canada

Map Skills: Political, Physical and Thematic Maps

B2.3 B2.4 B3About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can tell the difference between political, physical and thematic maps.
  • I can choose the best map to answer a question.
  • I can use cardinal and intermediate directions.
  • I can use a grid and a scale to find places and distances.

Words to know

political map
A map that shows borders made by people, plus capitals and cities.
physical map
A map that shows landforms and water, often with colours for elevation.
thematic map
A map that shows one theme, such as population or rainfall.
elevation
How high land is above the level of the sea.
intermediate directions
The directions between the cardinal directions: NE, NW, SE and SW.
scale
The part of a map that shows how map distance compares with real distance.

Remember from Grade 3

In Grade 3 you used grid references (like B3: column first, then row), a scale in kilometres, and thematic maps that show one theme, like land use. This year you will use those skills on maps of all of Canada, and you will learn to compare different kinds of maps.

Three kinds of maps you will use this year

  1. Political map: shows borders made by people, like provinces, territories and countries, plus capitals and cities. Each province is often a different colour.
  2. Physical map: shows what the land and water look like: mountains, plains, lakes and rivers. Colours often show elevation (how high the land is). Low land is often green, higher land yellow or brown, and the highest mountains white or purple. Always check the legend, because mapmakers choose their own colours.
  3. Thematic map: shows one theme, like where people live (population), how much rain falls, where forests are, or where minerals are found.
A low green river valley in front, golden grassy hills in the middle, and tall snow-capped mountains at the back.
On a physical map, low land like the green valley is often coloured green, higher hills yellow or brown, and the highest mountain peaks white. AI-generated image
Question you want to answerBest kind of map
Which province is Regina in?Political map
Where are Canada's highest mountains?Physical map
Where do most Canadians live?Thematic map (population)
Where is wheat grown?Thematic map (farming or land use)
Which river flows past Fredericton?Physical map (or a political map that shows rivers)
Choose the map that matches your question.

Directions: in between, too

You know the four cardinal directions: north, south, east and west. Halfway between them are the intermediate directions:

  • north-east (NE), between north and east
  • north-west (NW), between north and west
  • south-east (SE), between south and east
  • south-west (SW), between south and west

Example: Halifax is south-east of Quebec City. Whitehorse is north-west of Victoria.

NESESWNWNESWCardinal: N, E, S, WIntermediate:NE, SE, SW, NW
A compass rose with the four cardinal directions (long points) and the four intermediate directions halfway between them (short points).
ABCD123●▲▲★●N★ capital● town▲ mountainsgreen box = forestblue oval = lake
A made-up practice map (not a real place) with a grid. Columns are A to D, rows are 1 to 3. On this map, each grid square is 100 km wide.
Worked example

Let's read the practice map

Use the practice map. In which square is the capital? In which direction from the capital is the town in A1?

  1. Find the ★ in the legend: it means capital. The ★ is in column C, row 3: square C3.
  2. The town (●) in A1 is to the left of C3 (that is west) and up (that is north).
  3. North and west together make north-west.

The capital is in C3. The town in A1 is north-west of the capital.

Using a scale for big distances

Canada is so big that maps of it use scales like 1 cm = 100 km or 1 cm = 200 km.

To find a real distance:

  1. Measure on the map with a ruler (in cm).
  2. Multiply by the number of kilometres that 1 cm stands for.
Scale: 1 cm = 100 km0 cm0 km1 cm100 km2 cm200 km3 cm300 km4 cm400 km4 cm on the map = 4 × 100 = 400 km
Each centimetre on this map's scale bar stands for 100 km. Two places 4 cm apart are about 400 km apart in real life.
Worked example

Let's use a scale

A map's scale is 1 cm = 100 km. Two cities are 4 cm apart on the map. About how far apart are they really?

  1. Each centimetre stands for 100 km.
  2. There are 4 centimetres, so 4 × 100 km.
  3. 4 × 100 = 400.

The cities are about 400 km apart.

Read a map in this order

Title → Legend → Compass → Scale. Try the saying "Turtles Like Cold Streams." The title tells you the theme, the legend explains the symbols and colours, the compass gives directions and the scale gives distances. Digital maps on a phone or computer have these tools too: look for the scale bar and the north arrow.

Just for fun

Riddle: What has cities but no houses, forests but no trees, and lakes but no fish?

A map!

Hands-on activity

Make a thematic map of your home

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

  1. Draw a bird's-eye view (looking down from above) of your home or one floor of it.
  2. Pick one theme, for example: Where we use water, Where there are windows or Where we keep food.
  3. Colour or mark only the places that match your theme.
  4. Add a title, a legend, a compass rose (use a compass app with a grown-up, or find which way the sun rises: that is roughly east) and a scale, such as "1 cm = 1 m".
  5. Ask a grown-up a question that your map can answer, like "Which room has the most windows?"

What to look for: a title that names the theme, a legend that explains every colour or symbol, a north arrow, and a scale.

Your turn

1

Look at the practice map. What is in square B2?

2

In which square are the mountains?

3

Which kind of map shows borders and capital cities?

4

Which kind of map shows mountains, plains and rivers?

5

What direction is halfway between south and east?

6

A scale says 1 cm = 100 km. Two places are 3 cm apart. How far apart are they really?

More practice: warm-up

1

What does a map's legend tell you?

2

On most maps, which direction is at the top?

3

What is a thematic map?

4

On the practice map, in which square is the forest?

5

Name the four intermediate directions.

More practice: on your own

1

On the practice map, what direction is the mountains square (D1) from the capital (C3)?

2

On the practice map, each square is 100 km wide. About how far is it from the town in A1 to the forest in C1, going straight east?

3

A scale says 1 cm = 200 km. Two cities are 5 cm apart. How far is that?

4

You want to know where in Canada most forests are. Which map would you use, and why?

5

On a physical map, a place is coloured white or purple, and the legend says those colours mean the highest land. What landform is probably there?

Challenge

1

Jae says, "Green on a physical map always means a forest." Is Jae right? Explain.

2

On the practice map, a road goes from the town in A1 to the town in D3. In which general direction does it go?

3

Why might a thematic map of population and a physical map of Canada help each other? What pattern might you notice if you compared them?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which map would best show the borders of the provinces?

2.

What direction is halfway between north and west?

3.

A scale says 1 cm = 100 km. Two towns are 6 cm apart. How far apart are they?

4.

What should you read first on a new map?

5.

On the practice map, what is in square C3?

6.

A map showing only where people live is a...

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Students compare political, physical and thematic maps, choose the right map for a question, use cardinal and intermediate directions, grid references and a scale to find distances. These skills are used through the whole unit.

How to help at home:

  • Look at a road atlas, a weather map on TV, or a map app together. Ask: "What kind of map is this? What does the legend say?"
  • Practise scale with real numbers: "If 1 cm is 100 km, how far is 7 cm?" (Links to Grade 4 multiplication.)
  • Use intermediate directions in daily talk: "The park is north-east of our house."

Common difficulties:

  • Thinking colours always mean the same thing. Always read the legend.
  • Mixing up north-east and north-west. Write N, E, S, W on a sticky note, then fill in the in-betweens.
  • Grid order. Letter (across) first, then number (down).

The practice map is made up for learning; it is not a real place.