6th Grade Social Studies
Maps
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Different types of maps are used to
show many types of information.
 Some types of maps include political maps,
physical maps, population maps, climate
maps, agriculture/industry maps, and
topographic maps.
Political Map
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Shows countries, states, capitals, and
major cities.
Political Map
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Some maps use different colors to show
the separate states or countries.
 The map below shows the states in the
southeastern part of the United States.
Physical Map
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Shows features like mountains and rivers.
Emphasizes the natural features of the
earth.
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Continents
Oceans
Islands
Lakes
Rivers
Mountains
Plains
Deserts
Physical Map
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Physical maps show
the Earth's landforms
and bodies of water.
 The maps use lines,
shading, tints, spot
elevations, and different
colors to show elevation
and distinguish physical
features.
○ The map to the right
shows physical
features found in the
state of California.
Population Map
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Indicates how many
people live in an area.
Shows how crowded
or densely populated
regions are.
Each color represents
a certain number of
people living within a
square mile or square
kilometer.
Population Map
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The map below shows the population
density of the Greater New Orleans
area.
 The areas colored in red have more people
living there than the areas colored in green.
Population Map
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Also uses symbols
to show metropolitan
areas with
populations of a
particular size,
these symbols and
colors are shown in
a legend.
Road Map
Shows routes to get from place to
place.
 Shows highways and cities.
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Weather Map
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Shows storm fronts, precipitation,
temperatures, etc.
Robinson Projection Map
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Most distances, sizes, and shapes are
correct.
Land Use/Natural Resources
Map
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Shows the important
natural resources of a
region.
Symbols and colors
are used to show
information about the
type of resources
from that area.
 minerals, oils, forests,
natural gas, nuclear
power, coal, iron, gold,
silver, hydroelectric
power, seafood, etc.
Agricultural/Industry Maps

Agricultural/Industry
maps use symbols
and colors to show
the different
industries or crops
grown in an area.
 The map to the left
shows the location of
different industries in
Indiana.
Topographic/Map
Has contour lines to show elevation.
 How the earth’s surface varies from
place to place.
 May use color to show parts of the earth
that are mountains, hills, and plains.
 Land elevations.
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Topographic/ Maps
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Topographic maps show elevation,
which is whether land goes up or down.
 These maps use "contour lines" (lines of
equal elevation) to show elevation.
○ Lines that are close together mean there is
steep terrain, while lines far apart mean
there is flat terrain. See the example below.
Climate Map
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Shows the general
type of weather or
weather patterns in a
given area.
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Marine
Mediterranean
Highland
Desert
Steppe
Humid-continental
Humid-subtropical
Tropical
Tundra
Subarctic
Climate Maps…continued
Uses color to identify
different climate types.
 Boundaries between
climate regions do not
indicate an immediate
change in the main
weather conditions
between 2 climate
regions, instead
boundaries show the
general areas of
gradual change
between climate
regions.
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Historical Maps
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Can show growth of
a city
 Population
growth/expansion
○ Urban or rural areas
Video
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Maps and Map Projections