Create a Continent: how to work with the atlas?

• Humanities
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 1

Create a Continent 

Statement of Inquiry: 

Features of natural landscapes are caused by System Earth and influence the location of human landscapes 

Key Concept: Systems 

Related Concepts: Causality 

Global Context: Natural and human landscapes

Create a Continent 

Today:

• Explanation: Atlasbooklet part A 
• ACTIVITY: Work with the Atlasbooklet part A 

Atlas skills 

• Edition number: The world changes very quickly. Countries collapse, new countries emerge, cities grow, jungles disappear, the climate changes. If you want to know something about China today an atlas from 1950 is useless.

Atlas skills 

There are 2 types of maps in the Atlas.

1) GENERAL MAPS: These maps show an overview of a certain area.  

- Political Maps: It shows important cities and boundaries.

- Physical Maps: It shows rivers, seas and mountains. 

2) THEMATIC MAPS: These maps provide information on one particular aspect or topic (for example precipitation or religion) 

Atlas skills 

The scale tells us how big the distances on the map are in reality. 

The scale in map 20/21 is 1: 460 000. Map 134/135 has a scale of 1: 20 000 000. 

On the map of the Netherlands 1 cm is equal to 460 000 cm = 4,6 km.

On the map of Russia 1 cm equals 20 000 000 cm = 200 km

To go from cm to km you have to divide by 100.000.  So you have to subtract “a hand full of zero’s (5!) or move the comma. examples:

200.000cm = 2 km

15.000.000cm = 150 km

3.500.000cm = 35 km

50.000cm = 0,5 km

Atlas skills 

The legend explains what certain map symbols stand for. 

Some maps have their own legend. 

At the very first page you find the general legend.

 For each kind of map there is a different legend, so take a good

look at which map you are using before using the right general legend.

Atlas skills 

General Content (Algemente Inhoud)

Maps organized by page number

The Bosatlas is organized by regions. 

Every region has its own color. 

Atlas skills 

Use the Name Index if you want to find places with names, like cities, countries, rivers mountains etc. 

Use the Topic Index if you want to find a map of a certain topic. 

Latitude & Longitude

• The earth is seperated by the equator in a northern hemisphere and a southern hemisphere. 
• Latidudes are horizontal lines that run parallel to the equator.  

• The earth is seperated by the prime meridian in a western hemisphere and a eastern hemisphere. 
• Longitudes are vertical lines that run from the north pole to the south pole. 

Coördinates

When you combine latitude and longitude you get a coordinate. 

For example 40 degrees north and 20 degrees west gives de coordinates 40 NL, 20 WL. 

You can go maximum 90 degrees north/south

You can go maximun 180 degrees east/west

Create a Continent 

Today:

• First hour, finish the atlasbooklet. 
• Ready? Do some extra assignments 

• Second hour, discuss all the answers in the atlasbooklet.