← Social Studies / 4 Natural and Historic Built Environments
4.3 Maps and map work
Social Studies · Grade 7 · 10 lessons in the design
What this covers
- How maps are used; sketch, atlas and digital maps of Kenya and Africa
- Position of Africa on the globe (hemispheres, oceans, Equator and tropics)
- Shape of Africa
- Size of Africa compared with other continents
- Countries that make up Africa; Kenya and her neighbours
- Drawing an outline map of Africa and locating Kenya
- Latitudes: locating places and features on a map
- Longitudes and the grid: locating places and features
- Calculating time of different places using longitudes
- Key physical features of Africa and positive features of the continent
What you will be able to do
- describe the position, shape, and size of Africa
- locate places and features using latitudes and longitudes on a map
- calculate the time of different places in the world
- appreciate the location of key features in the continent
Key questions
“How are maps used?”
“Why is time different in various locations?”
Lessons
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How maps are used
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizA map is a drawing of a place from above. We use Kenyan and African maps to find, measure, plan and show features.
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Position of Africa
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizAfrica lies in both northern and southern hemispheres, mostly east of Greenwich, between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, with the Equator through Kenya.
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Shape of Africa
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizAfrica is compact: a massive north, a tapering south, a Horn in the east and the Gulf of Guinea in the west.
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Size of Africa
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizAfrica is the second-largest continent, about 30 million km squared. Kenya is large at home and a small patch on that map.
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Countries of Africa
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizAfrica has 54 countries in five regions. Kenya's neighbours are Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and the Indian Ocean.
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Drawing an outline of Africa
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizDraw an outline map of Africa with title, frame, north, key, Equator and Kenya shaded, plus two neighbours.
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Latitudes locate places
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizLatitude is degrees north or south of the Equator. Kenya is on 0; Cairo about 30N; Cape Town about 34S.
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Longitudes and the grid
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizLongitude is degrees east or west of Greenwich. Nairobi is about 1S 37E. Both numbers pin a place.
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Calculating time from longitudes
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz15 degrees of longitude equal one hour. East of Greenwich add time; west subtract. Kenya EAT is UTC plus 3.
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Key features of Africa
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizLocate Nile, Sahara, Congo, Rift, Lake Victoria, Mt Kenya, Kilimanjaro and the coasts, and appreciate them as African strengths.