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What Is a Political Map? — Reading Comprehension

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FL.SS.2.G.1.1
SS.2.G.1.3

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This passage introduces elementary students to political maps, which show how land is divided into countries, states, and cities. Students learn that political maps use bright colors and labels to help us see borders and find important places like capital cities. The passage aligns with Florida social studies standard SS.2.G.1.1 and builds map-reading skills by explaining the difference between political and physical maps. With helpful examples, fun facts, and easy-to-understand vocabulary, this reading helps students better understand how people organize and name places on Earth.

CONTENT PREVIEW

What Is a Political Map?

A political map is a special kind of map that shows how humans have divided up the land. Instead of showing mountains, rivers, or forests, a political map displays boundaries that people have agreed on. These boundaries mark where countries, states, and cities begin and end.

What Do Political Maps Show?

Political maps use different colors to show each country or state. This makes it easy to tell them apart. Borders are shown as lines, which show where one country or state ends and another begins. Capital cities are usually marked with a star, and major cities are shown with dots. Sometimes, a dashed line means a special or disputed border. The labels on the map tell you the names of countries, states, and cities.

Why Are They Called 'Political'?

The word political means that the map shows boundaries decided by governments, not nature. For example, a mountain or river exists naturally, but a country’s border is drawn by people. These decisions are made by leaders and governments, often through agreements or even wars.

How to Read a Political Map

On a political map, each country is usually a different color. Stars mark capitals. Big dots show large cities, and small dots show smaller cities. Dashed lines can mean a border that is not agreed on by everyone. Always look at the map key to know what the symbols mean.

Political Maps vs. Physical Maps

A political map is like a coloring book of Earth that humans filled in. For example, on a political map of Africa, you see 54 countries, each with its own borders. But on a physical map, you see the Sahara Desert spreading across many countries, with no lines drawn for borders.

Why Do Borders Change?

Borders can change because of wars, treaties, or independence movements. That’s why political maps from 100 years ago look different from today. For example, the Soviet Union used to be one big country, but now it is 15 separate countries.

Uses of Political Maps

Political maps help us understand news about different countries, learn geography, plan travel, and follow elections and governments.

Interesting Fact: Some borders are straight lines, especially in places like Africa and the Middle East, while others follow rivers or mountains.

What does a political map show?

Human-made borders and countriesMountains and riversWeather patternsTypes of plants

What marks a capital city on a political map?

A starA triangleA squareA wave

Why do borders change over time?

Wars and treatiesCloud movementOcean tidesAnimal migration

How do different colors help on a political map?

Show each country or stateShow rainfallShow tree typesShow temperatures

What is the main difference between political and physical maps?