Geographic Maps As A Teaching Tool

Using good Geographic maps as a teaching aid helps bring the world into the classrooms. It was highlighted recently in a national paper that most students in High School in the United States have difficulties in locating Norway on a map, while the people in Norway could easily locate the United States of America. Now, this is not a really fair comparison. Firstly, the United States looks pretty big on a map, while Norway is practically lost in a land mass of other countries in a densely populated Europe. Secondly, it is unfair to condemn all High School students in the United States and making a sweeping statement regarding their academic potential because of their lack of knowledge of a single geography question. Thirdly, if a student is exposed to or has access to a library of geographic maps, the student will no doubt be able to pinpoint as to where every country in world is.

Ok, that third part was a bit of an exaggeration. Having access to excellent geographic maps will not automatically elevate anyone into an expert, but these maps provide an excellent reference point to help educate them with the skills needed to develop a solid foundation of the geographic points of interest in the world.

Geographic maps that are accurate and well researched will provide you with a clear overview of all the countries in the world. With clear delineations of borders, unambiguous fonts and use of contrasting colors, there will be no difficulty in locating the names and whereabouts of all the various countries in the world. Also, the geographic maps will be color coded so that land, sea, mountainous regions and deserts are clearly differentiated. Maps of good quality will serve as an excellent starting point for a Geography lesson plan for educators in line with the 18 U.S. National Geography Standards set in 1994.

These colorful Geographic maps also make great decors for a classroom. Hanging maps of the world on the walls in a classroom give a classroom that ‘classic’ look but most important of all they help students see, understand, and appreciate the inter-relationships between people, places and the world around them.

Our special thanks to Dan Matterson for this informative article on Geographic Maps.