Atlas Familiarization Exercise

INTRODUCTION:Your atlas contains a wide range of information available at your fingertips. This assignment consists of a series of specific questions that will help you become aware of what the atlas really is – an information centre. The atlas will be especially helpful as a source of information for assignments and projects – providing that you know what it can tell you.

INSTRUCTIONS:On a separate piece of paper, answer the following questions. Be sure to clearly label which section your answers are for! Each question is worth 1mark unless stated otherwise.

A. Spatial Maps

  1. Refer to the “contents” section in your atlas. Note the map referencing. It is meant as a quick way to locate maps pictorially.

On which page would I find the best map to show:

a)the whole country of New Zealand?

b)the whole country of Canada?

c)the whole province of Ontario?

  1. What page contains a detailed map of the city of Toronto, Ontario?
  1. Using the map from question two, find the distance (km) between Cambridge and Guelph. (Use a straight line and the map scale provided.)

B. Environment, Health, and Well-Being

  1. What page would I refer to if I wanted to examine water consumption by various sectors of the Canadian economy, such as agriculture and manufacturing?
  1. By examining this information, which sector has the highest water consumption?
  1. What page would I refer to if I wanted to gauge the quality of life in the world based on health issues?
  1. Based on the maps from question seven, answer the following:

a)What percentage of Canada’s population has access to safe water?

b)Which country has the most undernourished people?

c)Which country has the highest number of people with HIV/AIDs? How many people there suffer with this disease?

  1. What page would I refer to for information concerning life expectancy?
  1. Use the maps from question nine to answer the following:

a)What is Canada’s life expectancy at birth?

b)What is the life expectancy at birth of the African Country,Sierra Leone?

11 a) To which page would I refer to examine world environmental issues?

b) Which countries produce the highest carbon emission rates?

12.To which page would I refer to find information the world’s greatest consumers of energy?

13. Who is the top consumer of energy?

C. Trade

  1. Which pages would I refer to for information on World Trade?
  1. Which country has the highest value of imports and exports?
  1. What continent has the lowest value of imports and exports?

D. Demographics

  1. What pages compare the populations of the continents?
  1. Which continent has the highest population density?
  1. Describe Canada’s population density and distribution compared to the rest of the world.
  1. What percentage of Canada is urban?
  1. How many cities in Canada have a million people or more?

E. Gazetteer

  1. Read page 200 which shows you how to use the Gazetteer.

a)Define the following abbreviations: U.A.E., R.S.A., f., Oc. (0.5 each X4= 2 marks)

F. Statistics

  1. What was Canada’s population in 2002?
  1. Use a chart to compare France and Haiti on the following terms:

i)Birthrate per 1000 people

ii)Deathrate per 1000 people

iii)Doubling time

iv)Education

v)Military

vi)Telephones