MAP SKILLS BOOT CAMP Name: Date:

LESSON 6 100°W
U.S.
90°W 80°W 70°W 60°W

Scale N O R T H
CARIBBEAN
SMALL SCALE
Maps
A M E R I C A
BAHAMAS
TROPIC OF CANCER
The maps at right show a GULF OF MEXICO
group of island countries CUBA
in the Caribbean Sea at two DOMINICAN PUERTO
RICO ANTIGUA & 20°N
HAITI REPUBLIC (U.S.) BARBUDA
different scales.
JAMAICA ATLANTIC
ST. KITTS & NEVIS

Uses: copy machine, opaque projector, or transparency master for overhead projector. Scholastic Inc. grants teacher-subscribers to
The top map is a small- OCEAN
scale map. The countries look PACIFIC CARIBBEAN SEA
ST. LUCIA DOMINICA

Junior Scholastic permission to reproduce this page for use in their classrooms. ©2017 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.
small because the map OCEAN ST. VINCENT &
is showing a big area. Small- CENTRAL AMERICA THE GRENADINES BARBADOS
Continent border (part of North America)
scale maps are useful for N GRENADA
NW NE
showing vast regions, such
0 400 MI
W E
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 10°N
0 500 KM
as entire continents or SW
S
SE
SOUTH AMERICA
many countries.
80°W 70°W
The bottom map is a large- GULF OF MEXICO
scale map. The countries
appear larger and in greater
Havana
TROPIC OF CANCER
CARIBBEAN
detail because a much more CAPE
SAN ANTONIO LARGE SCALE
BAHAMAS
GULF OF
BATABANO
limited area is shown. Large-
CUBA
YU AN
CH

TURKS AND
CA NE

scale maps are useful for CAICOS IS.

TÁ L

ISLE OF GULF OF (U.K.)

showing a lot of detail, such ATLANTIC
N

ANA MARIA
YOUTH G
as national capitals and cities, R GULF OF
Cockburn
Town OCEAN

E
GUACANAYABO
and even streets, parks, and

AG
E

SS
20°N
A

PA
other features of a single Georgetown AR
D
Guantanamo Bay
T
neighborhood or community. CAYMAN IS.
(U.K.) E
Naval Base
(U.S.) W
IN
D W GULF OF
GONÂVE HAITI DOMINICAN SAMANA BAY
REPUBLIC

E
Take a look at the two maps

AG
R San Juan

SS
at right. The small-scale map National capital Port-au-Prince
Santo

PA
shows all 13 independent Territory capital JAMAICA A
Domingo

A
N Kingston N

N
T

O
NW NE
I PUERTO

M
countries in the Caribbean, 0 100 MI W E
L L E S RICO
plus the U.S. territory of SW SE (U.S.)
0 200 KM S CAR IB B EAN S EA
(continued on next page)
JIM MCMAHON/MAPMAN® (MAPS)

JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC • MAP SKILLS • SCALE MAPS • PAGE 1 OF 2

MAP SKILLS BOOT CAMP Name: Date:

LESSON 6

Uses: copy machine, opaque projector, or transparency master for overhead projector. Scholastic Inc. grants teacher-subscribers to Junior Scholastic permission to reproduce this page for use in their classrooms. ©2017 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.
Scale Maps
Puerto Rico. This allows you to see their location in relation known as the Greater Antilles (an-TIH-leez).* The
to mainland North America (the continent they are part of) islands appear large, making it possible to include more
and South America. information, such as the location of capital cities and
The large-scale map zooms in on a group of islands various bodies of water.

*The Greater Antilles include Cuba, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. The eight smaller Caribbean
nations that lie east of the Greater Antilles are known as the Lesser Antilles. The Bahamas is not considered part of either Antilles group.

Use Your Skills

Use the maps on p. 1 to answer the questions.

1. Which map allows you to see a place in greater 6. The island nations of the Caribbean are part of
detail? __________________________________________________ which continent? ______________________________________

2. Which map allows you to see a greater area? 7. What is the approximate straight-line distance in
___________________________________________________________ miles between Antigua & Barbuda and Grenada?
___________________________________________________________
3. Which type of scale map would you use to
indicate the location of all the countries on 8. What is the approximate straight-line distance in
a continent? miles between the capitals of Jamaica and Haiti?
___________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________

4. Which type of scale map would you use to help a 9. Which map’s scale of miles/kilometers measures a
driver get from one side of a city to the other? greater distance between tick marks?
___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

5. What four independent countries are part of the 10. Which map would you use to figure the approxi­
Greater Antilles? _______________________________________ mate coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the
___________________________________________________________ Dominican Republic’s capital? _______________________

Consider This
Which of the two maps do you find more interesting? Why? What other information would you add to it?

JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC • MAP SKILLS • SCALE MAPS • PAGE 2 OF 2