Understanding Geography: Map Skills and Our World - Level 456

12 Historical Maps

Maps can tell us a lot about the world today. Some maps, called historical maps, can also tell about events that happened in the past.

For example, a historical map can show the routes people took when they traveled from one place to another. On the map below, you can see the routes that some European explorers of the 15th and 16th centuries took across the Atlantic Ocean. Each line shows the route of a different explorer.

1. Name two explorers who set foot in North America.

2. In what country did Cartier start his journey?

3. Name the explorer who explored the northern coast of South America.

4. Name one explorer who went into what is now the country of Mexico.

Key Words: historical maps

57Understanding Geography: Map Skills and Our World - Level 4

Historical maps can also show how the borders of countries and states have changed. For example, the United States now has 50 states. But back in 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed, there were only 13 states. In 1776, the first 13 states did not have the same borders as they do now.

Below are two maps. The map on the right shows the eastern United States as it looks today. The map on the left is a historical map that shows the country in 1776. Do the borders of the states back in 1776 match the current state borders? For example, the western border of New York did not go all the way to Lake Ontario and Lake Erie as it does today. Many other states did not go as far west as they do today. Why? Because in the 1770s, these western lands were controlled by the British.

Today

5. Name four states whose borders have changed since 1776.

6. Name two states that have the same shape today as in 1776.

7. Find Maine on both maps. Maine was not a state in 1776. Which state controlled this territory?

8. Who claimed the territory to the west and south of the United States in 1776?

9. In 1776 both New York and New Hampshire claimed the land between the two states. What is the name of this state today?

Understanding Geography: Map Skills and Our World - Level 458

Some historical maps show you how things changed over time. This map shows how a terrible disease called the Black Death spread between the years 1347 and 1350. This highly contagious disease was the worst natural disaster ever to strike Europe. By the year 1400, it killed almost twenty-five million people. The map key shows which color stands for each year. Each color shows you how far the disease spread during a specific year. The Black Death in Europe started in areas shown on the southern part of this map. It spread north very quickly.

Use the map above to answer the following questions.

10. In 1347, did the Black Death mostly strike countries in southern Europe or northern Europe?

11. By what year had the Black Death reached the city of Paris, France?

12. In what year did the Black Death reach Sweden?

13. Had the Black Death reached Rome by 1350?

14. When did the Black Death reach London, England?

59Understanding Geography: Map Skills and Our World - Level 4

Historical maps can also show the locations of ancient civilizations. This map shows the locations of three ancient cultures of Mexico and the region called Central America. The Olmec culture came first, followed by the Maya and the Aztec. The map key shows which color stands for each civilization. The gray lines on the map show the borders of countries today, such as Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize.

15. In what present-day country did the Aztec live?

16. Name three countries that were home to the ancient Maya civilization.

17. Tenochtitlán was the capital city of which culture?

18. If you visit the ruins of Tikal today, what culture are you learning about?

19. In what present-day country did the Olmec mainly live?

Skill Builder

Review1. You have learned about different kinds of maps. Tell what each of these kinds of maps shows—political, physical, and historical.

2. Describe two types of information you can learn from historical maps.

Try It YourselfHas your state always had the shape it has today? Or have the boundaries of your state changed over time? Do research in the library or on the Internet to learn about how your state began and whether its boundaries have changed. You might find out that you are now living on land that was once part of a different state or country!

An ancient Aztec temple in southern Mexico