California is such a large and varied state that one place can have snow, another have rain, and a third place be as dry as a salted cracker. How do people adjust to these contrasting areas with differing climates? The state’s regions, which include the coast, dry desert, mountain ranges, and Central Valley, all have special features and environments that affect the people who live there.

What Primary Sources Can Tell Us about the Golden State—Our Home

Just as the rings of a tree tell us about its age and the weather conditions and air quality it has endured, primary sources from the different parts of California tell us about life in each region. They also reveal the challenges faced by the people who call those regions their home.

• Written forms – Diaries and journals, such as that of Sarah Royce, provide information about how people once lived here long ago. California’s government records and the writings of John Muir, Mary Austin, and others who have worked to preserve California’s history and beauty offer us information about the priorities of those who have settled or visited in California. In poems and other writings people have paid tribute to California and its natural wonders.
• Physical artifacts – Native American arrowheads and other tools, plus California soil, rock, and water samples tell us about the state’s natural resources and how people have used them.
• Images – Maps provide information about California’s geographic features, its natural resources, tourist attractions, and the locations of its towns and cities. Diagrams explain how a geothermal power plant is designed and how California’s rain shadow effect works. Charts and graphs provide information about California’s population and sources of electricity and alternative energy. Photographs and paintings by Ansel Adams and others capture the state’s beauty on paper and canvas.

 Primary Sources 

Unique Maps of California

The Unique Map of California

Map of California Roads for Cyclers

Bird’s-Eye-View of Los Angeles, California (1891)

Bird’s-Eye-View of Santa Barbara (1898)

The City of San Francisco

Maps enable people to look at a land area in a variety of ways. Some focus on physical features such as mountains, rivers, and lakes. Relief maps use shading to show the shape and elevation of an area. Climate maps provide information about a place’s climate and precipitation. Economic or resource maps focus on the types of natural resources and/or economic activities found in an area. What do all of these maps have in common? In all cases, they represent a portion or whole of Earth’s surface on a flat piece of paper. Because they are pictures or representations, and not photographs, maps—depending on the type—can be used to depict a wide range of information. People who make maps for a living are called cartographers.

Cartographer makes map from key maps

 

 Background Information 

Distinctions between Survey, Topographic, and Thematic Maps

Most maps fall into one of three basic groups. Survey maps provide general information about an area. Political maps showing countries, states, or regions, for example, fall into this category. Topographic maps provide accurate information about the earth’s surface. These maps tend to show only relatively small areas. Most other maps are thematic maps. They depict a single theme or subject or a relationship between two or more aspects of an area. Maps providing information about an area’s tourist attractions, population density, voting trends, or soil types all fall into this category. So do the maps provided at the above links.

 

 Classroom Activity 

Making Thematic Maps of California

1. Display a range of thematic maps—ideally picturesque ones—showing all or parts of California. (See the links above for some examples.) Use the above information to explain how these differ from survey and topographic maps. Then, using questions like these, discuss the purpose and variety of maps you’ve displayed:

• In what way(s) are these maps similar? What makes them different?
• Why do you think so many different kinds of maps can be found related to the same state, city, town, or region?   
• Which of these maps do you think would be of the most interest to a tourist? A farmer? A cyclist?
• What is it that makes some maps more interesting than others? What are some things that cartographers, or mapmakers, can do to try to make their maps as appealing as possible?

2. As a class, brainstorm additional topics for thematic maps related to California. (These might include: plants and animals found in each region, products manufactured, weather conditions, tourist attractions, and population density.)

3. Organize students into teams, and assign each to a different type of thematic map. Teams should include, at minimum, four members—one to focus on each of the state’s four geographic region (Central Valley, Coastal, Mountain, and Desert). After doing some preliminary research—and perhaps looking at other maps that focus on a topic similar to their theme—team members should decide on an appealing “look” for the map that they will create. Emphasize to students that, in order for a map to be useful, the information on it must be easy to read and understand. Often this is accomplished by the use of marks and symbols to represent data. In a chloropleth map, for example, colors are used to represent different values. On other maps, dots, arrows, or other symbols are used to provide information. A map legend shows the meaning of each symbol printed on the map.  Encourage students to look more closely at the maps you have displayed to see how information is displayed.

4. Distribute a large sheet of poster board and other art supplies (crayons, markers, scissors, glue, old magazines, and construction paper) to the members of each team. Then challenge them to put together an appealing thematic map about California on their assigned topic. When they have completed their maps, have students present their work to the class. You might also direct students to put together a quiz for classmates to take to see how well they are able to read the information included on each map.