Do you know what the state of California looks like? You can look at pictures of California on the Internet. You can also look at maps of California.

A picture of California shows what the state looks like from space. A map of California is a drawing of the state. You can draw things you see on a map, like mountains, lakes, and rivers.

Look at the picture and the map below. How are the picture and the map different? How are they the same?

 

California Maps

Here is a map of California.

Can you find the mountains?

Now look at this map. Can you see the mountains on this map, too?

California Seen from Space

This is a photo of California from space.

What is the same about a map and the photo from space?

Can you find the mountains in the photo?