Maps and places
Reading maps and scale
A map is a scaled-down drawing of the real world. The scale tells you how many times smaller, so you can work out real distances.
Topics
All topics
Choose a topic. Every topic starts with a question, shows a map or picture to play with, explains how it works and lets you practise.
17 topics
Maps and places
Maps and scale, compass directions, latitude and longitude, Belgium and Europe.
- Maps and places
Compass directions and the compass
With the eight compass directions and the degrees of a compass you say exactly where a place lies: Antwerp is north of Brussels, Namur south-east.
- Maps and places
Latitude and longitude
With latitude (north or south of the equator) and longitude (east or west of Greenwich) you give every place on earth its own address.
- Maps and places
Belgium: regions, provinces and rivers
Belgium has three regions and ten provinces, each with a capital. Big rivers such as the Scheldt and the Meuse flow through the country to the North Sea.
- Maps and places
Europe and our neighbours
Belgium lies in Western Europe, between the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France. Important institutions of the European Union work in Brussels.
Earth and climate
Day and night, time zones, the seasons, weather and climate, and the climate zones.
- Earth and climate
The earth turns: day, night and time zones
The earth turns around once in about 24 hours, from west to east. The side facing the sun has day. That is why clocks elsewhere show a different time.
- Earth and climate
The seasons
The earth's axis is tilted by about 23.5°. So each hemisphere in turn leans towards the sun and away from it: summer and winter. The distance to the sun is not the cause.
- Earth and climate
Weather and climate
Weather is the state of the air right now, climate the average over about 30 years. A climate chart shows each month's temperature as a line and precipitation as bars.
- Earth and climate
Climate zones
The closer to the equator, the warmer; the closer to the pole, the colder. That gives climate zones: tropical, dry, temperate, cold and polar. Belgium lies in the temperate zone.
Landscape and water
Contour lines, rivers and the water cycle, the coast, volcanoes and earthquakes.
- Landscape and water
Relief and contour lines
Contour lines join points at the same height. They let you read on a flat map how high a hill is and where it gets steep.
- Landscape and water
Rivers and the water cycle
Water evaporates, forms clouds, falls as rain and flows back to the sea through rivers. That way the water keeps going round.
- Landscape and water
The coast and the sea
At the Belgian coast the sea rises and falls about twice a day. Dunes and dykes protect the low polder land behind it.
- Landscape and water
Volcanoes and earthquakes
The earth's crust is made of plates that move slowly. Where they move apart or collide, volcanoes, mountains and earthquakes form.
People and space
Population and cities, farming and food, mobility and caring for the climate.
- People and space
Population and cities
Population density is the number of inhabitants per km². In cities many people live close together, in the countryside there is more space.
- People and space
Farming and food
Every Belgian region has its own farming, and every season its own harvest. Food from nearby and in season travels fewer kilometres.
- People and space
Mobility and traffic
How long you are on the way depends on the distance and the speed. On foot, by bike, bus, train or car: every choice has pros and cons.
- People and space
Climate change and sustainability
Greenhouse gases keep heat near the earth. Burning more coal, oil and gas makes it warmer on average. Together we can do a lot about it.