Why every flat map stretches something

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Canada lies mostly north of 49° N. Indonesia lies between about 6° N and 11° S. Which one does Luz's Mercator map make look too big by more?

   • Both by the same amount
   • Indonesia
   • Neither; Mercator keeps sizes
   • Canada
2. 2.

   Russia lies between about 41° N and 82° N. Australia lies between about 10° S and 44° S. Which looks too big by more on Milo's Mercator map?

   • Australia
   • Neither; Mercator keeps sizes
   • Both by the same amount
   • Russia

3. Read this first

   Use the table

   Place	Real area (million km²)
   Africa	30
   Canada	10.0

   Data: Wikidata and Wikipedia, read Nov 11, 2026, rounded.

4. 3.

   Noah compares real areas for a report. About how many times as big as Canada is Africa?

   • About the same size
   • About 20 times as big
   • About 3 times as big
   • About 10 times as big
5. 4.

   Pia checks the table. About how many times as big as Australia is Antarctica?

   • About 6 times as big
   • About 2 times as big
   • About 10 times as big
   • About the same size
6. 5.

   Ren checks the table again. About how many times as big as Australia is Africa?

   • About 4 times as big
   • About 8 times as big
   • About 22 times as big
   • About the same size
8. 6.

   Tala's report shows which countries cover the most land. Which map would show those sizes fairly?

   • A compromise map such as the Robinson
   • An equal-area map
   • A city street map
   • A Mercator map
9. 7.

   A ship's navigator in Zee's story wants to steer one compass direction across the ocean. Which map shows that path as a straight line?

   Use the picture in question 6.

   • A Mercator map
   • A city street map
   • A compromise map such as the Robinson
   • An equal-area map
11. 8.

    Bo looks at two world maps side by side. On which map would Canada look bigger than it really is?

    • Both maps, by the same amount
    • Map Y, which keeps sizes
    • Map X, which keeps shapes
    • Neither map
12. 9.

    Esme sees two world maps side by side. On which map can Africa's size be compared fairly with Russia's?

    Use the picture in question 8.

    • Either map, since both are maps of Earth
    • Neither map; use a city street map
    • Map Y, where sizes stay in proportion
    • Map X, where shapes stay true
13. 10.

    Jun sees Antarctica drawn as a huge band across the bottom of one map. Which map is that most likely?

    Use the picture in question 8.

    • Map Y, which stretches land near the equator
    • Map Y, which squashes land near the poles
    • Neither; flat maps leave Antarctica as it is
    • Map X, which stretches land near the poles