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Grade 6 · Social Studies

6th grade Read a population-density map and explain where people live worksheet

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Read a population-density map and explain where people live

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Use the table

    ProvincePeople (2021)Land area (km²)
    Nova Scotia969,38352,942
    Quebec8,501,8331,298,600

    Data: Statistics Canada, 2021.

  2. Zee works out both densities, people ÷ area. Which province is more crowded, and by about how much?

    • Nova Scotia: about 18 per km² against 6.5
    • They are about equal: 6.5 each
    • Quebec: about 0.15 against 0.05
    • Quebec: it has about 8.5 million people in total
  3. Ari works out both densities, people ÷ area. Which province is more crowded, and by about how much?

    • British Columbia: it has about 5 million people
    • New Brunswick: about 11 per km² against 5
    • British Columbia: about 0.18 against 0.09
    • They are about equal: 5 each
  4. Bo works out both densities, people ÷ area. Which province is more crowded, and by about how much?

    • Prince Edward Island: about 27 per km² against 16
    • Ontario: it has about 14 million people
    • They are about equal: 16 each
    • Ontario: about 0.06 against 0.04
  5. Data: World Bank, 2023; Ulaanbaatar from Wikipedia. Mongolia averages about 2 people per km². Esme's friend says that means Mongolians are spread evenly across the land. Which response is right?

    • Disagree: most live in the Gobi Desert
    • Agree: an average means an even spread
    • Disagree: about half live in one city
    • Agree: the land is too cold for cities
  6. Russia is huge and has a low average density. Kira's friend says people live evenly across it. Which response is right?

    • Agree: an average density means people are spread evenly
    • Disagree: most live in the far northeast
    • Disagree: most live in the western, European part
    • Agree: the Ural Mountains block travel east
  7. Luz compares a physical map and a dot map of China. Dots crowd the east; the west is mostly mountains and desert. What best explains the pattern?

    • Flat, well-watered eastern plains support farms and cities
    • The west is too crowded to hold more people
    • People are spread evenly, but the map hides it
    • The western mountains are near the ocean
  8. Noah compares a physical map and a dot map of Algeria. Dots crowd the north coast; the south is the Sahara. What best explains the pattern?

    • The Sahara is too crowded to hold more people
    • The north gets rain; the southern desert is very dry
    • People are spread evenly, but the map hides it
    • The south is colder than the north
  9. Data: Statistics Canada, 2021. Pia's note says, "Ontario is more crowded than Prince Edward Island because more people live there." Which fix makes the note right?

    • Leave it: more people means more crowded
    • Change "people" to "area"
    • Change "Ontario" to "Quebec"
    • Swap them: PEI has more people per km²
  10. Use this

    Data: Statistics Canada, 2021.

  11. Ren counted 40 dots on a dot map of Yukon and wrote, "40 people live in Yukon." Which fix makes the note right?

    • Leave it: each dot is one person
    • Change it to about 4,000 people
    • Change it to about 40,000 people
    • Change it to about 400,000 people
  12. Tala counted 37 dots on a dot map of Nunavut and wrote, "37 people live in Nunavut." Which fix makes the note right?

    • Change it to about 37,000 people
    • Change it to about 3,700 people
    • Change it to about 370,000 people
    • Leave it: each dot is one person
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6th grade Read a population-density map and explain where people live worksheet – printable
Print: 123456

About this worksheet

Population maps and density. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can read a dot map and a shaded density map from their keys.
  • I can work out density (people ÷ area) and tell "most people" from "most crowded".
  • I can explain why averages hide clusters, and use a physical map to explain where people live.

Standard: D2.Geo.3.6-8

Common mistakes

Your child read each dot as one person. Ask your child to read the map's key first: how many people does one dot stand for?

Your child read the shading key backward. Point to the key together: which shade means the most people per square mile?

Your child mixed up how many people live somewhere with how crowded it is. Crowded means people per square mile (or km²). Compare a small, packed town with a big, empty county.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with read a population-density map and explain where people live?

Your child read each dot as one person. Ask your child to read the map's key first: how many people does one dot stand for?

Are these 6th grade social studies worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 6 social studies

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