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Grade 6 · Social Studies

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

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

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Read a population-density map and explain where people live

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Use this

    Dot map of Kanawha County, West Virginia. Key: each dot = 10,000 people. 18 dots are drawn inside Kanawha County, West Virginia. Data: US Census Bureau, 2020.

  2. Jun counts the dots inside Kanawha County, West Virginia, on a dot map. About how many people live there?

    • About 1,800
    • About 180,000
    • About 18
    • About 28,000
  3. Use this

    Dot map of Pima County, Arizona. Key: each dot = 100,000 people. 10 dots are drawn inside Pima County, Arizona. Data: US Census Bureau, 2020.

  4. Kira counts the dots inside Pima County, Arizona, home of Tucson. About how many people live there?

    • About 100,000
    • About 1,000,000
    • About 110,000
    • About 10
  5. Use this

    Dot map of Maricopa County, Arizona. Key: each dot = 100,000 people. 44 dots are drawn inside Maricopa County, Arizona. Data: US Census Bureau, 2020.

  6. Luz counts the dots inside Maricopa County, Arizona, home of Phoenix. About how many people live there?

    • About 4,400,000
    • About 144,000
    • About 44
    • About 440,000
  7. Use this

    Shaded map of the United States by state, people per square mile, 2020. Key: lightest shade = fewer than 50 people per square mile; next = 50 to 100; next = 100 to 400; darkest = more than 400. New Jersey is outlined. Data: US Census Bureau.

  8. On Milo's shaded map, New Jersey has the darkest shade. Using the key, what does that tell Milo?

    • Fewer than 50 people per square mile
    • The most people of any state
    • More than 400 people per square mile
    • A very large area of land
  9. Use this

    Shaded map of the United States by state, people per square mile, 2020. Key: lightest shade = fewer than 50 people per square mile; next = 50 to 100; next = 100 to 400; darkest = more than 400. West Virginia is outlined. Data: US Census Bureau.

  10. On Pia's shaded map, West Virginia has the second-lightest shade. Using the key, how crowded is it?

    • Fewer than 50 people per square mile
    • 50 to 100 people per square mile
    • More people than any nearby state
    • 100 to 400 people per square mile
  11. The Nile valley and delta shaded green and crowded with dots; the deserts on both sides almost empty. On a map of Egypt, Ren sees almost everyone living in a thin green band along the Nile. Why do most Egyptians live there?

    • People live evenly across the whole country
    • The river gives water for farms and towns
    • The coast has the factories
    • The desert land is cheaper to build on
  12. Map of Greenland

    The inland ice sheet shaded white; small towns marked along the coast, most in the southwest. Data: World Bank, 2023 (about 57,000 people).

  13. Tala reads that about four-fifths of Greenland lies under an ice sheet, and its towns sit along the coast. Why do so few people live inland?

    • People there live evenly spread out
    • The coast is too crowded to build on
    • The inland is too close to the equator
    • The inland is covered by thick ice
  14. Dots crowded along the east and southeast coasts; the dry center almost empty. Zee sees that most Australians live in cities near the coast, and few live in the middle of the country. Why?

    • The coasts are colder than the middle
    • The middle is dry desert with little water
    • People are spread evenly across it
    • The middle is covered by ocean
  15. Use the table

    CountryPeople (2023)People per km²
    Netherlands17,877,117531.0
    Australia26,659,9223.5

    Data: World Bank, 2023.

  16. Ari compares two countries from the table. Which one is more crowded?

    • They are equally crowded
    • You need a map to tell
    • Australia
    • The Netherlands
  17. Esme checks one last pair from the table. Which country is more crowded?

    • Indonesia
    • A map would be needed
    • Japan
    • They are just about the same
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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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