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Hi there! I am Studyfin, your learning buddy. Today we will explore how to find our home, our state, and our world capitals on a map!
Every place on Earth has a specific location. We can use maps and globes to find our own local community, our state of Texas, and the United States.
Our state capital is Austin, where Texas leaders make state laws. The U.S. capital is Washington, D.C., which is the center of our whole nation's government.
The United States has two close neighbors that share its borders. Canada is the large country directly to our north, and Mexico is the warm country directly to our south.
Let us practice using a map to locate our neighbors. Imagine you are standing in Texas. If you travel straight north, which bordering country will you reach first? If you travel straight south, which bordering country will you reach first?
- First, find Texas on your map. It is in the south-central part of the United States.
- Next, look at the compass rose to find north (pointing up) and south (pointing down).
- Look directly north of the United States. You will see Canada, our northern neighbor.
- Now look directly south of Texas. You will cross the border into Mexico, our southern neighbor.
- So, going north leads toward Canada, and going south leads into Mexico!
