Reference books, maps and rulers are required. Students are put in teams and use maps, almanacs, encyclopedias, etc. to compare areas and distance. Students groups are given a list of four countries of various shapes and sizes. Their task is to find one country with as close an area as possible to each given country. The group with the smallest total difference wins.
Student groups are give a pair of cities.
They are to estimate the distance between the two cities and list two more with approximately the same distance. Students then measure the distances and calculate the difference. The group with the smallest difference wins. This activity encourages students to pay particular attention to map scales. Student groups are given a list of four countries.