Map · Unit 1 · Mapping land and water
Zoom out!
Every place fits inside a bigger place. Start on a street. Then zoom out, step by step, all the way to planet Earth.
The map outlines did not load. The street and community pictures still work. Check that data/zoommap.js is next to this page.
- Fits inside:
- Holds:
- Pinch the map with two fingers, or scroll on it, to zoom.
- Say it out loud: “My home is on my street, in my community, in California…”
For grown-ups: about this map
The street and community pictures are imagined scenes. They do not show anyone’s real home or neighborhood. Invite your child to compare them with your own street and community.
The California, United States, North America and Earth views use real outlines from Natural Earth. The shapes are simplified so they draw quickly, and small islands may be left out. Each map is drawn on its own scale, so sizes are not comparable between steps.
On the United States map, Alaska and Hawaii are moved and resized into small boxes so the whole country fits.
On the Earth view, North America is tinted gold using its Natural Earth outline. The globe shows coastlines; inland lakes and very small islands are left out.
Keyboard: + and − work anywhere on the page. When the map or the ladder has focus, the arrow keys, Home and End move along the ladder. Nothing on this page is saved or sent anywhere.
Map outlines: Natural Earth (public domain), simplified. Street and community scenes are imagined.