Civic 1.01- Guided Notes- The United States Defined

The United States Defined Guided Notes

Directions: Your Guided Notes are a tool to use as you read your lesson pages in the course. These important notes will help guide your note-taking throughout the course. You do not need to submit your Guided Notes for grading.

Key Vocabulary

Word	Meaning (use context clues)
Geography	The study of the Earth's physical features, climate, resources, and human populations
Culture	he shared beliefs, customs, practices, arts, and behaviors of a specific group of people
Compass rose	A figure on a map used to display the orientation of cardinal directions
Cardinal directions	The four main compass directions: North (N), South (S), East (E), and West (W).
Map key	A section of a map (legend) that explains the symbols, colors, and markers used on the map.
Founding Fathers	The group of leaders who helped establish the United States through independence and drafting the Constitution.
Federalism	A political system in which power is divided between a central national government and regional state governments.
Territories	Regions under the jurisdiction of a government that are not fully incorporated as states.
Protectorates	Dependent territories that have local autonomy while receiving protection from a stronger state.
Insular areas	U.S. territories that are neither part of one of the 50 states nor the District of Columbia.
Citizens	Legally recognized members of a nation with rights, duties, and responsibilities under its government.
U.S. Congress	The federal legislative branch of the U.S. government, composed of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Diverse	Composed of distinct, varied, or differing elements, cultures, or characteristics.

Geography

Describe the place where you live in two ways:

Relative Location—Describing a position in relation to other nearby places, landmarks, or geographic features (e.g., "located 20 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean").

Absolute Location—The exact location of a place on Earth using coordinates or a specific street address (e.g., 38.8977∘ N,77.0365∘ W38.8977∘ N,77.0365∘ W).

Explain the difference between absolute and relative location.

Absolute location provides an exact, fixed position using precise latitude and longitude coordinates or addresses. Relative location describes where a place is positioned in comparison to other known landmarks or places.

How does a compass rose and map key help locate places on maps?

A compass rose shows directional orientation (North, South, East, West), allowing users to navigate relative directions. A map key decodes symbols, colors, and markers, helping users identify physical and political features correctly.

State and Capital Names

1. Fill in the map with the state and capital names. If you are unable to print the map, you can use the chart below.

Map Number	State	Capital
1	Alabama	Montgomery
2	Alaska	Juneau
3	Arizona	Phoenix
4	Arkansas	Little Rock
5	California	Sacramento
6	Colorado	Denver
7	Connecticut	Hartford
8	Delaware	Dover
9	Florida	Tallahassee
10	Georgia	Atlanta
11	Hawaii	Honolulu
12	Idaho	Boise
13	Illinois	Springfield
14	Indiana	Indianapolis
15	Iowa	Des Moines
16	Kansas	Topeka
17	Kentucky	Frankfort
18	Louisiana	Baton Rouge
19	Maine	Augusta
20	Maryland	Annapolis
21	Massachusetts	Boston
22	Michigan	Lansing
23	Minnesota	Saint Pau
24	Mississippi	Jackson
25	Missouri	Jefferson City
26	Montana	Helena
27	Nebraska	Lincoln
28	Nevada	Carson City
29	New Hampshire	Concord
30	New Jersey	Trenton
31	New Mexico	Santa Fe
32	New York	Albany
33	North Carolina	Raleigh
34	North Dakota	Bismarck
35	Ohio	Columbus
36	Oklahoma	Oklahoma City
37	Oregon	Salem
38	Pennsylvania	Harrisburg
39	Rhode Island	Providence
40	South Carolina	Columbia
41	South Dakota	Pierre
42	Tennessee	Nashville
43	Texas	Austin
44	Utah	Salt Lake City
45	Vermont	Montpelier
46	Virginia	Richmond
47	Washington	Olympia
48	West Virginia	Charleston
49	Wisconsin	Madison
50	Wyoming	Cheyenn

2. On the map above, place an “X” on the approximate location of at least five U.S. physical landmarks. Label each landmark. If you are unable to print the map, you can complete the chart below.

Physical Landmarks

Landmark	Location	Brief Description
Landmark	Location	Brief Description
Grand Canyon	Arizona	A massive, steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River.
Rocky Mountains	Western United States	A major mountain range stretching from Canada to New Mexico.
Mississippi River	Central United States	The second-longest river in North America, flowing south to the Gulf of Mexico.
Great Lakes	Upper Midwest / US-Canada Border	Five interconnected freshwater lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario).
Appalachian Mountains	Eastern United States	A historic system of mountains extending from Maine down to Alabama.