California Map Activity
A printable California map worksheet: colour the state, label Sacramento and its major cities, and draw in the rivers and higher ground.
5 questions · Map activity · Application
California is one of the fifty states, and its capital is Sacramento. This sheet prints the outline of the state large enough to work on, with a star already marking the capital, and a small map of the whole country in the corner so a student can see where California sits. The five tasks move from colouring the state in to placing its cities, rivers and mountains — the same order an atlas builds a map up in.
California
Capital: Sacramento
California Map Activity
This is a map of California. Use the facts in the box and the star on the map to finish all five tasks.
Remember
- The capital of California is Sacramento.
- Three of its largest cities are Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.
- Rivers in California include Sacramento River, San Joaquin River and Colorado River.
- Its higher ground includes Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges.
Your tasks
Work down the list in order. Everything is done on the big map below.
- 1.
Colour the whole state of California lightly in one colour, staying inside the outline.
- 2.
Find the star on the map. Write the name of the state capital on the line beside it.
- 3.
Mark and label these cities with a dot: Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.
- 4.
Draw and label these rivers: Sacramento River and San Joaquin River.
- 5.
Shade where this higher ground is and label it: Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges.
★ marks Sacramento, the state capital. Write its name on the line.
Answer key
Your tasks
- 1.The whole outline is coloured in, and the colouring stays inside the border.
- 2.Sacramento - the capital of California. The star is printed where the city is.
- 3.Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego - each marked with a dot and labelled. Los Angeles is the largest of them.
- 4.Sacramento River and San Joaquin River - drawn as a wiggly line and labelled.
- 5.Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges - shaded and labelled in roughly the right part of the state.
What this sheet teaches
- Find California on a map of the United States.
- Name and locate Sacramento, the state capital.
- Locate Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego within the state.
- Draw the main rivers of California and say roughly where they run.
Notes for the adult
- Coloured pencils are enough — there is nothing here that needs paint or a printed atlas.
- Task 2 is the one to check first: the star is printed exactly where Sacramento is, so a child who writes another city has read the map rather than the fact box.
- The city and river positions are for the student to estimate. Mark on whether a label is in the right part of the state, not on whether it is within a few miles.
More like this
Label the States on the Map
A printable map of the United States with 49 states numbered, and a numbered list to write every state name on. Free PDF with the answer key.
Texas Map Activity
A printable Texas map worksheet: colour the state, label Austin and its major cities, and draw in the rivers and higher ground.
Utah Map Activity
A printable Utah map worksheet: colour the state, label Salt Lake City and its major cities, and draw in the rivers and higher ground.