New
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Major cities in Europe
I can locate a number of major cities in Europe and I understand why they are important.
Lesson 3 of 6
New
New
- Year 4
Major cities in Europe
I can locate a number of major cities in Europe and I understand why they are important.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Each European country has a capital city.
- Some major cities in Europe have global importance.
- The locations and features of European cities can be investigated using a wide range of resources, atlases and maps.
Keywords
Settlements - Settlements are places where groups of people live and work
Major city - A major city is a large city with a population of over 100,000 and may be the largest city in the region
Capital city - A capital city is the place in a country where the government ‘sits’ and has its centre of power
Common misconception
The capital city is always the country's largest city.
Use different examples of cities in Europe to explain that capital cities are chosen for various reasons.
Teachers may wish to first model using tourist information websites to model researching a major city in Europe.
Teacher tip
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these climate zones are found in Europe?
Which of these climate zones are found in Europe?
hot desert
tropical
Q2.Lines of latitude describe how far north and south of the equator a place lies.
Lines of latitude describe how far north and south of the equator a place lies.
false
Q3.Which of these countries are in Europe?
Which of these countries are in Europe?
Brazil
Egypt
Q4.Match the country and the climate.
Match the country and the climate.
Q5.Which of these are famous landmarks in the UK?
Which of these are famous landmarks in the UK?
your local supermarket
the Eiffel Tower
Q6.What is the capital city of England?
What is the capital city of England?
Manchester
Cardiff
Birmingham
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Put these settlements into the correct order. Start with the smallest first.
Put these settlements into the correct order. Start with the smallest first.
Q2.What is a capital city?
What is a capital city?
The city with the biggest population.
The biggest city in the country.
Q3.Match the country to its correct capital city.
Match the country to its correct capital city.
Q4.A major city usually has a very large population.
A major city usually has a very large population.
false
Q5.Which of these major cities is in France?
Which of these major cities is in France?
Split
Venice
Q6.Which of these are reliable sources of information to use when researching?
Which of these are reliable sources of information to use when researching?
your neighbours opinion
