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      Villages, towns and cities in the UK

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      You can locate and identify villages, towns and cities in atlases and on OS maps.

      Key learning points

      1. Villages, towns and cities have different features.
      2. Atlas maps of the UK often use different symbols or text size to indicate the size of a settlement.
      3. Atlas maps can be used to investigate the location and distribution of the UK’s significant cities.
      4. Any settlement can be located on an OS map, and its features investigated using the key.

      Keywords

      • Atlas map - Atlas maps show the location of places and features at global or national scale.

      • Symbol - A symbol is used to show an important landmark, place, feature or area of a map, diagram or drawing.

      • Location - A location is the particular position of something on Earth.

      • Distribution - Distribution is how something is spread out across a geographic area.

      Common misconception

      Pupils often read four figure grid references the wrong way round.

      Remind pupils that they find the easting first by reading along the corridor, then read the northing by going up the stairs.

      Teacher tip

      Following the completion of task A, this would be a great opportunity for fieldwork. Pupils could use the local area map to plan a route past some of the features they identified then go out and follow it.

      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 country is not part of the UK?

      England
      Northern Ireland
      Correct answer: Republic of Ireland
      Scotland

      Q2.
      The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and __________?

      Edinburgh
      London
      Belfast
      Correct answer: Wales

      Q3.
      Which of the following settlement types is the smallest?

      city
      village
      town
      Correct answer: hamlet

      Q4.
      Which of the following settlement types is the largest?

      Correct answer: city
      village
      town
      hamlet

      Q5.
      __________ generally has a population of between 500 and 3000 people and usually has a few services: typically a church, a post office, a school and a pub.

      a town
      Correct answer: a village
      a megacity

      Q6.
      __________ has a population in excess of 10,000,000 with a large transport network and has global importance.

      a town
      a hamlet
      Correct answer: a megacity

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      What is the capital city of Wales?

      London
      Correct answer: Cardiff
      Belfast
      Edinburgh

      Q2.
      What is the capital city of England?

      Correct answer: London
      Manchester
      Birmingham
      Edinburgh

      Q3.
      What is the capital city of Scotland?

      Glasgow
      Cardiff
      Belfast
      Correct answer: Edinburgh

      Q4.
      What is the capital city of Northern Ireland?

      Glasgow
      Newcastle
      Correct answer: Belfast
      Edinburgh

      Q5.
      The vertical lines on an OS maps are called

      Correct Answer: eastings, Eastings

      Q6.
      The horizontal lines on an OS map are called

      Correct Answer: northings, Northings

      To help you plan your 3 geography lesson on: Villages, towns and cities in the UK, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...