Printable map of Antarctica

Antarctica is one shape, so there is one sheet to print: the outline, as a PDF for A4 or Letter, in colour or in black and white. It has no names on it, which is what makes it useful. A sheet like this is the starting point for a project on the poles, a research task or a display for a classroom wall.

A sheet for research

Because the shape is empty, pupils decide what goes on it. Ask each of them to choose a topic they have looked up, mark it with a small numbered symbol and write a key in the margin that says what each number stands for. Younger children can colour the shape, add a title in large letters and draw their own picture on the page around it. Older pupils can add a compass, a scale bar drawn by hand and a few lines of their own writing.

Group display

Print several copies in colour, give each group one subject and ask them to complete a sheet with symbols and a key. Hang the sheets in a row so the class can compare what each group chose to mark. A laminated copy can be reused with dry-wipe pens and wiped clean between lessons.

Printing it well

Choose black and white for a class set you will photocopy and colour for a single display copy. Print at 100% or "actual size" so each copy is the same, and use fit to page if the edge is cut off. To colour the shape yourself first, pick a colour in the bar on the map. When the sheet needs a title, names or A3 paper, Customise before printing opens the map in the editor. The outline as a PNG or SVG for your own worksheet is on the blank map of Antarctica.