Map of Colorado. Counties. - Public domain map

Created by an act of Congress in 1879, USGS has evolved over the ensuing 125 years, matching its talent and knowledge to the progress of science and technology. USGS is the sole science agency for the Department of the Interior. It is sought out by thousands of partners and customers for its natural science expertise and its vast earth and biological data holdings.

In the second grade, students construct basic maps using legends, scale, and intermediate directions including the introduction of latitude and longitude and the division of the Earth into four hemispheres. Students identify basic natural landforms and bodies of water and man-made environments including examples found in the community and the United States: plains, mountains, peninsulas, and islands; rivers, lakes, oceans, seas, gulfs, bays, and harbors; and highways, cities, airports, and railroads. Students locate on a physical map of the United States the major natural features including the Mississippi River, Colorado River, Rio Grande, Great Lakes, Rocky and Appalachian Mountain Ranges, the Great Plains, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and the Gulf of Mexico. Students locate on a political map of the United States the state of where they live and the six bordering states, and the major cities of Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.