Analyzing Maps

Mystery of the Missing Artifacts

Coordinate SetsThis assignment is available below or in a printable version.

Pretend that an intelligent group of thieves has just intercepted a shipment of artifacts that were on their way to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. Detectives have no trace of the thieves or the artifacts, but they did find an note from an untraceable address that seems to be from the ringleader of the robbery. The note must have been a clue left behind for a loved one. You can read the clue in the image on this page.

The note does not mention the names of any places. All you see are combinations of letters and numbers that do not seem to mean much together. After studying them closely, you suddenly remember learning about latitude and longitude; the imaginary lines that help us locate places on Earth. You recognize that these numbers and letters are sets of coordinates for places all over the world.

Find the places by using the coordinates listed below and use their names to solve the case. You may choose to use mapping software such as Google Earth™ to complete this assignment. For helping using Google™ Earth, please visit the Developmental Module.

Coordinate Set:           

  1. (43°, 27’, 59” N) (112°, 2’ 2” W)
  2. (43°, 16’, 22” N) (6°, 38’ 20” E)
  3. (32°,3 ’,58” N) (34°, 46’ 16” E)
  4. (34°, 55’ 43”S) (138°, 35’ 58” E)
  5. (1°, 17’, 31” S) (36°, 49’ 19” E)
  6. (42°, 21’, 30” N) (71°, 3’ 35” W)
  7. (35°, 32’, 18” N) (129°, 18 ’40” E)
  8. (16°, 29’, 56” S) (68°, 8’ 46” W)                             

As you find each place, write the name next to the coordinates. Circle the first letter of each place name. Read the letters from top to bottom, and they should spell the name of a city. Just one final piece, find the coordinates to that city so the detectives know where to go. When you determine the city and coordinates the thieves took off to with the artifacts, write them down and provide them, along with the name of each city you located on the map, to the chief investigator (your instructor).

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Once you have completed the assignment, please submit your work to the dropbox.