STANDARDS

NCSS: Culture • People, Places, and Environments • Global Connections

Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, WHST.6-8.7, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4, W.6-8.7

Standards

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CONTEST

Where’s Mapman?

Every year, Junior Scholastic’s cartographer travels to a new spot. Figure out the mystery location and draw a map of it to win!

Helen McMahon

Jim McMahon at the mystery location!

This past summer, Jim McMahon, aka Mapman®, traveled to northwestern Europe to trace his ancestors’ origins. While there, he visited a country nicknamed for its lush green fields. 

This country was once home to the Vikings, who founded its capital city in the 9th century a.d. Today the nation is known for castles, cliffs, and cows. It is also home to a style of folk dancing in which dancers keep the top half of their body rigid while rapidly stepping and kicking.

Can you figure out the country? Enter our contest, Can You Find Mapman®? First, answer the questions. Then research the country’s history, culture, and people and draw a national map incorporating those details.

The grand prize entry will win $250 and be published in Junior Scholastic. (That student’s teacher will earn $250 too.) Twenty-five runner-up entries will each win a Mapman T-shirt. Entries must be postmarked or emailed by February 9, 2026.

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

Questions

1. Mapman started his trip in the capital of the United Kingdom. What is that city?

2. Then he traveled to Glasgow. Is that city west or east of Edinburgh?

3. Next he took a ferry to the capital of Northern Ireland. What city is that? 

4. From there, he flew to Galway. In which direction did he travel? 

5. Mapman’s last stop—at 53°N, 6°W—is a capital nestled along the River Liffey. Its country is the mystery location. Which country was he in?

Need Inspiration? Click here to watch a video!

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