Maps of Africa and the United States for educational comparison.

To solve the problem, we need to determine whether each of the three maps provided is a political map, physical map, or thematic map. Let's analyze each map step by step:

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Map 1: "Africa"

#### Observations:
- The map shows the continent of Africa.
- It highlights countries with distinct borders and names (e.g., Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa).
- There are no physical features like mountains, rivers, or elevation shown.
- The focus is on political boundaries and country names.

#### Conclusion:
This is a political map because it emphasizes the political divisions of the continent, showing countries and their borders.

#### Explanation:
A political map typically displays:
- Countries or states
- Borders
- Capital cities
- Names of regions
- Political entities

Here, the map focuses on these elements, making it a political map.

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Map 2: "United States"

#### Observations:
- The map shows the United States.
- It highlights individual states with distinct borders and names (e.g., California, Texas, Florida).
- There are no physical features like terrain, rivers, or elevation shown.
- The focus is on state boundaries and state names.

#### Conclusion:
This is also a political map because it emphasizes the political divisions of the United States, showing states and their borders.

#### Explanation:
Similar to Map 1, this map focuses on political boundaries and administrative divisions, which are characteristic features of a political map.

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Map 3: "Major Cities in the United States"

#### Observations:
- The map shows the United States.
- It highlights major cities across the country (e.g., New York, Los Angeles, Chicago).
- There are no physical features like terrain or elevation shown.
- The focus is on specific locations (cities) rather than political boundaries or physical geography.

#### Conclusion:
This is a thematic map because it focuses on a specific theme—major cities in the United States.

#### Explanation:
A thematic map highlights a particular theme or topic, such as population density, climate, or, in this case, major cities. This map does not show political boundaries or physical features but instead focuses on the distribution of major cities, making it thematic.

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Final Answers:

1. Map 1 (Africa): Political map
- Reason: It shows countries and their borders.

2. Map 2 (United States): Political map
- Reason: It shows states and their borders.

3. Map 3 (Major Cities in the United States): Thematic map
- Reason: It focuses on the distribution of major cities.

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Summary Table:

| Map Title | Type of Map | Explanation |
|---------------------|-----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Africa | Political map | Shows countries and their borders. |
| United States | Political map | Shows states and their borders. |
| Major Cities in the U.S. | Thematic map | Focuses on the distribution of major cities, highlighting a specific theme. |

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Final Answer:
\boxed{
\begin{array}{|c|c|c|}
\hline
\text{Map Title} & \text{Type of Map} & \text{Explanation} \\
\hline
\text{Africa} & \text{Political map} & \text{Shows countries and their borders.} \\
\hline
\text{United States} & \text{Political map} & \text{Shows states and their borders.} \\
\hline
\text{Major Cities in the U.S.} & \text{Thematic map} & \text{Focuses on the distribution of major cities.} \\
\hline
\end{array}
}