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QUICK ANSWER
"El" is a form of "el", a definite article which is often translated as "the". "Mapa" is a noun which is often translated as "map". Learn more about the difference between "mapa" and "el" below.
el mapa()
A masculine noun is used with masculine articles and adjectives (e.g., el hombre guapo, el sol amarillo).
a. map
El turista abrió un mapa frente al monumento.The tourist opened a map in front of the monument.
el()
A definite article is a word that identifies a noun as specific or known to the speaker (e.g., the girl).
