GEOG 102: Thematic Maps Introduction. Name: __________________________

Thematic maps show distributional patterns of human and physical phenomena and illustrate diffusion processes

-mineral resources -agricultural production -trade -religion -language

Thematic maps usually show one class of geographical information (a theme) against a background of basic location information.

The purpose is to represent the geographical distributions of the theme.

-small scale: p. 48-49 = population density p. 52-53 = literacy, language, religion

-larger scale: p. 104-105 = United States demographic information

Some types of thematic maps.

-Choropleth maps: show variations in statistical values by predefined areas (counties, states, countries)

-ex: election results or income p. 104-105

-Isopleth maps: isolines connect places w/ similar statistical values

-ex: p. 32-33 = temperature

-Area class maps: employ different colors or patterns to divide the surface of the earth into different classes of a particular phenomenon.

-ex: p. 44-45 = soil taxonomy, p. 53 = languages and religions

-Proportional Symbol maps: use circles or pie charts of different sizes to represent the frequency or quantity w/ which a phenomenon occurs in different places

-ex: p. 72 – 77, 103 = energy and trade

-Dot maps: a single dot, or some other symbol(s) represents a specific # of occurrences of a phenomenon in a given location. Dot maps provide more precise locational information than choropleth maps.

-ex: p. 59 = Wheat

-Flow maps: show movement between locations

ex: p. 83 = Shipping lanes

Now, let’s interpret some maps.

1. Turn to the Export/Import maps on p. 77. What kind of thematic map is it? ____ Proportional Symbol with pie chart.

According to the map, in what two ways do Saudi Arabia and China’s exports differ? China’s value of exports is much greater than Saudi Arabia’s. China exports primarily manufactured articles. Saudi Arabia exports primarily fuel and related products.

How is the continent of Africa exceptional regarding imports? All but two countries on the continent have “undifferentiated” imports. So, we don’t know what they import.

Which two African countries are exceptional in Africa for their imports? Egypt and South Africa

2. Now use the Climate Regions map to answer the following questions.

Chico’s latitude is ~40°N.  Which 5 European countries share this latitude? Portugal, Spain, Italia, Albania, Greece

 The British Isles, southwestern Scandinavia, and much of Western Europe have the same climate found in what part of the western US? _Puget Sound and Olympic Peninsula_

What is the name of this climate? Marine West Coast

What kind of thematic map is used to show this information? Area Class

3. One aspect of Europe’s population is its recent increase in ethnic diversity.  This increase emerged after WWII.  Some countries in the European Union have established reputations as welcoming hosts of refugees.  Look at the map and bar graphs on p. 81 to see the geographic distribution of refugees in Europe.

Which three European countries host the largest refugee populations? 1.Germany, 2. United Kingdom, 3. France

How does the size of these three countries’ refugee populations compare with that of the US?

The US has a population of ~305 million.  We have a refugee population of 2.9 million, which is 0.95% of our population.

Germany has a population of ~82 million and a refugee population of 6 million, which is 7.3% of their population.

The UK has a population of ~61 million and a refugee population of 3.1 million, which is 5.08% of their population.

In summary, refugees make up a significantly higher proportion of Germany and the UK’s population than the US’s population.

What kind of thematic map is used to show this information? __combination of choropleth and proportional symbol___

Now choose 5 thematic maps on your own between p. 30 and 83. Write the title of the map below and indicate what type of thematic map it is. Then write one question that you could answer with each map.

Title Type of map Question

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3. . ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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5. . ________________________________________________________________________________________________________