Cartograms
Enroll to start learning
You’ve not yet enrolled in this course. Please enroll for free to listen to audio lessons, classroom podcasts and take practice test.
Interactive Audio Lesson
Listen to a student-teacher conversation explaining the topic in a relatable way.
Introduction to Cartograms
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
Hello everyone! Today, we're discussing cartograms, a fascinating type of thematic map. Cartograms distort geographic space to represent specific variables. Can anyone tell me what they think it means for a map to distort space?
Is it where the actual size of places changes based on some data, like population?
Exactly, Student_1! So if we represent population, places with more people will appear larger on the map. This is a helpful way to emphasize how data influences our understanding of geography.
Are there different types of cartograms?
Great question, Student_2! Yes, there are a few types, including density-based cartograms and value-by-area cartograms. The key is that they all adjust size to communicate size, density, or quantity of certain themes. It’s a powerful storytelling tool!
How Cartograms Present Information
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
Now, let’s explore how cartograms can change our understanding of information. Why do you think distorting a geographic area might be beneficial?
It could help highlight important issues, like showing where the most people live?
Exactly, Student_3! It allows for immediate visual impact. For example, if a state has a high population, it will look quite large compared to less populated areas. It’s all about making data relatable.
But does that mean the map is less accurate?
That’s a good point, Student_4. While cartograms may sacrifice geographic accuracy, they provide a clearer understanding of the data they represent, which is crucial in thematic storytelling.
Practical Applications of Cartograms
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
Now that we understand cartograms, let’s look at some practical applications. Can anyone think of a situation where a cartogram might be useful?
Maybe in election results, where some states have much higher populations?
Yes, Student_1! Cartograms are often used in visualizing election results to show population density and voter distribution across states. This can help highlight crucial areas to focus on during campaigns.
What about in economics?
Absolutely! Cartograms can illustrate economic data, showing where wealth or resources are concentrated, helping in better economic planning and policy-making.
Introduction & Overview
Read summaries of the section's main ideas at different levels of detail.
Quick Overview
Standard
This section delves into cartograms, a type of thematic map that distorts geographic boundaries based on a particular variable (e.g., population size). They are valuable for emphasizing specific data points and facilitating thematic storytelling in cartography.
Detailed
Cartograms
Cartograms are a type of thematic map that radically distorts geographic space to visualize a variable of interest, such as population size or economic measures. Unlike traditional maps that maintain scale and geographic accuracy, cartograms resize geographic areas based on the value they wish to represent, thereby emphasizing the importance of the data presented.
Key Features of Cartograms:
- Distortion of Space: Geographic areas are adjusted based on the data, which may cause familiar territories to appear unrecognizable. For example, a cartogram depicting population might enlarge heavily populated states while shrinking sparsely populated ones.
- Emphasis through Size: The visual effect of a cartogram helps communicate the significance of a dataset effectively, making it particularly useful in thematic storytelling within thematic mapping.
- Types: Common types include density-based cartograms, where space is distorted to reflect population density, and value-by-area cartograms, where areas scale to reflect a particular quantity.
In conclusion, cartograms serve as powerful tools in cartographic and spatial analysis, enabling viewers to grasp complex data relationships at a glance.
Audio Book
Dive deep into the subject with an immersive audiobook experience.
Definition of Cartograms
Chapter 1 of 2
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
• Distort geographic space to represent a variable (e.g., resizing states based on population).
Detailed Explanation
Cartograms are unique types of maps that intentionally alter the shape and size of geographic areas to emphasize a specific variable. Instead of depicting areas based on their actual geographic size, a cartogram resizes regions based on the values of a data variable, such as population or economic output. For example, if a state has a large population, it will appear much larger on a cartogram than a less populated state, even if their geographical sizes are quite different.
Examples & Analogies
Think of a balloon that expands or contracts based on how much air is blown into it. In this analogy, the amount of air represents a specific variable, like population. When more air is added, the balloon (or state) expands, visually demonstrating the population size compared to others.
Purpose of Cartograms
Chapter 2 of 2
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
• Useful for emphasis in thematic storytelling.
Detailed Explanation
The main purpose of a cartogram is to tell a story through visual representation. By distorting geographic spaces, cartograms can highlight important differences in data that may not be as evident in traditional maps. This can be particularly helpful in presentations or reports where understanding the impact of a variable is crucial. For instance, policymakers may use a cartogram to illustrate population density in a way that emphasizes regions requiring more resources.
Examples & Analogies
Imagine you are trying to explain a complex problem, like traffic congestion in a city. Rather than just showing a map with roads and neighborhoods, you create a cartogram where busy streets expand while quiet neighborhoods shrink. This immediately conveys where the traffic problems are most severe without relying on numbers alone.
Key Concepts
-
Cartogram: A map that distorts geographic spaces to show data values.
-
Thematic Map: Maps that focus on specific themes, not general geography.
-
Population Density: Measures the number of people per area, a common theme in cartograms.
-
Value-by-Area Cartogram: Resizes geographic regions according to a specific quantitative metric.
-
Density-Based Cartogram: A specific type of cartogram reflecting the density of a variable.
Examples & Applications
A cartogram of the United States showing states resized based on population, illustrating that California appears much larger than Montana despite its actual geographical size.
A world cartogram used to show GDP, where wealthier countries like the United States and Germany appear significantly larger.
Memory Aids
Interactive tools to help you remember key concepts
Rhymes
To see the world through numbers bold, Cartograms resize what we behold.
Stories
Imagine a world where big cities stretch, while smaller towns shrink due to data's fetch. Cartograms tell stories of where we stand, reshaping our view of this vast land.
Memory Tools
Remember C.A.R.T.: Cartograms Adjust Region Sizes for Thematic representation.
Acronyms
C.A.R.
Cartogram Action Raises importance of data visualization.
Flash Cards
Glossary
- Cartogram
A thematic map that distorts geographic space to represent data values, such as population or economic measures.
- Thematic Map
A map focused on specific themes or data, emphasizing the spatial distribution of various characteristics.
- Population Density
The number of people living per unit area, often depicted in cartograms.
- ValuebyArea Cartogram
A type of cartogram where geographic areas are resized based on quantitative data.
- DensityBased Cartogram
A cartogram that distorts area based on population or another density measure.
Reference links
Supplementary resources to enhance your learning experience.