Contributor: Brian Anthony. Lesson ID: 11097
What can you say about a map? If it's a thematic map, it can say a lot to you! These maps can get you thinking about the statistics you observe. Practice making conclusions in this lesson!
Pictures are a quick and easy way to convey a lot of information.
Humans are visual beings, and we often understand things through our sight. That may be why we say, "I see!" when we have understood something.
Take a look at this picture and describe what you see.
You pulled a lot of information from that single photo! Let's harness that power and learn how to use maps the same way!
Like the image above, thematic maps store much information.
The question is, "How do you get to that information and interpret it?" The first step is to understand what you are looking at.
If you missed the first lesson in this Thematic Maps series or would like to review it, access it under Related Lessons in the right-hand sidebar.
Take a look at this USA Population Map. Examine the title, the key, the geographic area, and any other features.
Now, read this short paragraph and see if it describes what you saw.
This map describes the total population for each state in the United States in 2016. It color-codes each of the states according to its population in millions in four categories: less than one million, one to five million, five to ten million, and ten or more million.
Write a revision of that short paragraph in your notes in your own words.
The short sample paragraph provided the basic outline of the information. But what you want to do is interpret the information.
You might say the following.
The states with a population of ten million or more tend to be concentrated in the Northeast. The one-million-or-less states tend to be concentrated in the northern Mountain/Midwest region. Several of the ten-million-plus states also seem much larger, so they probably have fewer people per square mile.
If you think so, revise that short paragraph in your notes.
Share the map with someone and ask what they see.
This exercise is more about seeing and thinking than it is about writing, but the writing part is critical because it forces you to be specific and clear about your observations.
Now that you've practiced the observation part, you can turn to write about your observations in the Got It? section.