Lab 1

This map shows the global distribution of cigarette smokers as a percentage of a nation's total population by gender. The data source comes from the Tobacco Atlas provided by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation published in 2012. The map was created by The Economist and uses the 2010 data provided by the Tobacco Atlas. The map is particularly striking because it illuminates first and foremost the larger number of male cigarette smokers. In most of the world, the percentage of female cigarette smokers is relatively low and in almost all nations the percentage of male smokers is larger than the percentage of female smokers. Furthermore, the graph highlights regions of the world where cigarette consumption is highest (at least among men) such as Russia, China and Indonesia. 

This map presents the plurality ethnic background by county in the United States. The map uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau taken from the 2000 census and is provided by Wikipedia. The map is insightful because it demonstrates how clusters of ethnic backgrounds have formed in the United States. A number of patterns also arise when examining the map. First, one can see how counties that are geographically close to the Mexican border contain a Mexican ethnic plurality. Second, German ancestry is the ethnic plurality for the much of the Northern continental U.S. Third, one can recognize a "belt" formation that spreads across the southern states where African Americans are a plurality. These points are further reinforced when examining the secondary map in the upper right hand corner, which presents the plurality ancestry by state in the United States. 

This map demonstrates the US population change by county between the years 1930 and 1940. Population changes are exhibited both by percentage changes in the first map and absolute numeric changes in the second map. The map is particularly interesting as it shows the effects of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s on migration patterns within the United States. As one can see, populations declined most drastically in the Midwest, which in some cases exceeded population losses of over 25%. Furthermore, the map highlights individual counties of significant growth during this period. For instance, the map establishes the extreme population increase in Los Angeles county of more than 500,000 people. As a result, I find it intriguing how the map presents the effects of the largest internal US migration in the 20th century.  The map data comes from the 1930 and 1940 US Census and was provided by the US Census Bureau.