An Essential Map Guide

Today we focused on the key question of what truly makes up Human Geography. It is incredible the depths you can go to while exploring each branch. First of all, Human Geography deals with the study of all aspects of life from the Environment all the way to the Economy of certain regions and countries. With that said, a point was made today that we can learn quite a lot by looking at thematic maps which can chart anything about a general area such as it's average citizen energy use or maybe their calorie intake per day. By comparing certain areas you can sometimes see substantial differences which can assist in researching geographic issues such as an influx of population or even a lack of exercise. While thematic maps can be useful for gathering data, they may not give you the landscape or the climate of a general area as a Physical Map would. Physical Maps are great for researching and discovering parts of either your region or world that you didn't know about. Last but  not least are Political Maps which serve as a point of reference to learn more about a country's location, roads (in some cases), and cities. Political Maps usually help those looking for directions and trying to pinpoint where a specific area is without gaining as much information about the locations, climate and such. To conclude my blog I would like to touch up on how looking at these three styles of maps can help us learn more about how civilizations optimize their space, make allies and enemies, and how this all correlates with what we now call our home. I believe a significant factor in understanding how our world came to be lies within these maps. They tell us all sorts of information which may not always seem too vital, but in one way or another there is a connection as to why.  Please refer to the figures below which detail key points each of the three maps have to contribute to the main purpose of Geography.

A Thematic Map example:

Notice how there's an increase in severe poverty around New York City which is where most of the homeless from New York State reside. Seeing Thematic Maps like these really help in correlating to certain issues such as the effects of poverty and the conditions they live under. 

A Physical Map example:

Notice how we see an different shade of colors in more elevated areas, informing us that much of the West is at a higher elevation then the East. 

A Political Map example: 

Notice how there's markings of serious roads in which travelers may wish to take from one state to another. We can also spot states that we might also want to visit; capitals and such are also mapped. 

That concludes my September 4 Blog Post, see you next time!