To read a population distribution, say where the people are, what pattern they form and how it compares with another area. A good description uses all three parts in one sentence.
This lesson belongs to population and settlements. When you need to explain why, continue to explaining a distribution pattern with several factors.
How do you describe a pattern?
Use the place, pattern and comparison frame. The place is a compass direction or a named feature. The pattern is a word such as clustered, linear, dispersed or sparse. The comparison uses a number from the map.
Use this frame: “The [place] is [pattern], with [number], compared with [other place].”
Worked example: a dot map
This is an original dot map. Each dot stands for 1 000 residents, and each grid square is one map square. The central plain has 18 dots in 6 squares. The northern hills have 2 dots in 10 squares.
- Central plain: 18 ÷ 6 = 3 dots per square, which is 3 000 residents per square.
- Northern hills: 2 ÷ 10 = 0.2 dots per square, which is 200 residents per square.
- Comparison: 3 ÷ 0.2 = 15, so the plain holds fifteen times as many people per square.
A full sentence: “Settlement in the central plain is clustered, with 3 dots per square, compared with only 0.2 in the northern hills, which are sparse.”
The mistake that costs marks
The common slip is to describe without a number, or to read a dot as a single home.
| Answer | Problem |
|---|---|
| Most people live in the middle. | No pattern word and no figure |
| There are dots in the centre. | Describes the map, not the distribution |
| The plain has 3 dots per square, about fifteen times the hills. | Place, pattern and comparison are all present |
Check yourself
On another dot map, each dot is 500 residents. A western coastal strip has 12 dots in 4 squares. The interior has 3 dots in 12 squares. Describe the contrast with numbers.
Answer
Coast: 12 ÷ 4 = 3 dots per square, which is 1 500 residents per square. Interior: 3 ÷ 12 = 0.25 dots per square, which is 125 residents per square.
Model sentence: “The coastal strip is densely clustered, with 3 dots per square, while the interior is sparse, with 0.25 dots per square, so the coast holds twelve times as many people per square.” Check: 3 ÷ 0.25 = 12.
What to study next
Turn dots into density with calculating density with a matched area and population. You can also try the map and graph reading practice.
If you want a teacher to listen to your descriptions, see online one-to-one Geography tuition.