Paper 2 · November 2003 · Population Geography
In the dot method of representing rural population, where each dot represents a fixed number of people (for example, 1 dot = 2,000 people), why must this dot value be chosen carefully?
ASo that the total number of dots drawn always equals the country's total population divided by the overall printed area of the finished map.
BSo that every dot drawn on the map is made to represent exactly the same fixed land area, no matter how many people actually live within that area.
CSo that dots can be shaded in a different colour for each administrative province, letting a reader identify which province any rural resident belongs to.
DSo that dots in the most densely populated areas do not merge into a solid mass, while dots in sparsely populated areas remain individually visible.
Explanation
The dot value must be chosen so that dots in the most densely populated areas do not merge into an unreadable solid mass, while dots in sparsely populated areas remain individually visible rather than vanishing; too small a value clutters dense areas, too large a value makes sparse areas look empty.
Derived from ZIMSEC Geography Paper 2, November 2003, Q2