Paper 2 · population mapping techniques
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 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.
BSo that dots can be shaded in a different colour for each administrative province, letting a reader identify which province any rural resident belongs to.
CSo that dots in the most densely populated areas do not merge into a solid mass, while dots in sparsely populated areas remain individually visible.
DSo that the total number of dots drawn always equals the country's total population divided by the overall printed area of the finished map.
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
