This semester you will complete four activities which will count for 40 percent of your grade. This is an important part of your grade, one which you can control completely. Quality is important.
All the activities are found in the ARGOT packet available from Copy Corner. Supplementary materials, readings, maps, and other helpful information are found in ARGOT as well.
The deadline for each activity appears in the assignment schedule. Hints for how to do these activities appear here. Check the Update section of this site for related information.
Climate graphs (sometimes called climagraphs) summarize many kinds of environmental conditions. Geographers, and others, use climate graphs to understand climate and phenomena which rely upon climate such as vegetation. Climate graphs provide clues to weather conditions in particular places. They can help answer questions such as: How much does it rain and/or snow? What time of the year is wet/dry? What kind of vegetation can grow? (Trees grow naturally in wetter places; grasses are the rule if precipitation supply and demand are nearly the same; desert plants survive if temperatures are high when there is little rain), What months see a moisture deficit and requires people to store water and irrigate? What months show a moisture surplus, rivers form, and flood prevention may be necessary?
Objective: Your objectives are 1) to be able to summarize some basic principles of Texas climate, 2) to be able to describe the characteristics of the climates of Texas, and 3) to be able to identify and explain the factors which shape patterns of climate in Texas.
Assignment: The National Weather Service has divided Texas into ten divisions, regions of similar geography and climate (see the accompanying map). Data on the average monthly temperature (degrees F) and precipitation (inches) for each climate division is provided. Your task is to:
1. Make a climate graph for each set of data. Ten climate graphs are provided. You may choose to do this on a computer or use graph paper.
2. Match the climate graph to the correct climate division using deductive reasoning. Label each climate graph by division name.
3. Below each climate graph write 2-3 sentences explaining your deduction. What was your reasoning in making your selection? Be sure to use the factors listed below in your reasoning process, that is, latitude, continentality, seasonality, and quantity. Two additional factors may help you to make your decision: vegetation and elevation.
Hints: To make a climate graph, plot the data on precipitation as a bar graph; plot temperature as a line graph. Calculate the total precipitation and the average annual temperature for each region to help the decision making process. Also, you will note that in October 1994 it rained very, very heavily in some climate regions. In some cases, places received more than 10 inches of ppt. That was an anomoly (not usual). On your graphs, to note this ppt in excess of 10" you can draw up past the top line, or place a little up arrow with the correct amount penciled in.
Background: A population pyramid is a graphic way to show the age/gender composition of a population and its age/gender structure. The "structure" describes the relative number of people at different ages by gender. Analyzing the population structure of a place is a way to understand the needs of that place. It allows policy makers to see what kind of people live in an area and which programs to target. Population pyramids are illustrations of what is happening in a community. The shape of a population pyramid is a result of migration, births, and deaths. It can also reflect historical, socioeconomic, and political events, e.g., the baby boom which followed WWII.
Objective: Your objectives are to 1) construct population pyramids from census data; 2) use a population pyramid to describe and interpret the age/gender traits of populations in Texas and implications for economic development and policy issues.
Assignment: Your tasks are to:
1. Construct population pyramids for five places in Texas: a) your hometown or the nearest town, b) Longview, TX, c) Laredo, TX, d) College Station, and e) Palm Valley, TX. The data for your home town (if it has a population larger than 10,000) is available in Government Documents in U.S. Census Social and Economic Characteristics, Vol.2 of3, C3.223/7:1990 CP-2-45/Sec 2. Table 169 "Age, Sex, and Ability to Speak English." The data for the other communities is provided in ARGOT. Copies of a form which you can use to construct the graphs are included.
2. Analyze each population pyramid addressing the issues/questions listed here. Type your responses on a separate sheet of paper in complete sentences, one paragraph (2-4 sentences) for each population pyramid.
"Look at the population pyramids for each place in Texas you constructed.
1. Describe the age/gender patterns you observe.
2. Discuss the implications or the patterns. Think about the kinds of problems that could occur because of the differences in lifestyle and community priorities for different age groups in each location. Write down some of these issues and list some investments, e.g., stores, entertainment, etc., that might be profitable or some social programs, e.g., child care, education, medicine, etc., that might do well in places with these populations.
Hints: A population pyramid is a kind of bar graph. Each horizontal bar shows how many males or females fall into a specific age group. This group is called a "age-gender cohort." The bars are stacked one on top of the other in ascending order with the youngest group on the botton and the oldest group on top. A center vertical line divides the graph into a female and male side.
To make a population pyramid, calculate the percentage of the TOTAL POPULATION for each age and gender cohort (age group). Find the total population first (add all males and all females in each age group), then divide each cohort by that number.
In some cases, the graph will not be able to accomodate your data. If you have an age cohort that exceeds 10 percent, extend the graph row as far as you can then label the correct figure and use an arrow to indicate the extension that should exist.
Be cautious when you use the data to create a graph for your own home town. Look carefully at the age groups in the Census table and make sure they match the age groups on the graph provided.
Background: Choropleth maps are maps which show the value of something using a color or pattern. Data for this kind of map come from descriptions or counts of things within arbitrary spatial units such as counties. In Jordan, pages 81-82, a series of maps show the distribution of Blacks and Hispanics in Texas' counties as a percentage of the total population in each county in three periods of time, 1887, 1930, and 1980. Comparison of the maps shows changes in the proportion of Blacks in parts of Texas, and the sharp divisions between where Blacks and Hispanics have traditionally lived. It also shows the increasing migration of Hispanics (Mexicans) into the state. How have these patterns changed or persisted in the last decade?
Objective: Your objective is to be able to summarize trends in the growth and distribution of Black and Hispanic Texans by comparing spatial patterns in 1990 with historic patterns.
Assignment: Your tasks are to:
1. Update the maps on page 82 using 1990 census data, that is, to map the spatial pattern of Black and Hispanic population in Texas as a percentage of the population in each county. To do this find the percentage of Black and Hispanic population for each county. This information is available in the Texas Almanac, pp 130-284 or on the web at http://www.census.gov:80/population/estimates/county/crh/crhtxmars.txt.
Place each county into one of four categories:
Black, 25-49.99%
Black, 50+ %
Hispanic, 25-49.99 %
Hispanic, 50%+
If the county is predominantly Anglo (White), leave it blank. Round up counties with stats from 24.5 to 24.99 to make them fall into the 25-49.99% category.
Pick a different color (or pattern) for each category and create a choropleth map. Make sure the colors are distinguishable. Do not forget TODALSIGs.
2) Write a brief analysis summarizing trends in ethnic population and distribution in Texas. Compare the maps in Jordan and the map you have produced to observe changes over time and space.
* How has the distribution of Hispanics changed?
* Is there more overlap between Hispanics and Blacks now than in previous decades?
Please type your analysis and attach it to the map.
Hint: Remember, being Hispanic is a cultural, not a racial, trait. Individuals can be BOTH White and Hispanic. Look at the statistics for Blacks and Hispanics first in the Almanac.
For example,
Terrell County
This county falls into the category Hispanic, 50%+.
Orange County
This county does not fall into any of the four categories of interest; leave it blank.
Background: Here is the situation: A producer of television commercials has asked you to do research on recent changes in the urban population. Your job is to identify urban areas in Texas that are large, rapidly growing, or both. Some cities are growing in Texas; some are not. Where are they and why are they gaining population&endash;or losing it?
Objective: The objective is to identify the basic pattern of urban growth in Texas, the similarities of the fastest growing areas and the differences between the fast growing and declining urban areas.
Assignment: Your task is to:
1. Look at the list of the 28 largest MSAs in Texas according to the 1990 Census. Locate and label the cities by placing a very small dot at the correct location and writing the name.
2. Calculate the percent change in population
between 1980 and 1990. Percent change is defined as the difference
between the 1980 and 1990 population divided by the population at the
beginning of the change (1980) and multiplied by 100.
1980 1990 Pop Difference ÷ 1980 Pop x 100 =
%Change Dallas 1,957,378 2,553,362 595,984 ÷ 1,957,378 = .30 x 100=
30.4%
3. Categorize the cities by how much they grew:
4. On the map use a large plus sign with a circle around it to show the location of each MSA in Group 1 (fast growth). Use a smaller plus sign to mark Group 2, a check (3) for Group 3 MSAs (slow growth), and a large minus sign in a circle for those in Group 4 (declining population). Place these symbols directly on the dot indicating the location of the city. See below for an example.
5. Then, make a second map using the same procedure with the data in the Texas Almanac on page 287 using the percent change 1990-1997 statistic.
6. Write a short paragraph summarizing the basic PATTERN of urban growth in Texas. Address these questions: