Population Statistics, Natural Resources Canada, http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/geograph/atlas-canada/selected-thematic-maps/16880
This post comes from a memory that goes back years, to when
I was still in middle school, and first learned exactly how interesting and
useful statistics could be. Growing up in Toronto, it never did truly sink in
when I was younger exactly how large the population of this city is in relation
to the rest of the country. When I finally saw a map similar to the one I've posted
above, it really did clue me in to exactly how sparsely populated so much of
Canada is. Although this information is from 2006, but it is unlikely to have changed
too much since then.
According to Statistics Canada, approximately two thirds of
Canadians lived within 100km of the United States border (2006 Census: Portrait of the Canadian Population in 2006: National
portrait, Statistics Canada) at the time this map was created. More than
anything, this helped me realize, when I was first starting to learn about
history, exactly how large a role the environment and climate can play. Settlement, according to the map, is denser
in the east, and is still focused around rivers and in places where the weather was
simply warmer. Many aspects of Canadian history can be seen in this map. Although
much of this seems very obvious now, it did not when I first saw a map like
this one, and in all the time that has passed since I have never seen a better
visual representation of how strongly the patterns of human habitation are
dictated by the environment we live in. In looking at the question for the
week, specifically an instance in which statistics have been particularly
illuminating, there certainly has not been any other time when statistics left
quite so large an impression on me.
These particular statistics are also a good example of some
of the stronger and more clearly reliable statistics that are available. They come from a
reliable institution that was counting what is ultimately an observable fact. Opinion
polling and similar statistics in particular, although certainly capable of
accuracy, are not necessarily able to be trusted to the same degree. Although
potentially very useful, without knowing exactly how and when they were
gathered statistics may prove more misleading than anything else.
Sources:
Natural Resources Canada. Population Statistics. http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/geography/atlas-canada/selected-thematic-maps/16880
Statistics Canada. 2006 Census: Portrait
of the Canadian Population in 2006: National portrait. http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/97-550/p3-eng.cfm#archived
Although slightly unrelated, this post reminds me of how grateful I am that the government is bringing back the long-form census, and has signed onto the G8's Open Data Charter... so that we have great statistical information, that can be presented in interesting and educational ways (like this graph)!
ReplyDeleteIt seems that you and share an interest in population James! I find your discussion very valuable in thinking of the implication of population size (and growth) on issues such as climate and the (human) environment. I might just consider using population and population density statistics for my next move! With that in mind, Jelena also brought up the idea of population density in a particular neighbourhood and the impact it has on a variety of services provided in the area. Who would have thought stats could be so interesting?
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