Lab 1: Maps

Map of UFO Hot Spots

This map, attained from the website http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2007/11/01/, shows the distribution of UFO sitings in the United States of America. It is color coordinated from varying shades of yellow to red that represent the least amount of UFO sitings to the greatest amount. I found it interesting that the locations with the most UFO sitings were in less-populated areas, generally in the Mid-west. This may reflect a connection between superstitious belief and location. The residents of the Midwest are generally believed to be less "exposed" and disconnected, seeing that they live away from urbanized cities, and therefore may turn to things like superstition and religion.

Map of Foreign Born People

This map shows the the distribution of foreign-born people that reside in the United States of America in 2004. The states are colored varying shades of green, displaying the percentage of immigrants that live within each state. I found it interesting that the center of the country was lightly colored to signify that it had the smallest foreign-born population. In contrast, the states along the East and West border, especially New York, Florida, and California, have the darkest color that suggests a greater foreign-born population. This phenomenon may result from the fact that the states along the coast of the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean are easier to access from other countries compared to those among the Midwest. As a result, more foreigners may move to these states because of convenience. The source of this map is the website: http://www.state.gov/cms_images/iccpr_survey_map.jpg.

Map of Unemployment Rates

As seen on the site http://www.bls.gov/lau/maps/twmcort.gif, this map is color coordinated quite morbidly to represent the unemployment rates of the United States. I found that this map also illustrates a distinction between the less-populated Mid-west and the rest of the country. The smaller affect of the economic crises on the Mid-west may be because of the smaller ratios of workers to jobs in the area. In contrast, the west and the east are darker colored and suffer a more severe degree of unemployment. This result may be because the greater number of white-collared jobs available in urban areas outside the Midwest. As many companies collapse, a greater amount of people will lose their jobs.