Week 1 Lab: Interesting Maps

This map shows the worldwide distribution of malaria from 1900-2002.  More specifically, it shows the results of the intentional eradication programs during the 20th century.  While malaria was found throughout the Northeastern United Sates and across Europe and Russia, the disease is now concentrated in the global South. 

I find this map interesting because it shows that some areas where malaria was once endemic have now eradicated the disease.  Although the map specifically shows a spatial distribution of disease, it also implies information about the distribution of socioeconomic factors.  For the most part, the areas in the global north that have eradicated malaria over the past century are also relatively wealthy nations with access to knowledge and resources to wipe out the disease.
I am interested in how climate change will affect the distribution of communicable diseases and how these changes could affect populations worldwide.  Using this map with a map of changing global temperatures and/or a map of the unintentional changes in malaria distribution could provide valuable information about the nature of malaria and future of the disease.  

This map is from the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences website.  It is located under the Vector Control and Malaria tab in the Infectious Disease section at the url http://www.koshland-science-museum.org/exhib_infectious/malaria_vector_control_05.jsp

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This map shows the various products that are produced in different Central American countries.  This product map is definitely oversimplified; it shows neither where each good is produced within each country nor all of the important products from each country.  Even so, I think it is extremely interesting and important to realize that many commodities come from Central America, especially as global commodity chains lengthen and different regions of the world become increasingly economically interconnected.  I am personally interested in economics and Latin America so I like being able to see the distribution of commodities geographically. While this map is not extremely detailed, such an oversimplified image can be a convenient and accessible way to begin research or further investigation on a topic.

This map is from the website classbrain.com and is located under "Central America" under "Country Reports."  It was published by the ClassBrain staff and is found at the url http://www.classbrain.com/art_cr/publish/central_america_product_map.shtml.

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This map is a screenshot I took from an online interactive map which shows the number of medals won by each country competing in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.   The sizes of the circles correspond to the number of medals won.

I think it is especially interesting that this map arranges the medal winners geographically.  Instead of simply listing country rankings, it is easy to see which parts of the world the Olympic champions come from and how one nation's medal tally compares to those of its neighboring countries. 

The interactive map has a slider which one can move to see the medal distribution from each Summer Olympic Games since 1896.  More nations participate in the Games and win medals in more recent years.  Additionally, the distribution of medals in some years show interesting phenomena and information not explicitly given.  In the 1980 Games for example, East Germany and the Soviet Union dominated the podium while several prominent countries including the United States apparently won no medals.  Although the map does not provide text explaining this anomaly, it is clear that something out of the ordinary happened surrounding the 1980 Games.  Indeed, the United States and many other nations boycotted the 1980 Moscow Games to protest the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan.  I find it absolutely fascinating how in addition to statistics about athletic rankings, this map contains a plethora historical information and economic, cultural, and political implications.

The interactive map can be accessed at:  http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/08/04/sports/olympics/20080804_MEDALCOUNT_MAP.html