THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
GEOGRAPHY 3235: Quantitative Models for Geographic Analysis
Fall 2006
Assignment 1 – Mysteries of Growth and Urbanization
Introduction
Population growth is something we take for granted; as most large places – be they cities,
regions, or countries – are simply expected to grow, while smaller places seem locked in
a process of decline. But the more one thinks about it, the more mysterious it is.
Constant growth increments yield declining growth rates. Constant growth rates generate
growth curves which increase exponentially. Knowing this, we can't understand the
potential for future growth until past trends have been thoroughly explored.
Goal
To describe and display population time series data, evaluate rates of growth and graph
changes in the levels of urbanization of population at difference geographic scales.
Data
Canada – most of the population figures used in this assignment are extracted from the
major decennial census which has been conducted every ten years since 1851 by
Statistics Canada and its predecessor, the Dominion Bureau of Statistics. These are also
supplemented by figures from the quinquennial census held every five years.
India – the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India also
conducts a decennial census, and has done so since 1872. Census data is available for the
country as a whole or for any of the twenty-eight states of which it is comprised.
Instructions
1. Plot the time series data for total population of both India and Canada using
Microsoft Excel and the method demonstrated in lab. Label the horizontal axis
with dates from 1901 on the far left to 2001 on the far right; and scale the vertical
to increase in increments of 250,000,000. Make sure that the points on the graph
are connected by straight lines, which together will form a growth curve for each
city. Adjust the symbols so that they are clearly different and label each curve
with the name of its city.
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THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
GEOGRAPHY 3235: Quantitative Models for Geographic Analysis
Fall 2006
2. Repeat 1 above, changing the following:
a. Graph the series as entered using a logarithmic scale for the y axis.
b. Compute log10 of the population data on a new sheet (use 5 decimal
places). Graph the series using an arithmetic scale.
c. Graph the series manually using semi-log graph paper (provided in lab).
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of visualizing and portraying growth
using a log scale for the y-axis? Can you account for any episodes of particularly
rapid growth? What factors account for these changes? Are the population growth
curves linear or log-linear?
4. For both countries, compute population growth increments and growth rates.
Display your results as a table, formatting the numbers to show three decimal
places.
5. Explain how increments and growth rates are different. How do they relate to the
arithmetic and logarithmic series that you have graphed? (Hint: try to use charts
to help you understand the inter-relationships!)
6. Calculate the proportion of urbanization in India and Canada for each time period
from 1901 to 2001. Graph the two urbanization time series using area graphs.
7. What is the trend in terms of urbanization growth rates of India and Canada?
How do the two countries compare?
8. Using the skills practiced in the earlier questions, which of the selected Canadian
provinces is most urbanized? Which has the greatest urbanization rates? The
least? Compare past the increments and growth rates for urbanization,
numerically and graphically. Where might further urbanization be most likely,
and where might it not be?
Your laboratory report should be typed with a cover sheet and submitted to your lab
instructor on or before September 21, 2006. Reports should be submitted only in person
OR through the geography assignment drop box; no email submissions please.
You may format your lab report with numbers indicating the answers to each of the
questions. For ‘discussion’-type questions, please respond in paragraph form, using
correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. For ‘action’-type questions, please make use
of the Copy/Paste functions in Microsoft office to insert your work into the lab report. If
a table or chart does not easily fit into the page, then attach them as clearly labelled
appendicies. Following the format used in your textbook and using the Guide to Term
Papers on the course web page note that graphs and tables should be numbered with
titles, axis labels, and a source to indicate where you obtained the data.
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