The first map shows the distribution of Asians. The purple becomes a darker shade as the percentage of Asians in an area increases. Using the legend as a guide, one sees that the highest concentration of Asians is found along the country’s coasts. More specifically, the coast of Northern California and southern New York are dark purple; thus, contains one of the highest concentrations of Asians. There is also a high percentage in Hawaii. The concentration in the West Coast reflects the history of Asian immigration into the country. History shows that the West Coast historically has a high concentration of Asians. Historical events, such as the building of railroads by mostly Chinese immigrants and the encampment of Japanese-Americans in only the western states, provide a historical pattern of concentration. Similarly, Hawaii’s native inhabitants have been traced back to Asia. The pattern can be geographically explained because the West Coast is closer in geographic relation to Asia than the rest of the United States. A person can infer that San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles were popular destinations for immigrants and new generations remain or continue to settle there.
The second map shows the percentage of Blacks in the United States. The map shows that the Southern states, the South, have the highest percentage of Blacks. There are also pockets of high concentration in Los Angeles County and the counties east of San Francisco Bay. The high concentration in the South reflects the region’s history. The region is notorious for being the landing ground for the slave trade. Thus the region’s concentration of Blacks is due to Africans being forcibly brought to the U.S. South to work on plantations. The concentration in California and the Northeast can be explained by the concentration of defense industries that attracted Black workers.
The third map shows the percentage of “Some Other Race.” Although not mentioned in the data sheet, the map suggests that ‘Some Other Race” refers to people of Hispanic origin. The highest percentage is found in the Southwest, along the United States-Mexico border. This supports the notion that “Some Other Race” includes Hispanics and Latinos because the two other maps show that people tend to concentrate by their ‘point of entry’. For instance, San Francisco Bay has a high percentage of Asians while the south has a high concentration of Blacks. The Southwest’s adjacency to Mexico suggests that ‘Some Other Race’ indicates Hispanic and people of Latin origin. The only problem with this category is that it does not provide those in the category with a distinct identity. It will be difficult to answer questions and analyze the data since we do not know for certain who chose the “Some Other Race” category.
Overall, the three maps show that the distribution of races in the United States in not equal. There are certain parts of the United States that have a higher percentage of Asians, Blacks, and Other Races than other parts. The maps allow a person to see the spatial distribution and determine which parts of the nation have the highest percentage of a certain race. The explanation of why a region has a higher percentage than another region can be found by looking at the history of that region. The map series also suggests that there is not much mobility in the country. Most of the races continue to concentrate in the areas they first “landed” on.
GIS made it possible to see spatial distribution of data from Census 2000. However, GIS is not limited to only one set of data. One can find data from previous censuses and also create maps using that data. By comparing the maps, one can visually see any changes in the spatial distribution of race. In addition to looking at past information for patterns, one can use GIS to infer and predict future events and pattern changes. The advantage of GIS and ArcMap is that the program enables a user to combine data from different sources. The program easily created a graphic of the Census data table. Furthermore, the program creates a legend with a few clicks of the button and enables the user to make uniform graphics. Color-coding also highlights the distribution patterns and allows a user to see where people are located. Without GIS, it will be time consuming and difficult to color code each census county. Luckily, the advances of GIS allow a person to use the computer system to calculate the percentages and show the data on a color-coded map. Overall, GIS saves time and can digitize information and data onto a geographic and spatial plane.
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