Module 5: Choropleth and Proportional Symbol Mapping- European Wine Consumption and Population Density in 2012

The goal for this week was to map wine consumption in European Countries along with population density for the year 2012. The assigned methods to map these data were choropleth and proportional symbols. Data was provided in an Equal Area projection, which minimizes distortions and allows for correct interpretation of choropleth maps. Population density was mapped using ArcGIS Pro software by a graduated color scheme, with classes divided using a quantile, 5 class method. This ensured there were no classes with values of zero and five classes were chosen to provide more variations in color. A light purple to dark maroon color sequence was chosen to mimic red wine colors and stay with the wine theme for the map. A circle symbol, with a simple grape cluster silhouette, is used to symbolize wine consumption, ranging in both size and background color. The final map is shown below: 

The map scale that contained all the data the best was 1:20,000,000. Labeling seemed to be a concern when creating a map at this scale. The country name labels were placed so that they did not overlap the wine consumption points, but still close enough that the country name could be determined. A light gray basemap was chosen in order to utilize the figure-ground method, or to make the colored countries the main focus. All other map elements (north arrow, legend, subtext notes, etc.) were placed towards the outer corners or bottom of the map for a balanced layout. The map title is in large, bold font for appropriate visual hierarchy. One interesting fact I gained from mapping this data is that Vatican City is the leading wine consumer in Europe, at 73.78 liters per capita. The second and third leading wine consumers are Andorra and France, at only 46.11 and 44.19 liters per capita, respectively. This means Vatican City consumes almost twice the amount of wine than most of the countries in Europe, most likely for religious purposes.