On Maps

Today for my lecture on Spatial Plannning, the Lecturer, gave us 2 maps, highlighting the difference in population density in UK from 1801 to 1851. The aim was to illustrate the increase in the population and its concentration during this Industrial Revolution Period. He got us to think what we could make out of the maps. I thought it was really simple, as it was obvious that the darker shaded areas in the 1851 map, showed the increase in population as compared to the 1801 Map. It really did not require any thinking, did it?

I was quite taken aback, when during the answering session, students could point to the map, and describw vividly, that the coastal areas of Portsmouth & Southampton, showed that export and import trade grew in significance, and that the main industrial cities of Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle & Liverpool showed marked increases as well. I was wondering, How am i supposed to know where this places are on the UK Map, when, I cant even tell Bukit Gombak from Bukit Timah on the Singapore map!

But I guess this is a fundamental reason why I chose this course, to do something that doesn't come naturally to me --- read maps. I hope that at the end of it all, even if I do not graduate with a degree, I have a better sense of direction. =Pp