Map 106

Click here for a full-size version of this week’s map.

This map is a choropleth of the states of India. (Do you need a refresher on what a choropleth is? Visit our “Basics” page for a quick primer.) This map has an exaggerated logarithmic scale. As with all our choropleths, the statistic being mapped here is a rate, not an absolute number, though you may find that this particular statistic is a bit counterintuitive. We’ll be generous if you’re on the right track. As always, your job is to figure out what this choropleth represents.

Stumped? Check back Tuesday, Wednesday, next Monday, and next Thursday for hints about where to focus your investigation. The answer will be posted on Monday, December 3, 2018. Good luck!

Tuesday’s hint: The first thing to notice here is how much Rajasthan stands out here as being extremely light. It may also help you to know that Rajasthan, which is home to much of the Thar Desert, is extremely dry.

Wednesday’s hint: In the early 1970s, this map would have looked very different because Punjab would have been much lighter. Punjab is a lot drier than most of the other really dark areas on this map, which tend to be in areas with lots of rivers. But Punjab has benefited greatly from technological advances that have made it much more possible to take advantage of a dry climate.

Monday’s note: Due to a combination of holiday and illness, I’ve decided to leave this map up for another week.

Monday’s hint: The previous hint mentioned technological advances; collectively, those advances are often referred to as the “Green Revolution.”

Thursday’s hint: For this map, we started with Indian government data about the total amount of land area in each state used in the production of a certain crop. Then we divided that number by the total land area of each state. The result is a map of the percentage of land area used for that crop. All you have to do is figure out which water-intensive crop that is.

Answer: Click here to see an explanation of the answer to this week’s map question.

Next map: Click here to try out our newest map question.