Blog #2

 My personal interests and goals are helped by me taking Political Geography simply because not only am I interested in the subject of geography, but this class brings me one step closer to attaining my minor in Geography. The concepts of PolyGeo really help me take on a better understanding of things I see on the news and read in the paper, specifically election results, voting patterns, and my interpretation of conflicts around the world. My mental map hasn't changed too much specifically because of the class, although it has given me an idea about where I may want to one day live and where I wouldn't. As a registered voter in Florida, I know that my vote, especially in Presidential elections, counts more here than it does in my native state of Alabama, which regularly votes Republican by a landslide, as opposed to Florida, which is often straddling the fence.
   The countries I chose to write about are the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. The five maps I chose to compare between the countries were the HIV/AIDS map (43), Gross National Product per capita (52), illiteracy rates (39), infant mortality rates (29), and the life expectancy at birth rate (33). The first map, the Adult HIV Prevalence map, is a good indicator for healthcare and the availability of pharmaceuticals (or the lack thereof both). Less than 1% of the 62 million people residing in the United Kingdom are reported to have HIV or AIDS while 16% or more of the 12.5 million population of Zimbabwe have HIV or AIDS. The gross nation product per capita is used instead of Gross Domestic Product as GNP is not a measure, necessarily, of economic strength and does not measure wealth distribution across the population, but it is good for comparative economic well-being. The UK's GNP per capita is in the top tier, at "Above $9,656", while Zimbabwe is in the lowest tier, which is "$785 or less".
   For illiteracy rates, the United Kingdom is in the Top Tier, with less than 10% of the population illiterate. Zimbabwe is not too far behind, as they are in the next tier down, which is 11%-30%, which is low in Africa, but considered to be quite high in the developed world. The infant mortality rate map, once again, shows that the UK is quite developed, compared to underdeveloped Zimbabwe. The rate is 10 or less for the UK, but 31-90 for Zimbabwe. Finally, in life expectancy at birth, like most of Africa, Zimbabwe's is less than 55 years, while the UK is at 73 or more years.