Data shown on graphsBar charts

Line graphs, bar charts, pie charts, climate graphs and pictograms can all be used to present geographical information. It is important to know how to extract and interpret the most useful information from these.

Part ofGeographyGeography skills

Bar charts

Bar charts show grouped data as rectangular bars with spaces between the bars, e.g. the number of tourists visiting a resort each month.

Bar chart displaying the number of tourists visiting a resort each year. It has number of tourists on the y axis and the months of the year on the x axis.
Figure caption,
Bar chart: the number of tourists (per age category) visiting a resort in one year

When describing a bar chart, you should include: -

  • The total e.g. total number of tourists per year.
  • The highest and lowest amounts (by month) shown by the tallest and shortest bars.
  • A comparison of the bars by noting differences between them.

Question

Looking at the graph above, describe, in detail the amount of tourists visiting a resort in one year.

Hints

  • describe which month has highest number and quote the number
  • do the same for the lowest number
  • note if there are any patterns in the graph between seasons of the year

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