How do I calculate percentages in geographical studies?

To calculate percentages in geographical studies, divide the part by the whole and multiply by 100.

In geographical studies, percentages are often used to analyse data such as population growth, land use, or rainfall distribution. To calculate a percentage, you first need to identify the 'part' and the 'whole'. The 'part' is the specific quantity you are interested in, and the 'whole' is the total quantity that includes the part.

For example, if you are studying the percentage of forested land in a country, and you know that the country has 500,000 square kilometres of land in total (the whole), and 150,000 square kilometres of that is forested (the part), you would calculate the percentage as follows:

1. Divide the part by the whole: 150,000 ÷ 500,000 = 0.3
2. Multiply the result by 100 to get the percentage: 0.3 × 100 = 30%

So, 30% of the country's land is forested.

Another example could be calculating the percentage of a population living in urban areas. If a country has a total population of 10 million people (the whole), and 6 million of those people live in urban areas (the part), you would calculate the percentage like this:

1. Divide the part by the whole: 6,000,000 ÷ 10,000,000 = 0.6
2. Multiply the result by 100 to get the percentage: 0.6 × 100 = 60%

Therefore, 60% of the population lives in urban areas.

Remember, calculating percentages helps you to compare different sets of data easily and understand the relative size of different parts within a whole. This is particularly useful in geography when dealing with large datasets and diverse information.