McDonald's Restaurants in USA:
The map above shows the distance each citizen needs to travel to get to their nearest McDonald's restaurant. The brightest areas of the map are located in the highway areas where the population is high and the darkest areas of the map are where the population is low (mostly in the mountain areas). However, the reason I found this map interesting was firstly because of the amount of restaurants located in America and secondly the relation it has to the obesity levels of the country.
The amount of McDonald's restaurants clearly shows that there is a high demand for fast food products (and this map only shows the McDonald's chain) and it made me wonder why this was the case. McDonald's is known for it's fast and cheap services and I believe that this can relate to how America has a consumerist culture and the need to have particular brands and goods as quickly and easily as possible. It is all about convenience for the customer.
Secondly, this map corresponds with the obesity levels in America. As more fast food restaurants are built, the faster the obesity levels in the United States increases estimating that 35.7% of American adults and 17% of American children are obese (The CDC suggested in 2010). Also, the areas in America that have the highest obesity rates, mostly in the southern and eastern areas have the most McDonald's restaurants and the states with the lowest obesity rates have the least about of restaurants. This map could therefore represents how McDonald's has impacted American society and the health of the American citizens living in the USA.
A good example Charlotte. You make a good attempt at engaging with the detail of what this image may reveal. However, beware of making assertions which are not fully backed up. For example, do you know for certain that that eastern and southern areas have the highest obesity rates?
ReplyDelete