Possibilities and Difficulties of Depicting Migrations Using Static Thematic Maps

Abstract

The paper discusses the possibilities of depicting movement on static thematic maps, using migration as an example – a process which is a part of everyday life, but which may be spatially and temporarily extremely variable. Migrations are mostly depicted using flow maps in demographic literature and elsewhere, for example in daily newspapers. Flow maps are very useful for depicting the movement theme, but migrations, or rather selected components of migration, can also be depicted using other types of thematic maps. The greatest obstacle is the depiction of time, or rather the simultaneous depiction of several years or time periods on a single static thematic map. The paper discusses some possibilities for representing components of migration by using several different types of static thematic maps, their advantages and disadvantages, with the focus on the possibilities and difficulties of mapping spatial and temporal variables on the same map.