Population graph

Proportion of Population over 65 & under 25 in 2007

The bar graph shows the proportion of the population over 65 and under 25 in six countries in 2007.

The proportion over 65 was highest in Spain, at nearly 40%, followed closely by France and then Wales. The country with the smallest proportion of the population over 65 was Egypt, with 20%. France and Sain had the lowest proportion under 25, both with about 20%. The country with the highest proportion, over 40%, of people under 25 was Egypt, closely followed by Tunisia. In third and fourth place were Wales and Turkey. One interesting fact is that Turkey had exactly the same proportion over 65 as under 25.

In summary, Wales was the only European country with a higher proportion of younger people than older. Egypt and Tunisia had the highest proportions of younger people, while Spain and France had the highest proportions of older folk.

146 words

Reflection 1

Describing graphs.

We use a basic 3-paragraph construction, i.e. introduction, c. 25 words, main body, c. 100 words, and conclusion, c. 25 words.

We started with pie charts, then moved on to bar graphs, tables & line graphs.

The line/time graph of busy times on the London Underground/tube (on HD1 website) gives useful vocabulary to the moving cursor.

It's important not just to describe the graphs/charts but also to extrapolate some kind of generalisation or observation of an outstanding trend or feature of the graph/table.

Bar graph: city growth

Growth of urban agglomerations, 1950-2015.

The chart shows the population of nine major cities over the past sixty years, and the projected level in five years time.

The only city where the population has fallen is London, from about 8M in 1950 to around 7M in 2000; it’s projected to remain the same in 2015. New York’s population rose steadily, from about 12M in 1950 to around 16M in 2000, rising to 17M by 2015. The other seven cities have all witnessed more dramatic growth. From 2.5M in 1950, Cairo is forecast to reach 14M by 2015. Mexico City is forecast to reach almost 20M, from about 3M in 1950, Shanghai nearly 15M, from 5M, and Sao Paolo 20M, from about 3M. Bombay and Tokyo are predicted to top 25M, from 3.5M and 7M respectively. Perhaps the most dramatic rise is Lagos, with a predicted 24M in 2015, from less than a million in 1950.

Only London has a fall in population, 1950-2015. New York shows a gradual increase, while the other seven cities all show spectacular growth.

169 words

Traffic/parking in Abu Dhabi

Traffic congestion and parking problems in Abu Dhabi.

Problem & solution essay.

Traffic congestion and parking problems are faced by most large cities around the world, and Abu Dhabi is no exception.

The main overall reason for these problems in Abu Dhabi is the rapidly expanding population. More people means more drivers and thus more cars on the roads. Many of these drivers are young and inexperienced which means more accidents and more hold-ups. Another factor is Abu Dhabi's rapid economic development over the past few decades. More industrialisation means more business and so more commercial vehicles, many of them large and slow-moving. There are now many more new, high-rise buildings but they haven't all been constructed with adequate parking space and this has led to massive parking problems in the business district. The fact that Abu Dhabi is an island with limited space for transport development has further added to the problem.

One obvious solution is to improve the existing road network by constructing more bridges, overpasses and underpasses to ease traffic flow. Another possible solution is to improve public transport, with better bus services and a new rail network, as in Dubai with its new metro. Yet another possibility is for the authorities, as in Singapore, to make motoring more expensive, through higher registration fees, restrictions on where and when motorists may use their cars, etc.

The first solution is already underway, an example being the recently opened underpass on Salam Street, near Khalifa Park. Similarly, public bus services have been much improved recently. The problem with regard to greater restrictions on motorists is that many people will see them as an attack on individual liberty and no doubt they would prove unpopular, at least to begin with. With regard to solving parking problems, the existing rules regarding new buildings having adequate parking space, preferably underground, must be strictly enforced.

300 words.