4 random geography factoids that show how statistics don't always tell you the whole story · 7:27pm Aug 23rd, 2021
#1: Iceland consumes 4 times more electricity per capita than the United States.
FALSE CONCLUSION: “Icelandic people must be very wasteful and non-ecofriendly!”
In 2014, Icelandics consumed 53832kWh of electrcity per capita. By comparison, Americans only consumed 12994kWh per capita, and Brits only consumed 5130kWh per capita.
From this, you may assume that everyone in Iceland drives six Teslas, has seven air conditioners, and leaves their lights on 24/7. But this isn’t the case. Iceland is an eco-friendly country widely regarded for its natural beauty. So I was very puzzled by this statistic. Why does Iceland guzzle so much electricity?
Because Iceland’s high electricity consumption doesn’t come directly from her people.
Roughly 70% of all electricity in Iceland is used for…aluminum smelting.
Why, I hear you ask? You see, Iceland has renewable energy. LOTS of it. Close to 100% of all their electricity is generated using renewable geothermal and hydropower. (The famous Blue Lagoon is actually wastewater from a geothermal power station.)
Meanwhile, aluminum smelting uses electricity. LOTS of it. So international aluminum companies like Alcoa go to Iceland to process their aluminum using their cheap renewable energy. 
Aluminum smelting plant in Iceland
This appears to be a great idea, producing aluminum with less greenhouse gas emissions. However, it’s actually causing a lot of environmental destruction. Massive hydroelectric dams are being built in the pristine Icelandic wilderness purely to power these foreign-owned aluminum smelters, with little benefit to the Icelandic people. Here is an article for further information on the subject.
#2: The Los Angeles metro area is actually MORE dense than the New York City metro area.
“FALSE CONCLUSION: So, New York City isn’t that crowded after all!”
By simply dividing population over amount of urbanized area, the NYC metro area has a density of about 5200 people per square mile. The Los Angeles metro area, meanwhile, has a density of 7000 people per square mile.
However, the distribution of density is very different, as seen in this diagram:
New York City’s urban area (left) has a very dense central core with very sparse suburbs around it. Los Angeles’s urban area (right) has a fairly uniform distribution of moderately-dense single family homes and mid-rise buildings. Averaged out, Los Angeles is actually the denser locale.
So, it’s misleading to say New York is “less crowded” than LA, since New Yorkers live in a very wide range of population densities, from cramped former tenement halls to sprawling suburban mansions. Meanwhile, Angelinos live in a relatively narrower range of population densities.
This is why I think it’s better to measure density by “lived-in density” (i.e. the population density that the median resident experiences on a daily basis), rather than arithmetic population density (dividing population by area).
#3: Qatar is the country with the lowest death rate in the world.
“FALSE CONCLUSION: Wow, Qatar must be a very healthy place where very few people die!”
Very few people die? Yes. Very healthy? Not exactly.
Qatar has the lowest death rate in the world, at 1.41 deaths per 100,000 people. (The world average is 8 deaths per 100,000 people.)
It’s not because Qatar has perfected immortality. There's only so much that oil wealth can buy you. It’s because Qatar has very high numbers of expats, or temporary foreign workers. The 2021 population pyramid for Qatar adds a piece to the puzzle:
Source: CIA World Factbook
Notice the large number of males aged 20-50? Those are all foreign workers! They come from all over the world to Qatar to work in construction or business, fueled by the country's massive oil wealth. Foreign expats make up a HUGE portion of Qatar’s labor force.
When their work visa is up, most foreign workers return to their home countries to retire or to find another job. They die in their home countries, long after they finish their work in Qatar.
So basically, people in Qatar die, a lot of them just don’t actually die in Qatar. Hence the low death rate.
Gulf countries like Bahrain, Kuwait, and UAE also have very low death rates, for similar reasons.
#4: Beijing receives 21.4” of precipitation per year, and London receives 23.7” of precipitation per year.
“FALSE CONCLUSION: So, Beijing is about as wet as London.”
Nope! In fact, Beijing is borderline semiarid.
Beijing and the surrounding North China Plain is surprisingly dry. The Gobi Desert is just to the north, and in the winter, very cold and dry winds blow from the desert into the city. The area where the Beijing Winter Olympics is to be held only has 2 inches snow depth in the winter. (Go figure…)
Absolute inches of precipitation can’t tell you how wet or dry a place is. You also have to consider evaporation of water during hot summers. Because if the water evaporates, it won’t reach into the soil and allow plants to grow. Plants also lose more water from their leaves in hot weather. Therefore, depending on the climate, a lot of rainfall may get “lost” to evaporation.
London receives relatively uniform precipitation throughout the year, with slightly more precipitation in the winter. In cold weather, water evaporates more slowly, allowing more water to reach the soil and allow plants to grow (plants take up water through their roots, not their leaves!). Not much rain and snow is “lost” to evaporation, so plenty of trees and grass can grow.
Beijing, on the other hand, receives the majority of its precipitation during the summer months of June to August. The rest of the year is very dry and smoggy. Beijing’s summers are also much hotter than London, so the rain that does fall evaporates more quickly. This means less water for plants to grow, and a less lush landscape.
Looking at satellite images of the two cities, Beijing appears drier than London, despite having about the same annual precipitation:
The Koppen climate classification system has developed a simple formula to determine if a climate is “dry” or not, taking into account water lost to evaporation. You can read more about it here.
Key lesson: Sometimes you learn more from a misleading statistic than you do from an accurate statistic.
I don't like to “shame” statistics for being misleading. There’s a story behind every number, and it’s our job as readers to be critical and understand where these numbers come from. I’ve learned so much about human geography by simply asking myself: “What’s with this weird statistic?”.
Key lesson #2: I’m an unequivocal nerd.
Sources: Beijing climate, London climate, Electricity consumption per capita, Iceland electricity use, NYC/LA density, Country mortality rates
Very interesting.
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Thanks, I'm like a wannabe Wendover Productions