Category Archives: Geography

Muslim Population Proportion vs. FGM Prevalence: Pearson Correlation

The following is the result of a Pearson correlation performed using SPSS.
The data on Muslim population proportion are from here; the data on FGM prevalence are from here.
Download the data set here.

Caveats: I am almost certainly not qualified to analyze these data appropriately. (I have a semester of behavioral health stats under my belt, but I do not use the information regularly.) In some cases, Wikipedia lists a range of FGM prevalence. I tried to use the figure that appeared to be most reliable.


Pearson Correlation Comparing Muslim Population Proportion to FGM Prevalence
Pearson Correlation Comparing Muslim Population Proportion to FGM Prevalence

Is this a significant correlation? According to this reference, a value between .40 and .69 is considered a “strong relationship.” So, .504 would be considered a significant correlation.


SPSS-Generated Scatter Plot Graph with Regression Line
SPSS-Generated Scatter Plot Graph with Regression Line (Click to enlarge)

From The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8yKFVPOD6o

Few people realize this, but cutting down the trees is one of the things that keeps us Malawians poor. Without the trees, the rains turn to floods and wash away the soil and all its minerals. The soil — along with loads of garbage — runs into the Shire River, clogging up the dams with silt and trash and shutting down the turbine. Then the power plant has to stop all operations and dredge the river, which in turn causes power cuts. And because this process is so expensive, the power company has to charge extra for electricity, making it even more difficult to afford. So with no crops to sell because of drought and floods, and with no electricity because of clogged rivers and high prices, many people feed their families by cutting down trees for firewood or selling it for charcoal. It’s like that.