This exercise teaches you how to use Excel and Microsoft Map to draw a map that shows how fast the world's rainforests are being destroyed. It might seem complicated, so be patient and follow the instructions very carefully! It will be easier to try and keep both Excel and this web page open at the same time. Ready to go?
1 First you need to start Excel and copy all the data below (including the empty cells) into a new spreadsheet.
| Country |
Area
of rainforest (km2)
|
Annual
rate of deforestation (%)
|
Annual
forest loss (km2)
|
| Angola |
231000
|
.7
|
|
| Cameroon |
197000
|
.6
|
|
| Central African Republic |
168000
|
.4
|
|
| Congo |
182000
|
.2
|
|
| Zaire |
1224000
|
.6
|
|
| Gabon |
215000
|
.7
|
|
| Madagascar |
62000
|
.8
|
|
| Nigeria |
116000
|
.7
|
|
| India |
43000
|
.6
|
|
| Indonesia |
844000
|
1
|
|
| Malaysia |
93000
|
2
|
|
| Myanmar |
184000
|
1.3
|
|
| Papua New Guinea |
311000
|
.3
|
|
| Bolivia |
493000
|
1.2
|
|
| Brazil |
2943000
|
.6
|
|
| Colombia |
531000
|
.7
|
|
| Guyana |
184000
|
.1
|
|
| Mexico |
397000
|
1.3
|
|
| Peru |
742000
|
.4
|
|
| Venezuela |
440000
|
2.1
|
2
Calculate the annual forest loss in km2 by multiplying the area
of rainforest by the annual rate of deforestation and dividing by 100.
Excel will do this for you if you do the following:
Click on cell D2 first and type (or copy and paste) the following
formula into the Formula bar =B2*C2/100
It should look like this: 
( = means the start of a formula, * = multiply and / = divide)
Press Enter, and Excel works out the calculation (which should
be 1617)
3 Click on cell D2 to highlight it, and then drag the small square in the bottom right side of the cell downwards to replicate the formula (do the same calculation for the rest of the data)
4
Highlight all cells containing data and click the map icon. 
If the icon is not visible click Insert / object / Microsoft map.
Draw a rectangle with the mouse to the size you wish your map to be. If
a box appears saying that Excel is unable to create a map, make sure that
you have selected the cells containing the names of the countries.
5 Excel hopefully draws a map of the world showing the countries in the spreadsheet! The map control box should be open:
This is the map control box. if you can't see it, this button 
brings it up!
The map shows the area of rainforest in each country - to change this to show annual forest loss, put the mouse over the annual forest button and a 'handle' appears. Drag the handle onto the grey box in the window underneath and the data on the map should change
6 Add and format a title for the graph by right clicking on the title and selecting "format font".
7 The colour of the shading on the map can be adjusted by clicking map / value shading options and selecting a different colour. Choose 4 in the box that shows number of value ranges. By now your map should look something like this:
8
There are several other things you can do with your map. Remove the
latitude and longitude lines from the map lines from the map to make
it easier to read. Click on the map with the right mouse button and select
features. Remove the tick from the world graticule box. You
can use the map labeller to label selected countries if you wish.
This is the button to use: 
10 Add another calculation to your spreadsheet to show how long it might take each country to lose all their forests. Show this on a new map.
ASSESSMENT TASK:
-
Copy your finished map into a new Word or Publisher document.
- Write
a description of your map to show what you have learned by answering
the following questions:
Which countries have the most / least rainforest?
Which countries cut down most / least rainforest in a year?
Which countries will cut down all their rainforest within 50 years?
How long will Brazil's rainforest last for?
Compare the area of rainforest with annual rate of deforestation (%) and annual forest loss (km2) in different countries. What patterns do you notice?
Why are the world's rainforests being cut down? Use these links to add some pictures to your work and to research further:
This exercise is copyright N Jenkins and may not be reposted without permission.Revised 21/6/01