In this post, I’m serving data three ways – rather than emphasizing the analytical aspect of these data, I’m focusing on the aesthetic appeal. The values come straight from the source, with no statistical operations.

The first two items (bar graph and map) show the exact same data: the maximum and minimum elevation of each state. In the graph, I’ve ordered the states by highest maximum elevation. Here, it is apparent that the distribution has some polarity to it, with 13 states having elevations exceeding 10,000 ft. The cutoff occurs between Oregon and Texas; after South Dakota, no state has a maximum elevation above 7,000 ft. Florida takes the cake for flattest, with a maximum elevation of 345 ft. California has the lowest minimum at -282 ft in Death Valley (which is below sea level).

In the map, there is a clear division between the western and eastern states relating to maxima. The mountains (specifically, the Rockies and Cascade Range) are, of course, responsible for this effect. The Rockies are still pronounced in the minima map, resulting in relatively high local minima for Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Most coastal states have minima of 0 ft (sea level) or less (e.g., Louisiana).

Finally, I thought elevation data lent itself to being plotted on a slopegraph. So, in honor of Edward Tufte, I’ve made a slopegraph of some country data; if I’d put all 50 states on one of these, it would have been a mess. The countries I picked are meant to show some variability in elevation spans. Nepal, home of Mt. Everest, has the highest maximum (29,030 ft). Israel, bordering the Dead Sea, has the lowest minimum (-1,388 ft). The Maldives are the flattest country, with an elevation span of <7 ft.

Data source: Wikipedia