A map of population density in the U S. The darker areas have a more condensed population. The lighter areas are where population is spread farther apart. Condensed populations are in California, the South, and the Northeast. Photo courtesy of the National Atlas of the US The map above shows where people live in the United States. Areas that are darker blue are areas where people live close together. Areas that are lighter colors are places where people live farther apart. As a geographer, if you were to study where people live and why they choose to live in these places, which of the six essential elements of geography would you be using? Explain your answer in at least three sentences.