I am trying to make a world population density Choropleth map (country level).
The data I am using is publicly available on World Development Indicators website.
Pretty much, I have an excel file with one column for country name and the other column for population density.
I want to create a simple world map but I have very minimal experience in using QGIS (I have a mac). I tried using google maps but rather than shading, it places markers on the maps.
I want something simple that looks like this: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gl7YYBhOuwI/TmQPm7qrnuI/AAAAAAAAAAU/lslkxp8OZ4w/s1600/choropleth+map+world.jpg
and has a nice scale which shows what the max and min population density are.
Can you guys direct me to any good resources on this? (Keep in mind that I have very little experience with QGIS)
What would be the best way to make such a map?
P.S. I know I am a noob :( . Can someone please direct me towards some good introductory resources for using QGIS/ArcGIS and mapping software in general? This will really help me with my job.