Distribution, Density and Growth

1 Chapter-2 Distribution, Density andGrowthThe people of a country are its real wealth. Itis they, who are the actual resources and makeuse of the country s other resources and decideits policies. Ultimately a country is known byits is important to know how many womenand men a country has, how many children areborn each year, how many people die and how?Whether they live in cities or villages, can theyread or write and what work do they do? Theseare what you will study about in this world at the beginning of 21st centuryrecorded the presence of over 6 billionpopulation. We shall discuss the patterns oftheir distribution and Density do people prefer to live in certainregions and not in others?The population of the world is unevenlydistributed. The remark of George B. Cresseyabout the population of Asia that Asia has manyplaces where people are few and few place wherepeople are very many is true about the patternof population distribution of the world also.

2 Patterns of population distribution and densityhelp us to understand the demographiccharacteristics of any area. The term populationdistribution refers to the way people are spacedover the earth s surface. Broadly, 90 per cent ofthe world population lives in about 10 per centof its land 10 most populous countries of theworld contribute about 60 per cent of the world spopulation. Of these 10 countries, 6 are locatedin Asia. Identify these six countries of gold but only (Wo)men can makea people great and strong.(Wo)men who for truth andhonour s sake, stand fast and sufferlong (Wo)men who toil while otherssleep who dare while others flee they build a nation s pillars deep andlift it to the Waldo EmersonFig. : Most Populous Countries2022-23 Each unit of land has limited capacity tosupport people living on it. Hence, it isnecessary to understand the ratio between thenumbers of people to the size of land.

3 This ratiois the Density of population . It is usuallymeasured in persons per sq kmPopulation Density of population = AreaFor example, area of Region X is 100 sqkm and the population is 1,50,000 Density of population is calculated as:1,50,000 Density100== 1,500 person/sq kmWhat does this tell you about Region X?Look at Table and observe that Asia hasthe highest Density of population . Discussin the class about what could be the reason forthis. Factors(i)Availability of water: Water is the mostimportant factor for life. So, people preferto live in areas where fresh water is easilyThe World population : Distribution, Density and Growth 9available. Water is used for drinking,bathing and cooking and also for cattle,crops, industries and navigation. It isbecause of this that river valleys are amongthe most densely populated areas of theworld.(ii)Landforms: People prefer living on flatplains and gentle slopes.

4 This is becausesuch areas are favourable for theproduction of crops and to build roadsand industries. The mountainous andhilly areas hinder the development oftransport network and hence initially donot favour agricultural and industrialdevelopment. So, these areas tend to beless populated. The Ganga plains areamong the most densely populatedareas of the world while the mountainszones in the Himalayas are scarcelypopulated.(iii)Climate: An extreme climate such as veryhot or cold deserts are uncomfortable forhuman habitation. Areas with acomfortable climate, where there is notmuch seasonal variation attract morepeople. Areas with very heavy rainfall orextreme and harsh climates have lowpopulation. Mediterranean regions wereinhabited from early periods in history dueto their pleasant AreaDensityWorld Share(2018)(Km2)(P/Km2)(in percentage)Asia4,545,133,09431,033, ,287,920,51829,648, ,648,01022,134, America and652,012,00120,139, CaribbeanNorthern America363,844,49018,651, ,261,2128,486, : Region wise Density of PopulationSource: on of Human Geography10(iv)Soils: Fertile soils are important foragricultural and allied activities.

5 Therefore,areas which have fertile loamy soils havemore people living on them as these cansupport intensive agriculture. Can youname some areas in India which are thinlypopulated due to poor soils? Factors(i)Minerals: Areas with mineral depositsattract industries. Mining and industrialactivities generate employment. So, skilledand semi skilled workers move to theseareas and make them densely Zambia copper belt in Africa isone such good example.(ii)Urbanisation: Cities offer betteremployment opportunities, educationaland medical facilities, better means oftransport and communication. Good civicamenities and the attraction of city life drawpeople to the cities. It leads to rural tourban migration and cities grow in cities of the world continue to attractlarge number of migrants every city life can be very thinkof some of the unpleasant aspects of citylife.

6 (iii)Industrialisation: Industrial belts providejob opportunities and attract largenumbers of people. These include not justfactory workers but also transportoperators, shopkeepers, bank employees,doctors, teachers and other serviceproviders. The Kobe-Osaka region ofJapan is thickly populated because of thepresence of a number of and Cultural FactorsSome places attract more people because theyhave religious or cultural significance. In thesame way people tend to move away fromplaces where there is social and politicalunrest. Many a times governments offerincentives to people to live in sparselypopulated areas or move away fromovercrowded places. Can you think of someexamples from your region? The population Growth or population changerefers to the change in number of inhabitants ofa territory during a specific period of time. Thischange may be positive as well as negative.

7 Itcan be expressed either in terms of absolutenumbers or in terms of percentage. Populationchange in an area is an important indicator ofeconomic development, social upliftment andhistorical and cultural background of the region. Growth of population : Change ofpopulation in particular area between twopoints of time is known as Growth ofpopulation. For example, if we deduct thepopulation of India 2001 ( crore) frompopulation of 2011 ( crore) then weshall get the Growth of population ( ) in actual Rate of population : This is thechange of population expressed Growth of population : This is thepopulation increased by difference betweenbirths and deaths in a particular regionbetween two points of Growth = Births DeathsActual Growth of population : This isBirths Deaths + In Migration OutMigrationPositive Growth of population : Thishappens when the birth rate is more thanthe death rate between two points of timeor when people from other countries migratepermanently to a Growth of population : If thepopulation decreases between two pointsof time it is known as negative Growth of2022-23 The World population : Distribution, Density and Growth 11population.

8 It occurs when the birth rate fallsbelow the death rate or people migrate toother of population ChangeThere are three components of populationchange births, deaths and crude birth rate (CBR) is expressed asnumber of live births in a year per thousand ofpopulation. It is calculated as:BiCBR1000P Here, CBR = Crude Birth Rate; Bi = livebirths during the year; P=Mid year populationof the rate plays an active role inpopulation change. population Growth occursnot only by increasing births rate but also dueto decreasing death rate. Crude Death Rate(CDR) is a simple method of measuringmortality of any area. CDR is expressed in termsof number of deaths in a particular year perthousand of population in a particular is calculated as:DCDR1000P Here, CDR=Crude Death Rate; D= Numberof deaths; P=Estimated mid-year population ofthat and large mortality rates are affectedby the region s demographic structure, socialadvancement and levels of its from birth and death there is another wayby which the population size people move from one place toanother, the place they move from is called thePlace of Origin and the place they move to iscalled the Place of Destination.

9 The place oforigin shows a decrease in population while thepopulation increases in the place of may be interpreted as a spontaneouseffort to achieve a better balance betweenpopulation and the news items and think of some reasons why certain countries become attractive destinations for to cities are traditionally age and sex selective more men of working age groups move to you think of some reason why 22 per cent of migrants to Mumbai are kids?2022-23 Fundamentals of Human GeographyFundamentals of Human GeographyFundamentals of Human GeographyFundamentals of Human GeographyFundamentals of Human Geography12 Fig. : Resource, Technology and population GrowthFig. : Resource, Technology and population GrowthFig. : Resource, Technology and population GrowthFig. : Resource, Technology and population GrowthFig. : Resource, Technology and population GrowthMigration may be permanent, temporaryor seasonal.

10 It may take place from rural torural areas, rural to urban areas, urban tourban areas and urban to rural you realise that the same person is bothan immigrant and an emigrant?Immigration: Migrants who move into a newplace are called : Migrants who move out of aplace are called you think of reasons why peoplemigrate?People migrate for a better economic andsocial life. There are two sets of factors thatinfluence Push factors make the place of originseem less attractive for reasons likeunemployment, poor living conditions, politicalturmoil, unpleasant climate, natural disasters,epidemics and socio-economic Pull factors make the place ofdestination seem more attractive than the placeof origin for reasons like better job opportunitiesand living conditions, peace and stability,security of life and property and pleasant climate. The population on the earth is more than sevenbillion.