WORLD POPULATION DISTRIBUTION

TODAY’S LESSON

Title: World population distribution

Date:20/04/23

Aim: To find out about the distribution of people living in the world and to find out the factors that affect this.

LESSON STARTER

Think of one place in the world where many people live and another one where very few people live. Write them down.

Beside each one write down the reason that they are highly populated or not.

INTRODUCTION

Even though the population has reached over 7 Billion people the world is not yet overcrowded. In fact it is not even crowded.

There are on average, only 24 people to every square mile of land.

• Some areas are much more crowded than this, but there are also a lot of empty areas.

• The world’s population is scattered very unevenly.

WORLD POPULATION DISTRIBUTION

Population Density(people per sq mi)

Population of a country

Area of country (sq mi) =

Population: 298,444,215Area: 3,539,225 sq mi

Population: 127,463,611Area: 152,411 sq mi

= 84 people / sq mi

= 836 people / sq mi

POPULATION DISTRIBUTION

Population distribution is the spread of people over an area.

Densely populated means that there is a lot of people in a small area.

Sparsely populated means that there is very little people in an area.

The population density is very sparse in the areas of the highlands to the North West and North central.

Scotland is most densely populated along the central belt around areas such as Glasgow and Edinburgh.

There are also pockets of high density population in major cities along the East coast, such as Dundee and

Aberdeen.

REASONS FOR THIS UNEVEN DISTRIBUTION IN POPULATION:

Climate Relief Soil and Vegetation Economic Activity Development Standard of Living

THE IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATE

Polar regions

Few people Lots of people

POLAR REGIONS HAVE FEW PEOPLE BECAUSE:

It is difficult and expensive to survive in

such conditions.

Building is very difficult because

of the permafrost underneath.

They are very remote, due to the poor weather and lack of roads and

railways.

It is impossible to grow crops, so food is expensive.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATE

Very Dry Regions (hot deserts)

Few people Lots of people

HOT DESERT REGIONS HAVE FEW PEOPLE BECAUSE:

Living in extreme heat and drought is unpleasant to most people

It is impossible to grow without irrigation so

food is expensive

They are remote and unlikely to attract industries, so there are few job

opportunities.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATE

Regions with moderate climate and reliable water supply

Few people Lots of people

REGIONS WITH A MODERATE CLIMATE AND RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY ARE MORE CROWDED BECAUSE:

It is a comfortable climate in which to live.

No extra costs needed in order to cope with the climate.

Farmers have steady harvests from year to year because the climate is reliable.

THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIEF

Relief means how flat or how mountainous the land is.

Which one has the highest population density?

Steep MoutainousRegions

Flat and gentlysloping areas

They are very cold (except in the tropics)

and so living and farming conditions are

harsh.

STEEP, MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS HAVE A LOW POPULATION DENSITY BECAUSE:

It is too steep for roads are

railways, so the areas are remote.

It is too steep on which to build

houses and factories and to use farm machinery,

so job opportunities are few.

FLAT AND GENTLY SLOPING AREAS HAVE A HIGH POPULATION DENSITY BECAUSE: It is easy to build houses and factories.

Farming is more productive because the soil is deeper and machinery can be used.

Roads are railways can be built, which encourages industry.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SOILS AND VEGETATION

Tropical Rainforests Areas with poor soilsAreas with fertile soils

The hot humid climate is uncomfortable in which to live.

Dense forest is difficult to clear in order to build houses, roads etc…

Soils are very poor, once the trees have been cut down.

Crops grow so badly that farms have to be very large for the farmer to make a large profit.

Crops grow very well and so farms are smaller.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

Farming Areas Industrial Areas

Each family needs a large area to make a living (unless the soil is extremely fertile)

Factories and offices take up a small area,

yet provide many jobs.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPMENT

Areas with low levels of development

Areas with low levels of development

Farming methods will be poor and there is

little farm equipment, so farms need to be

quite large.

There are a few factories and

offices, as there are not enough skilled workers, managers or money available.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPMENT

Areas with high levels of development

Areas with high levels of development

Most people work in offices and factories which need large populations nearby.