Unit - I IChapter-2

The World PopulationDistribution, Density andGrowth

The people of a country are its real wealth. Itis they who make use of the countrys resourcesand decide its policies. Ultimately a country isknown by its people.

It 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 unit.

The world at the beginning of 21st centuryrecorded the presence of over 6 billionpopulation. We shall discuss the patterns oftheir distribution and density here.

Why 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.

PATTERNS OF POPULATIONDISTRIBUTION IN THE WORLD

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 earths surface. Broadly, 90 per cent ofthe world population lives in about 10 per centof its land area.

The 10 most populous countries of theworld contribute about 60 per cent of the worldspopulation. Of these 10 countries, 6 are locatedin Asia. Identify these six countries of Asia.

India

Japan

Russian Fed.Nigeria

Bangladesh

Pakistan

Brazil

Indonesia

U.S.A.

China

0 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600Population in Million

Coun

tries

200

Fig. 2.1: Most Populous Countries

Not gold but only (Wo)men can makea people great and strong.

(Wo)men who for truth andhonours sake, stand fast and sufferlong (Wo)men who toil while otherssleep who dare while others flee they build a nations pillars deep andlift it to the sky.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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DENSITY OF POPULDENSITY OF POPULDENSITY OF POPULDENSITY OF POPULDENSITY OF POPULAAAAATIONTIONTIONTIONTION

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. This ratiois the density of population. It is usuallymeasured in persons per sq km

Population Density of Population =

AreaFor example, area of Region X is 100 sq

km and the population is 1,50,000 persons.The density of population is calculated as:

1,50,000Density

100=

= 1,500 person/sq kmWhat does this tell you about Region X?Look at the map given below:Do you observe that some areas are really

crowded? These are the densely populatedparts of the world with more than 200 persons

on every sq km. These are the North -Easternpart of U.S.A., North-Western part of Europe,South, South-East and East Asia.

Other areas like those near the North andSouth Poles, the hot and the cold deserts andhigh rainfall zones near the Equator have verylow density of population. These are thesparsely populated regions of the world withless than 01 person per sq km.

In between these two types are the areasof medium density. There are 11 to 50 personsper sq km in these areas. Western China,Southern India in Asia, Norway, Sweden inEurope are some examples. Look at the Fig. 2.2and identify some other areas.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THEDISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION

I. Geographical Factors

(i) Availability of water: It is the mostimportant factor for life. So, people prefer

Fig. 2.2: World Density of Population, 2001

The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth 9

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Fundamentals of Human Geography10

to live in areas where fresh water is easilyavailable. 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. This is becausesuch areas are favourable for theproduction of crops and to build roads andindustries. The mountainous and hillyareas hinder the development of transportnetwork and hence initially do not favouragricultural and industrial development.So, these areas tend to be less populated.The Ganga plains are among the mostdensely populated areas of the world whilethe mountains zones in the Himalayas arescarcely populated.

(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 climate.

(iv) Soils: Fertile soils are important foragricultural and allied activities. 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?

II. Economic Factors

(i) Minerals: Areas with mineral depositsattract industries. Mining and industrialactivities generate employment. So, skilledand semiskilled workers move to theseareas and make them densely populated.Katanga Zambia copper belt in Africa isone such good example.

(ii) Urbanisation: Cities offer betteremployment opportunities, educationaland medical facilities, better means oftransport and communication. Good civic

amenities and the attraction of city life drawpeople to the cities. It leads to rural tourban migration and cities grow in size.Mega cities of the world continue to attractlarge number of migrants every year.

Yet city life can be very taxing. thinkof some of the unpleasant aspects of citylife.

(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 industries.

III. Social and Cultural Factors

Some 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?

POPULATION GROWTH

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. 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.

Some Basic Concepts ofPopulation Geography

Growth of Population : Change ofpopulation in particular area between twopoints of time is known as growth of

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The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth 11

population. For example, if we deduct thepopulation of India 2001 (102.70 crore) frompopulation of 2011 (121.02 crore) then weshall get the growth of population (18.15crores) in actual numbers.

Growth Rate of Population : This is thechange of population expressed inpercentage.

Natural Growth of Population: This is thepopulation increased by difference betweenbirths and deaths in a particular regionbetween two points of time.

Natural Growth = Births Deaths

Actual Growth of Population : This is

Births Deaths + In Migration OutMigration

Positive 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 region.

Negative Growth of Population: If thepopulation decreases between two pointsof time it is known as negative growth ofpopulation. It occurs when the birth rate fallsbelow the death rate or people migrate toother countries.

Components of Population Change

There are three components of populationchange births, deaths and migration.

The crude birth rate (CBR) is expressed asnumber of live births in a year per thousand ofpopulation. It is calculated as:

BiCBR 1000

P=

Here, CBR = Crude Birth Rate; Bi = livebirths during the year; P=Mid year populationof the area.

Death 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 per

thousand of population in a particular region.CDR is calculated as:

DCDR 1000

P=

Here, CDR=Crude Death Rate; D= Numberof deaths; P=Estimated mid-year population ofthat year.

By and large mortality rates are affectedby the regions demographic structure, socialadvancement and levels of its economicdevelopment.

Migration

Apart from birth and death there is another wayby which the population size changes.

When 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. The place oforigin shows a decrease in population while thepopulation increases in the place of destination.Migration may be interpreted as a spontaneouseffort to achieve a better balance betweenpopulation and resources.

Migration may be permanent, temporaryor seasonal. It may take place from rural torural areas, rural to urban areas, urban tourban areas and urban to rural areas.

Do you realise that the same person is bothan immigrant and an emigrant?

Immigration: Migrants who move into a newplace are called Immigrants.

Emigration: Migrants who move out of aplace are called Emigrants.

Can you think of reasons why peoplemigrate?

People migrate for a better economic andsocial life. There are two sets of factors thatinfluence migration.

The Push factors make the place of originseem less attractive for reasons likeunemployment, poor living conditions, politicalturmoil, unpleasant climate, natural disasters,epidemics and socio-economic backwardness.

The Pull factors make the place ofdestination seem more attractive than the place

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Fundamentals of Human Geography12

Fig. 2.3: Resource, Technology and Population Growth

of origin for reasons like better job opportunitiesand living conditions, peace and stability,security of life and property and pleasant climate.

TRENDS IN POPULATION GROWTH

The population on the earth is more than sixbillion. It has grown to this size over centuries.In the early periods population of the world

grew very slowly. It is only during the last fewhundred years that population has increasedat an alarming rate.

Fig. 2.3 tells the story of populationgrowth. After the evolution and introductionof agriculture about 8,000 to 12,000 yearsago, the size of population was small roughly8 million. In the first century A.D. it was below

Observe the news items and think of some reasons why certain countries become attractive destinations for migrants.

Migration to cities are traditionally age and sex selective i.e. more men of working age groups move to cities.Can you think of some reason why 22 per cent of migrants to Mumbai are kids?

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The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth 13

300 million. The expanding world trade duringthe sixteenth and seventeenth century, set thestage for rapid population growth. Around1750, at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution,the world population was 550 million. Worldpopulation exploded in the eighteenth centuryafter the Industrial Revolution. Technologicaladvancement achieved so far helped in thereduction of birth rate and provided a stage foraccelerated population growth.

How Science and Technologyhelped Population Growth?

The steam engine replaced human andanimal energy and also providedmechanised energy of water and wind. Thisincreased agricultural and industrialproduction.

Inoculation against epidemics and othercommunicable diseases, improvement inmedical facilities and sanitation contributedto a rapid decline in death rates throughoutthe world.

Human population increased more than ten times inthe past 500 hundred years.

In the twentieth century itself the population hasincreased four times.

DOUBLING TIME OF WORLD POPULATION

It took more than a million years for the humanpopulation to attain the one billion mark. Butit took only 12 years for it to rise from 5 billion

Table 2.1: Doubling Time of World Population

Period Population Time in whichPopulation Doubles

10,000 B.C. 5 million1650 A.D. 500 million 1,500 years1804 A.D. 1,000 million 154 years1927 A.D. 2,000 million 123 years1974 A.D. 4,000 million 47 years2025 A.D. 8,000 million projected figure 51 years

to 6 billion. See the Table 2.1 carefully whichshows that doubling time of world populationis reducing fast.

There is a great variation among regionsin doubling their population. Table 2.2 showsthat developed countries are taking more timeto double their population as compared todeveloping countries. Most of the populationgrowth is taking place in the developing world,where population is exploding. Why is this so?

Table 2.2: Population Growth Rates (%) 1995-2000

High Low

Yemen 2.6 Latvia 1.5Liberia* 8.2 Estonia 1.1Somalia* 4.2 Russia, Ukraine 0.6Saudi Arabia* 3.4 Albania, BulgariaOman* 3.3 Croatia

Slovania, Czech RepublicGermany, Portugal 0.1Spain, ItalyDenmark 0

* Data pertaining to 1995-2000

Source: Demographic Year Book, 200910.

SPATIAL PATTERN OF POPULATION CHANGE

Population growth in different parts of the worldcan be compared. The growth of population islow in developed countries as compared todeveloping countries. There is negativecorrelation between economic development andpopulation growth.

Although the annual rate of populationchange (1.4 per cent) seems to be low (Table2.3), it is actually not so. This is because: When a small annual rate is applied to a

very large population, it will lead to a largepopulation change.

Source: Demographic Year Book, 2009 10

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Fundamentals of Human Geography14

Even if the growth rate continues to decline,the total population grows each year. Theinfant mortality rate may have increasedas has the death rate during childbirth.

Table 2.3: Growth of Population 2004-05 over 1990-95

Growth Rate

Region 1990-95 2004-05

World 1.6 1.4Africa 2.4 2.6Europe 0.2 0.0North & Central America 1.4 1.1South America 1.7 1.4Asia 1.6 1.4Oceania 1.5 1.3(Australia, New Zealand and Fiji)

Source: Demographic Year Book, 20092010.

IMPACT OF POPULATION CHANGEA small increase in population is desirable in agrowing economy. However, population growth

beyond a certain level leads to problems. Ofthese the depletion of resources is the mostserious. Population decline is also a matter ofconcern. It indicates that resources that hadsupported a population earlier are nowinsufficient to maintain the population.

The deadly HIV/AIDS epidemics in Africa andsome parts of the Commonwealth of IndependentStates (CIS) and Asia have pushed up death ratesand reduced average life expectancy. This hasslowed down population growth.

Population Growth Rate

The annual population growth rate in Indiais 1.64 per cent. Some developed countrieswill take 318 years to double their populationwhereas some countries still do not showsymptoms of doubling their population.

Fig. 2.4: Population Doubling Time

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The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth 15

DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION

Demographic transition theory can be used todescribe and predict the future population ofany area. The theory tells us that population ofany region changes from high births and highdeaths to low births and low deaths as societyprogresses from rural agrarian and illiterate tourban industrial and literate society. Thesechanges occur in stages which are collectivelyknown as the demographic cycle.

Rural,Agrarian

Urban,Industrial

Demographic

Transition

The Fig. 2.5 explains the three-stagedmodel of Demographic Transition Theory:

35

15

High Fluctuating

StageI

StageII

StageIII

CB

R/C

DR

NaturalIncrease inPopulation

BR

DR

BangladeshRainforest

tribes

Peru Sri LankaKenya

CanadaJapanUSA

Time

PresentWorld

examples

Low Fluctuating

Expanding

Fig. 2.5: Demographic Transition Theory

The first stage has high fertility and highmortality because people reproduce more tocompensate for the deaths due to epidemicsand variable food supply. The populationgrowth is slow and most of the people are

engaged in agriculture where large families arean asset. Life expectancy is low, people aremostly illiterate and have low levels oftechnology. Two hundred years ago all thecountries of the world were in this stage.

Fertility remains high in the beginning ofsecond stage but it declines with time. This isaccompanied by reduced mortality rate.Improvements in sanitation and healthconditions lead to decline in mortality. Becauseof this gap the net addition to population ishigh.

In the last stage, both fertility and mortalitydecline considerably. The population is eitherstable or grows slowly. The population becomesurbanised, literate and has high technical know-how and deliberately controls the family size.

This shows that human beings areextremely flexible and are able to adjust theirfertility.

In the present day, different countries areat different stages of demographic transition.

POPULATION CONTROL MEASURES

Family planning is the spacing or preventingthe birth of children. Access to family planningservices is a significant factor in limitingpopulation growth and improving womenshealth. Propaganda, free availability ofcontraceptives and tax disincentives for largefamilies are some of the measures which canhelp population control.

Thomas Malthus in his theory (1793)stated that the number of people wouldincrease faster than the food supply. Anyfurther increase would result in a populationcrash caused by famine, disease and war. Thepreventive checks are better than the physicalchecks. For the sustainability of our resources,the world will have to control the rapidpopulation increase

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Fundamentals of Human Geography16

E X E R C I S E S

1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below.(i) Which one of the following continents has the highest growth of

population?(a) Africa (c) Asia(b) South America (d) North America

(ii) Which one of the following is not an area of sparse population?(a) The Atacama (c) Equatorial region(b) South-east Asia (d) Polar regions

(iii) Which one of the following is not a push factor ?(a) Water shortage (c) Unemployment(b) Medical/educational facilities (d) Epidemics

(iv) Which one of the following is not a fact ?(a) Human population increased more than ten times during the past

500 years.(b) It took 100 years for the population to rise from 5 billion to 6 billion.(c) Population growth is high in the first stage of demographic transition?

2. Answer the following questions in about 30 words.(i) Name three geographical factors that influence the distribution of

population.(ii) There are a number of areas with high population density in the world.

Why does this happen?(iii) What are the three components of population change?

3. Distinguish between:(i) Birth rate and death rate.(ii) Push factors and pull factors of migration.

4. Answer the following questions in about 150 words.(i) Discuss the factors influencing the distribution and density of population

in the world.(ii) Discuss the three stages of demographic transition.

Map Skill

On the outline map of the world, show and name the following.(i) Countries of Europe and Asia with negative growth rate of population.(ii) African countries with growth rate of population more than three per

cent. (You may refer to Appendix 1).

Project/Activity

(i) Has someone in your family migrated? Write about her/his place ofdestination. What made her/him migrate?

(ii) Write a brief report on the distribution and density of population inyour state.

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