Population Density and
Distribution
Human Population
In the last lesson you learned how
to be a demographer. A
demographer looks statistically at
how people are distributed spatially
and by age, gender, occupation,
and so on.
Human Population
Now that we know how to
compare populations by using
population pyramids we have to
ask ourselves an important
question. Where do people live
around the world?
Population Distribution
Population distribution refers to
where people live around the
world. For instance, in the United
States most people live on the
coasts or near major waterways.
Population is not evenly
distributed around the earth’s
surface.
Population Distribution
Population is not distributed
evenly because of several factors.
Population Distribution
The factors that influence
population distribution are: natural
resources, climate, economic
development, government policy,
rural/urban settlement, capital
resources, and conflicts.
Natural Resources
People live closer to valuable
resources such as oil, arable land,
and fresh water. Most people in
the world live near the coast or
along a major waterway and they
live on flat ground that is easy to
farm.
Natural Resources
A good example of how natural
resources affect population
distribution is China. Western
China is not heavily populated
because it is mountainous or a
desert.
Climate
There are parts of the earth where
people cannot live or it is very
difficult to live because it is too
cold. People don’t live in
Antarctica and very few people
live in the arctic.
Climate
Few people live in hot climates
such as deserts. Look at the
Sahara and Gobi deserts.
Climate
Wet climates can also be a problem
such as tropical rainforests. The
Amazon rainforest is sparsely
populated because the soil is not
very fertile.
Economic Development
People don’t live in areas where
there are no jobs. This is one
reason why people migrate to
other countries or to cities. We
will discuss this in a later lesson.
Government Policy
In the United States people are
free to live wherever they want,
however, in countries such as
China or the former Soviet Union
the government forced people to
live in certain areas.
Government Policy
The Russian government forced
thousands of people to move to
Siberia in order to develop the
natural resources and economy of
the region.
Rural/Urban Settlement
The location of cities affects
population distribution. Think
about the United States. Most of
the major cities are on the coasts
or near the Great Lakes. These
are also the most heavily
populated areas.
Capital Resources
Areas that have good
transportation networks such as
roads, trains, subways, or busses
are more heavily populated.
Conflicts
Wars have a major impact on
population distribution because
people flee areas that have
conflicts. Some examples are the
Sudan, Rwanda, and the Former
Yugoslavia.
Population Density
Population density is the number
of people occupying an area of
land. In this course we will use
the number of people who live per
square mile or kilometer.
However, there are other ways of
computing population density.
Population Growth
 We know where people live and why,
and we also know where the
population is denser. Now let’s talk
about why populations grow quicker
than others.
Population Growth
China is the most populated
country in the world.
In the next 50 years India will have
more people than China.
Asia has over 1/3 of the earth’s
population.
Population Growth
 The factors that influence population
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
growth are:
Modern medicine and hygiene
Education
Industrialization and urbanization
Economic development
Government policy
Role of women in society
Modern Medicine and Hygiene
 Population will grow in countries with
good hospitals and doctors because:
A. Babies get regular shots
B. People have regular health care
C. There are no epidemics such as small
pox, yellow fever, or cholera.
Education
 Population will decrease in countries
with many educated people because:
A. More people have careers so they
decide not to have as many children
B. Fewer people are farming so they
don’t want children
Industrialization
 Population growth will decrease as a
country becomes more developed.
Countries that are highly industrialized
have low population growth rates.
Government Policy
 The government of China has a one
child policy. Families can only have
one child otherwise the population
would grow too rapidly. If a family has
more than one child they must pay a
fine.
Role of Women in Society
A. Countries with low population growth
rates have more women working in
the labor force.
B. Countries where women are expected
to stay at home and be housewives
will have high population growth
rates.