Population density and distribution around
the world
Look at the cards you have been given. They describe five
places around the world. Your task is to match the card to the
area and then to decide whether it has a high or low population
density.
The areas chosen are:
 Northern Canada
 Australia
 India
 The Amazon area of South America
 South East England.
Decisions table:
Area
Temperature
Precipitation
Relief
Natural
Vegetation
Industry
High or low
population
density?
Northern
Canada
Australia
India
The
Amazon
area
S.E.
England
1. Precipitation often falls as snow
427 mm
2. Very little rainfall throughout the
year – average rainfall only 537 mm
3. Moderate rainfall throughout the
year – 620 mm
4. Very heavy rainfall throughout the
year – 2415 mm
5. Heavy rainfall during one season –
dry during the rest of the year – 1605
mm
6. Temperatures vary from
5 – 17 °C. Warm winters and summers
7. Very high temperatures throughout
the year - 28°C all year.
8. Temperatures vary from -26 to 8°C
9. Temperatures high throughout most
of the year 20 – 31 °C
10. Temperatures high all year 20 –
30°C
11. Low lying land with some rolling
hills. Mostly 0 – 100m above sea level
12. High mountains in the west, other
high land scattered throughout the
area. Low land around Hudson Bay
13. Low lying land surrounding large
river system
14. Lowland around the coast and along
valleys including the River Ganges. High
land (500 – 1000m) in the west and in
central regions.
15. Two large mountain ranges in the
country – including the Great Dividing
Range in the southeast. Lowland in the
central area.
16. Dense tropical rainforest
throughout the region.
17. Some tropical rainforest in the
northeast and along the west coast.
The rest is a semi arid region.
18. Coniferous forest in the south and
tundra (little vegetation other than
lichens and mosses) in the north.
19. Wide range of vegetation types in
the country from a band of tropical
rainforest to large areas of hot
desert.
20. Mixed woodland on deep fertile
soils.
21. Good and varied links with Europe
and the rest of the country
22. Limited internal communication
links. Transport is not able to cope
with demand.
23. Few communication links – many
centred on the main highway into the
region the Trans-Amazonia Highway.
Other transport in the region is by
river
24. Few road links in the interior. Air
travel across country common. Most
communication links on the south east
coast.
25. Very few communication links in
the far north.
26. Heavily industrialised – today much
high tech and research-based industry
– provides a high standard of living for
most people
27. Most people depend on extractive
industries eg: oil for a living. Good
standard of living for people there.
28. Depends on extraction of the many
raw materials recently found in the
area. Other people rely on farming
small plots. Many people survive on
very low incomes.
29. Much farming and some increasing
industry – many jobs moving into the
country from richer countries to take
advantage of low wage costs. Low
standard of living for most of the
population.
30. Mineral rich country extracts and
sells large amounts of iron ore and
coal. Often associated with sheep
farming in the past the country now
has a varied economy providing a good
standard of living.