Population Density and Distribution
Name:_____________________
Lab: The purpose of this lab is to understand how the distribution of people in a
country differs from the population density. As well, students will compare
arithmetic densities to physiologic densities in order to understand population
pressures on the land.
What is the difference between population distribution and population
density?
arithmetic population distribution physiologic population distribution
1) Complete the chart. (10 marks)
Country
Population
(2006)
Total Area
Cultivated
Area (km2)
(km2)
Botswana
Chad
Egypt
Kenya
Yemen
Iceland
Italy
Switzerland
Ukraine
Canada
United
States
Mexico
1 639 833
9,944,201
78,887,007
34,707,817
21,456,188
299,388
58,133,509
7,523,934
46,710,816
33,098,932
298,444,215
566 730
1 259 200
995 450
4 200
32 560
32 650
569 140
45 200
527,970
5,500
100 250
294 060
60
111 430
39 550
579 350
4 340
343 570
9 220 970
9 159 120
455 000
1 877 760
107,449,525 1 908 690
247 300
Arithmetic
Density
Physiologic
Density
2) Which 3 countries have the lowest percentage of total area
cultivated? Give one good reason why they have such a small
proportion of cultivated land. (3 marks)
3) What do you notice about all the physiological density values in your
chart compared with their corresponding arithmetic density values?
(1 mark)
4) Explain why countries such as Egypt, Iceland, Switzerland, Japan,
Israel and China have a special challenge in trying to provide
sufficient amounts of food for their populations. Suggest two
strategies that these countries might use to keep their populations
well fed. (3 marks)
5) When we think of countries where there is chronic hunger, African
countries such as Chad and Botswana come to mind, yet the number of
people depending on each square kilometer of cultivated land in these
countries is not nearly as high as in question 6. What does this say
about the quality of land in the African countries? (1 mark
6) Based on the physiologic densities suggest at least 3 countries in the
world that might be food exporters. (3 marks)
7) a) Find an example of a country with a high population but a relatively
low physiologic population density. (1 mark)
b) Find an example of a country with a low population but a relatively
high physiologic population density. (1 mark)
c) Does a high population necessarily lead to a high physiologic
density? What relationship determines the physiologic density? (1
marks)
8) Explain one problem in only using arithmetic population density to
determine how dense the population of a country is. (1 mark)
Total = 25 marks