W ORLD P OPULATION D ISTRIBUTION

T ODAY ’ S LESSON Title: World population distribution Date:07/06/2016 Aim: To find out about the distribution of people living in the world and to find out the factors that affect this.

L ESSON 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.

I NTRODUCTION 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 40 people to every square km 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.

W ORLD P OPULATION D ISTRIBUTION

Population Density (people per sq km) Population of a country Area of country (sq km) = Population: 5,100,000 Area: 78,772 sq km Population: 129,000,000 Area: 143,998 sq km = 65 people / sq km = 896 people / sq km

P OPULATION D ISTRIBUTION 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.

P OPULATION DENSITY CAN BE SHOWN IN A NUMBER OF WAYS. Maps can be used with different colour coded sections to show the density.

P OPULATION DENSITY CAN BE SHOWN IN A NUMBER OF WAYS. What can you see here?

Collect the handout of Scotland’s population density. Q) Describe the distribution of population in Scotland.

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.

The world is not overcrowded. It is not even crowded! Some parts of the world have a very low population Others are very densely populated World population density.

W ORLD P OPULATION D ISTRIBUTION Most people live in the northern hemisphere, south of the Arctic Circle and in coastal areas.

Look at page 136 of the Geog SG book. Make your own copy of the world population distribution map.

P OPULATION DISTRIBUTION Title: Reasons for population distribution 07/06/2016 Aim: To find out the reasons why some places in the world are very densely populated while others are very sparsely populated.

R EASONS FOR THIS UNEVEN DISTRIBUTION IN POPULATION : Carousel task: You will be working in groups of 4. You will go to each of the pieces of poster paper and write down reasons why you think each of the headings affect the amount of people living in an area. You must each take a turn as the scribe.

R EASONS FOR THIS UNEVEN DISTRIBUTION IN POPULATION : Climate Relief Soil and Vegetation Economic Activity Development Standard of Living

T HE IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATE Polar regions Few peopleLots of people

P OLAR 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.

T HE IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATE Very Dry Regions (hot deserts) Few peopleLots of people

H OT 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.

T HE IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATE Regions with moderate climate and reliable water supply Few peopleLots of people

R EGIONS 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.

T HE IMPORTANCE OF R ELIEF Relief means how flat or how mountainous the land is. Which one has the highest population density? Steep Moutainous Regions Flat and gently sloping areas

They are very cold (except in the tropics) and so living and farming conditions are harsh. S TEEP, 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.

F LAT 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.

T HE IMPORTANCE OF SOILS AND VEGETATION Tropical RainforestsAreas 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.

T HE IMPORTANCE OF E CONOMIC A CTIVITIES 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.

T HE IMPORTANCE OF D EVELOPMENT 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.

T HE IMPORTANCE OF D EVELOPMENT Areas with high levels of development Most people work in offices and factories which need large populations nearby.

P OPULATION DISTRIBUTION QUESTIONS Answer the following questions in your jotter in full sentences. 1. How does the climate affect the population of an area? 2. How can the relief of the land affect the number of people living in an area? 3. Why is the fertility of soil important to the population of an area? 4. How important is the type of work that is available to people in terms of population? Extension question: What factor do you think plays the biggest role in determining the size of a population? Give reasons for your answer.

Q) Explain the distribution of population in Scotland. Describe = “Say what you see” You don’t need to explain. Explain = You must say why!

Example: (Describe) Not a lot of people live in the Scottish Highlands. (Explain) This is because the relief of the land is too steep to build settlements on and the weather is much colder due to it being further North of the Equator and at a high altitude.

Q) Explain the distribution of population in Scotland.

The highlands of Scotland are very sparsely populated because of the steep relief of the land making it hard to build on and travel across. The cold climate of these areas will also make it less likely for people to live there. The central belt of Scotland is densely populated because the land is flat and fertile. It also has the most major cities and this will draw people to the area in the search of a better standard of living. The East coast is more densely populated than the West because the land is flatter and there is far less rainfall per year.

P AST PAPER QUESTIONS Q1) 2009 Credit paper Describe in detail the population distribution of Europe.4 marks One mark for each relevant point. Two marks for developed statements. Population is not evenly distributed across Europe (1) some areas such as England are quite densely populated (1) while other areas, such as most of Scandinavia, have low population densities of under 50 people per square kilometre (2). Some parts of the coastline seem to be quite densely populated (1) such as Spain and Portugal (1). Areas with mountains have quite low population densities such as Scotland, the Alps and the Pyrenees (2).

Q2) 2010 C REDIT PAPER (R EMEMBER YOU WILL HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION FROM THE DIAGRAM ) Explain the distribution of population in Kenya. 4 marks One mark per valid point, two for a developed statement. Maximum 1 mark for simple links eg dry areas are sparsely populated. Northern areas of Kenya are sparsely populated because these areas receive very little rainfall so there is a lack of water for domestic use and to irrigate crops (2); the south west of Kenya is wetter so population density is higher here as crops and livestock farming can take place (1); population density is high in and around Nairobi city as there are plantations nearby and these require many workers (1); the major industrial areas have a high population density as there are job opportunities for the people and services like schools, hospitals and shops (2); along the south eastern coast the population density is quite high as these areas have more rainfall and more pleasant to live in (1); Mombasa is a port so there are jobs here (1); this area also attracts tourists so there are lots of jobs available (1). Or any other valid point.

L ESSON PLENARY Glasgow is the most populated city in Scotland. Why do you think it has such a high population density? You don’t have to write your answers down, discuss and be ready to feedback to the class.