APHG U2 Population Part II: Population Density Arithmetic Density Physiological Density Agricultural Density

Arithmetic Density: The total number of people divided by the total land area.

Arithmetic Density: The total number of people / area of land measured in km² or mi²

Most Densely Populated Areas World’s Most Densely Populated Countries Monaco Macao Singapore Most Densely Populated U.S. Cities (people/sq.mi.) Los Angeles, CA 6,999 San Francisco, CA 6,266 San Jose, CA 5,820 New York City, NY 5,319 Las Vegas, NV 4,525 *Atlanta, GA 1,707

Crude density, also called arithmetic density, is the total number of people divided by the total land area.

Physiological Density: The number of people per unit of area of arable land, which is land suitable for agriculture.

Physiological Density: The number of people per Physiological Density: The number of people per unit of area of arable land, which is land suitable for agriculture.

Physiologic Population Density Physiological Density is one that tells the whole story for geographers. It is sometimes referred to as food growing capacity or “Real” Population Density. It is calculated by taking the population of a state and dividing by the arable land area of the state (sq. mi or km) Egypt’s arable lands are along the Nile River Valley. Moving away from the river a few blocks, the land becomes sandy and wind-sculpted.

Egypt and Physiological Population Density Observe Egypt below. Egypt’s arithmetic population density is 90 people/sq. mile. However, a better reflection of Egypt’s population pressure is measured in physiological population density. Egypt has very little arable land. In measuring the people per square mile of arable land (physiological density), Egypt has a physiological density of 3,503/sq mile. This density continues to rise rapidly. Egypt’s population distribution is closely linked to the proximity of water. In the north, the population clusters along the Mediterranean and in the interior, along the banks of the Nile River. Egypt is now #15 in population worldwide. Their population has increased by 30 million in the last 15 years. Potential problems for Egypt?

Countries with High Physiological Densities Physiological density provides insights into the relationship between the size of a population and the availability of resources in a region. The relatively large physiological densities of Egypt and the Netherlands demonstrates that crops grown on a hectare of land in these two countries must feed far more people than in the United States or Canada, which have much lower physiological densities. The highest physiological densities are found in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and South America. The lowest are in North America, Europe, and South Pacific. Countries with High Physiological Densities States with High Physiological Density: Egypt, Monaco, Japan, Oman, Netherlands, Belgium, S. Korea, Iceland, Colombia, Sri Lanka

Agricultural Density: The number of farmers to the total amount of land suitable for agriculture.

Agricultural Density What does agricultural density truly tell us about the economic development of a country?