Population and Health Chapter 2

Where is the World’s population distributed? Chapter 2 Key Issue 1 Where is the World’s population distributed?

Population Concentration 2/3 of the world population is clustered in 4 regions East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Western Europe Most people in these regions live near a body of water 2/3 of population lives within 300 miles of an ocean 4/5 lives within 500 miles Located in northern hemisphere b/n 10 and 55 latitude Except southeast Asia

World Population Cartogram Fig. 2-1: This cartogram displays countries by the size of their population rather than their land area. (Only countries with 50 million or more people are named.)

World Population Distribution & Climate Zones Fig. 2-2: World population is unevenly distributed across the earth’s surface. Climate is one factor that affects population density.

World Population Density

Climate Zones (simplified)

East Asia 1/4 of the world’s total population Includes China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan China is the world’s most populated country 2/3 of China lives in rural areas as farmers

South Asia 1/5 of world’s population lives here India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka India 2nd most populated country ¾ of the South Asia population Only ¼ of the total population lives in urban areas

Europe 3rd largest population cluster Includes 4 dozen countries Monaco smallest at 1 square kilometer (.7 mile) Russia is largest land area including Asian portion ¾ of population lives in cities Do not produce enough food to feed population Import food and other product Initial reason for colonies

Southeast Asia 4th most populated area Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Papua New Guinea, Philipines Indonesia is 4th most populous country Contains 13, 677 islands including Java Very high percent lives as farmers

Other Clusters Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada About 2% of the world’s population Most are urban dwellers (less than 5% farmers) West Africa About 2% of world’s population Nigeria is most populous country in Africa Most work in agriculture

Sparsely Populated Regions Four areas that humans tend to avoid Dry, Wet, Cold, and High lands Ecumene- the portion of Earth’s surface occupied by permanent human settlement Ecumene is increasing ¾ or 75% of the population occupies only 5% of Earth’s surface

Dry Lands Land to dry for farming covers 20% of Earth’s land surface Sahara desert- North Africa to Southwest and Central Asia Largest Dry Land area AKA Arabian, Thar, Gobi, Australia Contains natural resources- OIL People adapting to or near deserts to obtain oil

Wet Lands Receive too much precipitation Near Equator- 20 degrees north and south South America, Central Africa, Southeast Asia Average above 50 inches/year up to 90 May be concentrated in seasons or spread Concentrated can be adapted to grow rice SE Asia

Cold Lands North and South poles Permafrost- ground is permanently frozen Receive less precipitation than desert areas Ice has accumulated over many years

High Lands High elevations Steep, snow covered, sparsely settled Switzerland- more than 50% of land is 3,300 ft above sea level Only 5% of population lives in these areas Exceptions in Latin America and Africa Temperatures and precipitations can drive people to higher elevations

Expansion of the Ecumene 5000 BC - AD 1900 Fig. 2-3: The ecumene, or the portion of the earth with permanent human settlement, has expanded to cover most of the world’s land area.

Ecumene, 5000 B.C.

Ecumene, A.D. 1

Ecumene, A.D.1500

Ecumene, A.D.1900

Arithmetic density- total number of objects in an area. Population Density Arithmetic density- total number of objects in an area. Physiological density- farm land Agricultural density- farmers

Arithmetic Density TOTAL # of people/ Land Area U.S.- 31 persons/square kilometer (90 people/ square mile) Bangladesh (South Asia)- 2,700 people/square mile Allows geographers to compare number of people in different regions Answers the “where” question

Measures of Population Density

Physiological Density The number of people per area of a certain area of land in a region Arable Land- land suited for agriculture US- 445 people/square mile Egypt- 6,682 people/square mile Egypt must feed far more people per square mile of arable land Higher PD the greater pressure placed on the land Helps geographers understand the capacity of the land to produce enough food for the people

Agriculture Density The ratio of the number of farmers to the amount of arable land US has an AD of 1 farmer/ square kilometer Egypt has an AD of 826 farmers/ square kilometer Egypt has been known to have food shortages HOW do you explain US having enough food?

Arithmetic Population Density Fig. 2-4: Arithmetic population density is the number of people per total land area. The highest densities are found in parts of Asia and Europe.

Physiological Density Fig. 2-5: Physiological density is the number of people per arable land area. This is a good measure of the relation between population and agricultural resources in a society.

World Population Through History

World Population Through History