W ORLD P OPULATION D ISTRIBUTION

T ODAY ’ S LESSON Title: World population distribution Date:15/10/2015 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 24 people to every square mile 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 mi) Population of a country Area of country (sq mi) = Population: 298,444,215 Area: 3,539,225 sq mi Population: 127,463,611 Area: 152,411 sq mi = 84 people / sq mi = 836 people / sq mi

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.

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.

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.