Population distribution Key words and definitions Population density – The number of people per square km Dense – Many people per square km Sparse – Few people per square km Distribution – How people are spread out

People are not evenly spread out across the world – some places have more people (dense populations) and some places have only a few people (sparse populations). Look at the map below that highlights some of these places. First let’s highlight some areas of dense populationNow some areas of sparse population Dense Sparse

Let’s look at why some of these places are densely and some sparsely populated. Population distribution is affected by a number of different environmental and human factors. If these factors result in a dense population they are called positive factors. That is because they are good things that make it easier for people to survive and thrive. Factors that make it difficult for people to live are called negative factors and can lead to sparse populations.

The positive Factors will be the opposite of the negative factors Positive factorsNegative factors Fertile soilsInfertile soils Moderate climateExtreme climate Flat landMountainous / steep slopes Good communicationsLack of communications Reliable water supplyUnreliable water supply Raw materialsFew or no raw materials Political stabilityPolitically unstable These tend to lead to dense populationsThese tend to lead to sparse populations

Let’s look back at our map and see how these factors apply to the population distribution of the world….. Amazon rainforest – extreme climate – hot and wet (negative factor so sparse population. Northern Canada/Greenland – extreme climate – very cold  sparse population Sahara Desert too hot and dry, poor soils so sparse population Himalayan mountains – too steep, difficult communications, cold (Sparse population) Bangladesh – low lying, rich fertile soil, warm and wet (ideal for crops) good water supply  dense population Western Europe, mild climate, good communications, lots of jobs  dense population

A more radical approach to population control was the introduction of the one child policy in China 25% of the world’s population is Chinese In 1979 the government introduced the one child policy People who have more than 1 child pay big fines. Only single children get free education, health care and pensions

Effects of the Policy Has resulted in a high rate of infanticide (killing newborn babies) 90% of which were female as Chinese tradition values boys above girls But without the policy it is estimated there would be an extra 320million people in China Recently the government has started to relax this policy and focus more on the education method.