1. Where in the world do people live and why?
Key Issue #1
Where in the world do people live and why?

2. Population Cartogram

3. Two-thirds of world’s population is located in 4 regions:
1. East Asia – ¼ of world’s population (eastern China, islands of Japan, Korean peninsula and island of Taiwan)
2. South Asia – ¼ of world’s population (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka)
3. Southeast Asia – Indonesia
4. Western Europe – Germany, Belgium, capital cities London and Paris
What similarities do they share in common?
Low-lying areas, fertile soil, temperate climate – most live near oceans or rivers

4. Is there a connection between population and climate zones?

7. Sparsely Populated Regions
Ecumene = portion of Earth’s surface occupied by permanent human settlement
Why would these regions by sparsely populated?
Dry Lands
Wet Lands
Cold Lands
High
Lands
Lack sufficient water to grow crops
Receive very high levels of precipitation
Covered with ice – ground is permanently frozen
Highest mountains are steep and snow covered

8. Demography= study of population
Population density = measure of total population relative to land size; assumes an even distribution of population over land
Arithmetic population density
Physiologic population density
- Total # of people divided by total land area
Emphasizes general comparisons among countries (compares # of people trying to live on a given piece of land in different regions of the world)
Answers the “where” of geography
- Can be very misleading
Relates total population of country/region to area of arable land it contains (# of people per unit area of agriculturally productive land)
Helps geographers understand the capacity of land to yield enough food for the needs of the people)
Answers the “why”

12. Agricultural Density
Ratio of the number of farmers to the amount of arable land
Accounts for economic differences
Why would MDCs have lover agricultural densities?

14. Population Distribution
Definition = descriptions of locations on earth’s surface where individuals or groups (depending on scale) live
People are not distributed evenly across world or within a country
One-third of world lives in China and India
Often use dot maps

15. World Population Distribution & Density
Historically people congregate where they can grow food in recent years – advances in technology and transportation have begun to change this pattern

20. Why is complete, up-to-date population data crucial in any city, state, or country?

21. Reliability of Population Data
Complaints about 2000 US Census
Much federal government funding depends on population data
If population of disadvantaged group is undercounted, translates into loss of money for city governments that rely on federal funding to pay for social services

22. Reliability of Population Data
Being undercounted also translates into less government representation
Number of congressional seats allotted to each state is based on census count
Some estimates claim that the 2000 census undercounted US population by over 3.3 million people

23. Reliability of Population Data
Data on population growth rates, food availability, health conditions, and incomes are often informed estimates rather than actual counts
UN, World Bank, Population Reference Bureau