Chapter 1
World population - distribution, density and growth
It is important to know how many women and men there are in a country, how many children are born every year, how many people die and how? Do they live in cities or villages? Can they read and write and what work do they do? The world's population is unevenly distributed.
Population of Asia According to George B. Cressey - "In Asia there are too few people in too many places and too many people in too few places." This is also true in relation to the world's population distribution pattern.
Pattern of population distribution in the world
The term 'population distribution' refers to how people are distributed on the Earth's surface. Roughly 90 percent of the world's population lives on 10 percent of its land area. About 60 percent of the world's population lives in the ten most populated countries of the world. Six of these ten countries are in Asia.
Density of population
Number of people living per square kilometer Each unit of land has a limited capacity to support the people living on it. Therefore, it is important to understand the ratio between the number of people and the size of the land. This ratio is the population density.
Factors affecting population distribution
Geographic factors
Water: People like to settle in a place where water is easily available, that is why river valleys are densely populated areas in the world.
Landforms: People prefer to settle on flat areas which are conducive for road construction and industries. Because people prefer to live less in hilly and rocky areas.
Climate: Extreme climate of very hot or cold deserts is inconvenient for human settlement. People prefer to live in areas with comfortable climate.
Soil: Fertile soils are important for agriculture, so more people live in regions with fertile loamy soils because these soils can form the basis of intensive agriculture.
economic factors
Minerals: Areas rich in minerals support industries. Mining and industrial activities generate employment. Skilled and semi-skilled workers move to these areas and make the population dense. Africa - Katanga, Zambia Copper Belt
Urbanisation: Better employment opportunities, educational and medical facilities, better means of transport and communication, better civic amenities and the attractions of urban life draw people towards cities. This leads to migration from rural areas to urban areas and cities grow in size.
Industrialization: Industrial belts provide employment opportunities and attract a large number of people. These include not only factory workers but also transport operators, shopkeepers, bankers, doctors, teachers and other service providers. The Kobe-Osaka region of Japan is densely populated due to the presence of many industries.
socio cultural factors
Some places attract more people because of their religious or cultural significance. Similarly, people leave areas where there is social and political unrest. Sometimes governments encourage people to settle in sparsely populated areas or move out of crowded places.
Population growth
Population growth/population change refers to the change in the number of people living in an area during a given period of time. This change can be positive as well as negative. It can be expressed as a percentage. Population change is an important indicator of the economic progress, social development, historical and cultural background of an area.
Positive and Negative Growth of Population
Positive growth rate of population: When the birth rate exceeds the death rate between any two time intervals, then it is called positive growth rate of population.
Negative growth rate of population: When the birth rate is less than the death rate between any two time intervals, then it is called negative growth rate of population.
Components of Population Change
- Birth
- Death
- Travel
Birth rate and death rate
Birth Rate - The crude birth rate (CBR) is expressed as live births per thousand women.
Death Rate - Crude death rate is expressed as the number of deaths per thousand population in a particular area during a year.
Migration - When people move from one place to another, the place from where they leave is called the place of origin and the place where they arrive is called the place of destination. The place of origin shows a decrease in population while the population at the place of destination increases.
Migration can be permanent, temporary or seasonal.
This village to village,
From village to town,
Town to Town
It can be from city to village.
Immigration- Migrants who move to a new place are called immigrants.
Emigration- Migrants who move out of a place are called emigrants.
Factors influencing migration
Repulsion factor -
- poor living conditions
- Political instability
- Unfavorable climate
- Natural calamities
- Epidemics
- Economic backwardness
Degradation factor +
- Better work opportunities
- good living conditions
- peace and stability
- Favorable climate
- safety of life and property
demographic transition theory
Demographic transition theory helps in describing the population of an area and predicting the future population. According to this theory, as a country or society progresses from rural agricultural and uneducated state to urban industrial and literate, that society starts changing from high birth and high death rate to low birth and low death rate. These changes take place in different stages. These are collectively called demographic cycle.
First stage :
In the first stage there is high fertility and high mortality. People compensate for deaths caused by epidemics and uncertain supply of food by greater reproduction. Population growth is slow. Most people are engaged in agriculture. Large families are considered assets. Life expectancy is low. Most people are uneducated.
Second stage :-
In this stage, initially the birth rate remains high but it decreases with time. In this stage the death rate decreases. Due to the difference in birth rate and death rate, the population increases rapidly. Later it starts decreasing.
Third stage :-
In this stage, the birth rate and death rate decrease significantly. There is almost a state of equilibrium. The population either becomes stable or there is very little growth. In this stage, the population becomes educated and controls the size of the family thoughtfully with the help of technical knowledge.
Measures for population control
- Family Planning Program
- contraceptives
- Spread of education
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