Download World Population Distribution

WORLD POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
TODAY’S LESSON

Title: World population distribution

Date:01/05/2017

Aim: To find out about the distribution of people
living in the world and to find out the factors
that affect this.
LESSON 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.
INTRODUCTION
 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 40 people to
every square km 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.
WORLD POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
Population of a country
Area of country (sq km)
=
Population Density
(people per sq km)
Population: 5,100,000 = 65 people / sq km
Area: 78,772 sq km
Population: 129,000,000 = 896 people / sq km
Area: 143,998 sq km
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION

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.

POPULATION DENSITY CAN BE
SHOWN IN A NUMBER OF WAYS.

Maps can be used
with different colour
coded sections to
show the density.
POPULATION DENSITY CAN BE SHOWN IN A
NUMBER OF WAYS.

What can you see
here?
Collect the handout of
Scotland’s population
density.
Q) Describe the
distribution of
population in Scotland.
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.
World population density.
• The world is not overcrowded.
• It is not even crowded!
• Some parts of the world have
a very low population
• Others are very densely
populated
WORLD POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
Most people live in the northern hemisphere, south of the
Arctic Circle and in coastal areas.
Look at page 136 of the Geog SG book.
Make your own copy of the world population
distribution map.
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
Title:
 Reasons for population distribution


01/05/2017
Aim:
 To find out the reasons why some places in the
world are very densely populated while others
are very sparsely populated.

REASONS FOR THIS UNEVEN DISTRIBUTION IN
POPULATION:
Carousel task:
 You will be working in
groups of 4.


You will go to each of the
pieces of poster paper and
write down reasons why
you think each of the
headings affect the amount
of people living in an area.

You must each take a turn
as the scribe.
REASONS FOR THIS UNEVEN DISTRIBUTION IN
POPULATION:
Climate
 Relief
 Soil and Vegetation
 Economic Activity
 Development
 Standard of Living

THE IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATE
Polar regions
Few people
Lots of people
POLAR REGIONS HAVE FEW PEOPLE
BECAUSE:
It is impossible to grow crops,
so food is expensive.
Building is very
difficult because
of the permafrost
underneath.
It is difficult
and expensive
to survive in
such conditions.
They are very remote, due to the poor
weather and lack of roads and railways.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATE
Very Dry Regions (hot deserts)
Few people
Lots of people
HOT 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.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATE
Regions with moderate climate and reliable water
supply
Few people
Lots of people
REGIONS 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.
THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIEF
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
STEEP, MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS HAVE A
LOW POPULATION DENSITY BECAUSE:
They are very cold
(except in the tropics)
and so living and farming
conditions are harsh.
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.
FLAT 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.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SOILS AND VEGETATION
Tropical Rainforests
Areas with poor 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.
Areas with fertile soils
Crops grow very
well and so farms are
smaller.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ECONOMIC
ACTIVITIES
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.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPMENT
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.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPMENT
Areas with
high levels of
development
Most people work in offices and factories which need
large populations nearby.
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
QUESTIONS
Extension question:

1.
What
factor do
you jotter
thinkin
plays
the biggest role in
Answer the following
questions
in your
full sentences.
determining the size of a population? Give
How does the climate
affect the population of
reasons for your answer.
an area?
2.
How can the relief of the land affect the
number of people living in an area?
3.
Why is the fertility of soil important to the
population of an area?
4.
How important is the type of work that is
available to people in terms of population?
Q) Explain the
distribution of
population in Scotland.
Describe =
“Say what you see”
You don’t need to explain.
Explain =
You must say why!
Example:
(Describe)
Not a lot of people live in
the Scottish Highlands.
(Explain)
This is because the relief
of the land is too steep to
build settlements on and
the weather is much colder
due to it being further
North of the Equator and
at a high altitude.
Q) Explain the
distribution of
population in Scotland.
The highlands of Scotland are
very sparsely populated
because of the steep relief of
the land making it hard to build
on and travel across. The cold
climate of these areas will also
make it less likely for people to
live there.
The central belt of Scotland is
densely populated because
the land is flat and fertile. It
also has the most major cities
and this will draw people to
the area in the search of a
better standard of living.
The East coast is more
densely populated than the
West because the land is
flatter and there is far less
rainfall per year.
PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
Q1) 2009 Credit paper
 Describe in detail the population distribution of
Europe.
4 marks



One mark for each relevant point. Two marks for developed statements.
Population is not evenly distributed across Europe (1)
some areas such as England are quite densely populated
(1) while other areas, such as most of Scandinavia, have
low population densities of under 50 people per square
kilometre (2). Some parts of the coastline seem to be
quite densely populated (1) such as Spain and Portugal
(1). Areas with mountains have quite low population
densities such as Scotland, the Alps and the Pyrenees
(2).
Q2) 2010 CREDIT PAPER (REMEMBER YOU WILL
HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION FROM THE DIAGRAM)
Explain the distribution of population in Kenya.
 4 marks


One mark per valid point, two for a developed statement.

Maximum 1 mark for simple links eg dry areas are sparsely populated.
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Northern areas of Kenya are sparsely populated because these areas
receive very little rainfall so there is a lack of water for domestic use
and to irrigate crops (2); the south west of Kenya is wetter so
population density is higher here as crops and livestock farming can
take place (1); population density is high in and around Nairobi city as
there are plantations nearby and these require many workers (1); the
major industrial areas have a high population density as there are job
opportunities for the people and services like schools, hospitals and
shops (2); along the south eastern coast the population density is quite
high as these areas have more rainfall and more pleasant to live in (1);
Mombasa is a port so there are jobs here (1); this area also attracts
tourists so there are lots of jobs available (1).

Or any other valid point.
LESSON PLENARY

Glasgow is the most populated city in Scotland.

Why do you think it has such a high population
density?

You don’t have to write your answers down,
discuss and be ready to feedback to the class.