Download I. Population Distribution

II. Population Distribution
•A country’s population is the total number of
people living within its borders.
• That number can be very large or very small,
depending on the country
• Geographers study a country’s population to
learn more about life in that country
A. Population Distribution
•Population Distribution – the spreading of people over
an area of land
• The World’s population is distributed unevenly on
Earth’s surface
• Some places on Earth have many people, while other
places have very few
•People try to live in places that meet their basic
needs
• natural obstacles such as oceans, mountains,
and extremely cold or hot weather limit where
people can live.
• Most people have chosen to live where there is
fertile soil, fresh water, and mild climates.
•Regions with good soil and plenty of water became
crowded.
• Places that were too cold or dry for farming never
developed large population.
•After about 1800, improved transportation and
new ways of making a living changed things
• As factories and industry grew, the ability to
farm became less important.
• Industrial centers and large cities could develop
in regions less suited for farming.
•Today, population tends to be highest in areas
that were centers of early farming, industry, or
trade.
B. Population Density
•Population Density – is the number of people per
unit of land area
• expressed as the number of people per square mile
or square kilometer.
• gives us a way to describe how thickly settled an
area is
•It also helps us compare places of different
sizes and populations
• Population Density can vary greatly from
one part of a country to another
C. Effects
•Population density has some important effects
on a region
• The more people there are per square mile, the
more crowded it is
• Cities with high population density tend to have
crowded roads and living conditions
•These places require many resources to
meet people’s needs
• Places with low population densities
tend to have more undeveloped land
* Population Density