Learning Objectives
- Understand why people are considered a resource
- Learn about the distribution and density of population
- Study the factors affecting population distribution
- Understand population change, composition, and related concepts
Key Concepts
People as a Resource
People are a nation's greatest resource. It is people with their demands and abilities that turn nature's bounty into resources. Human resources refers to the size of the population, along with its efficiency, educational qualities, productivity, organisational abilities, and farsightedness. Investment in education and health improves the quality of human resources.
Distribution of Population
The way people are spread across the Earth's surface is called population distribution. It is uneven — some areas are crowded while others are sparsely populated. About 90% of the world's population lives in about 10% of the land surface. South and East Asia, Western Europe, and eastern North America are the most densely populated regions.
Factors Affecting Distribution
Geographical Factors:
Topography: People prefer flat plains and gentle slopes (e.g., Ganga plains, Indus plains). Mountains, highlands, and steep slopes are sparsely populated.
Climate: Areas with moderate climate attract more people. Extreme hot or cold climates discourage settlement (e.g., Sahara, Antarctica).
Soil: Fertile alluvial and deltaic soils support agriculture and dense populations (e.g., Ganga-Brahmaputra plains).
Water: People settle near rivers, lakes, and areas with adequate water supply.
Minerals: Areas rich in minerals attract industries and thus population (e.g., Katanga in Africa, Chotanagpur plateau in India).
Social, Cultural, and Economic Factors:
Areas with better housing, education, health facilities, and employment opportunities tend to be densely populated. Pilgrim centres and places of cultural significance also attract people.
Population Density
Population density = Total Population / Total Area. It tells us the number of people living per unit area (usually per sq. km). Bangladesh and Japan have high population density. Countries like Canada, Australia, and Russia have low population density.
Population Change
Population change is influenced by birth rate (number of live births per 1,000 people per year), death rate (number of deaths per 1,000 people per year), and migration. The difference between birth rate and death rate is called the natural growth rate.
Migration: Movement of people from one place to another. Immigration = moving into a country. Emigration = moving out of a country. Push factors: unemployment, poor conditions, political unrest. Pull factors: better jobs, education, peace, living conditions.
Population Composition
Refers to the structure of the population described by age, sex, literacy level, health conditions, occupation, and income. A population pyramid (age-sex pyramid) shows the proportion of males and females in different age groups. Developing countries have a broad base (large young population); developed countries have a narrower base.
Summary
People are a nation's greatest resource. Population is unevenly distributed due to geographical, social, cultural, and economic factors. Population density varies widely across countries. Birth rate, death rate, and migration determine population change. Population composition is studied using pyramids that show the age-sex structure of a population. Investment in education and health improves human resource quality.
Important Terms
- Human Resources
- People with their skills, knowledge, and abilities that contribute to production
- Population Density
- Number of people living per unit area
- Birth Rate
- Number of live births per 1,000 people per year
- Death Rate
- Number of deaths per 1,000 people per year
- Migration
- Movement of people from one place to another
- Population Pyramid
- Graphical representation of age-sex composition of a population
- Natural Growth Rate
- Difference between birth rate and death rate
Quick Revision
- People are a nation's greatest resource
- 90% of world population lives on 10% of land surface
- Population density = Total Population / Total Area
- Natural growth rate = Birth rate minus Death rate
- Push factors drive people away; Pull factors attract them
- Broad-base pyramid = developing country; Narrow-base = developed country
Practice Tips
- Practise drawing and interpreting population pyramids for different countries
- Learn to calculate population density from given data
- List push and pull factors of migration in a two-column format