2. The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth

NCERT questions:

1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below:

(i) Which one of the following continents has the highest growth of population?

a) Africa

b) South America

c) Asia

d) North America

Ans. c) Asia

(ii) Which one of the following is not an area of sparse population?

a) The Atacama

b) The Equatorial region

c) South East Asia

d) Polar regions

Ans. c) South East Asia

(iii) Which one of the following is not a push factor?

a) Water shortage

b) Medical/educational facilities

c) Unemployment

d) Epidemics

Ans. b) Medical/educational facilities

 (iv) Which one of the following is not a fact?

a) Human population increased more than 10 times during the past 500 years

b) It took 100 years for the population to rise from 5 billion to 6 billion

c) Population growth is high in the first stage of demographic transition

Ans.b) It took 100 years for the population to rise from 5 billion to 6 billion

2. Answer the following questions in about 30 words.

(i) Name three Geographical factors that influence the distribution of population.

Ans.

a) Availability of water: It is the most important factor of life. People prefer to live in areas where fresh water is readily available. Water is essential in development of agriculture and carrying out day to day activities.

b) Landforms: People prefer to live in flat plains and gentle slopes as they are favourable for the production of crops and in building roads and industries.

c) Climate: People prefer living in areas that do not have extreme climatic conditions, that is, areas that do not have high diurnal and annual range of temperature and also which have adequate rainfall.

d) Soils: Fertile soils are important for agricultural and allied activities. Therefore there areas which have fertile loamy soils have more people living on them as they can support intensive agriculture.

(ii) There are a number of areas of high population density in the world. Why does this happen?

Ans. The areas with high population density across the world have at least one or usually multiple factors favourable for the settlement of population. Wherever people found conducive conditions for living, they have been settling there. With passage of time and growth of population, these areas became region of thick population density.

For example the regions with availability of water, good climate, presence of minerals and other resources of religious or cultural significance became regions of thick population. Example Ganga, Yamuna, Doab, Mediterranean regions.

(iii) What are the three components of population change?

Ans. The three components of population change are:

a) Crude birth rate CBR: It is expressed as number of live births in a year per 1000 of population in a particular region.

b) Crude death rate: It is the number of deaths in a place per 1000 of population in a particular region. CBR and CDR are natural factors of population growth. This result in natural population growth, which is equal to the difference between CBR and CDR.

c) Migration: It is the induced factor in population growth. It is number of people moving in and out of a place due to various social, economic and political reasons. It is taken into account while calculating actual growth of population.

3. Distinguish between:

a) Birth rate and Death rate

b) Pull factors and push factor

Ans.

Ans.

4. Answer the following questions in about 150 words.

 (i) Discuss the factors influencing the distribution and density of population in the world.

Ans. The factors influencing the distribution and density of population in the world may be classified into three broad categories, which may again be subdivided into minor factors enumerated below:

Geographical factors:

Availability of water: It is the most important factor of life. People prefer to live in areas where fresh water is readily available. Water is essential for development of agriculture and carrying out day to day activities.

Landforms: People prefer to live in a flat plains and gentle slopes as they are favourable for the production of crops and in building roads and industries. The Mountains and uneven terrain offer obstacles in infrastructure development activities that hamper human development hence are less populated. Eg Himalayan regions in India

Climate: People prefer living in areas that do not have extreme climatic conditions, i.e., areas that do not have high diurnal and annual range of temperature and also have adequate rainfall, i.e., Mediterranean regions.

Soils: fertile soils are important for agriculture and allied activities. Therefore, areas which have fertile loamy soils have more people living on them as these can support intensive agriculture that is in northern plains.

Economic factors:

Minerals: Areas rich in minerals attract industries. Mining and allied activities generate employment. Skilled and semiskilled workers move to these areas and make them densely populated. Eg Katanga, Zambia, copper-belt in Africa.

Industrialisation: Industrial belts provide job opportunities and attract large numbers of people. These include not only factory workers but also transport operator, shopkeepers, doctors and other professionals Eg Kobe-Osaka industrial region of Japan.

Urbanization: better employment opportunities, educational and medical facilities better means of transport and communication attract people to cities. It leads to rural urban migration and hence cities grow in size. That is, a large number of people move to cities like Delhi, Mumbai, etc. and hence make them densely populated.

Social and cultural factors

Some places attract more people because they have religious or cultural significance. In the same way, people tend to move away from places where there is social and political unrest. i.e., immigration of people from civil war affected areas of Africa. Many times government offers incentives to people to live in sparsely populated areas, i.e., Indira Gandhi canal colonies.

(ii) Discuss the three stages of demographic transition.

Ans. Transition theory can be used to describe and predict the future population of any area.

The theory tells us that the population of any region changes from high birth and high deaths to low birth and low death as a society progresses from rural, agrarian and illiterate to urban industrial and literate society. These changes occur in stages which are collectively known as the demographic cycle.

1. a) First stage has high fertility and high mortality rates because people reproduce more to compensate for their debts. Due to epidemics and variable food supply, population growth is slow and most people are engaged in agriculture where large families are an asset. Life expectancy is low; people are mostly illiterate and have low level of technology. 200 years ago, all the countries where in this stage.
2. b) In the second stage, fertility remains high in the beginning, but it declines with time. This is accompanied by reduced mortality rate. Improvements in sanitation and health conditions lead to decline in mortality. Because of this gap, the net addition to population is high. This results in population explosion. i.e., countries like India.
3. c) In the last stage, both fertility and mortality decline considerably. The population is either stable or grow slowly. The population becomes urbanized, literate and has high technical knowhow and deliberately controls the family size. Some countries even face negative growth of population, i.e., many Western European countries.

Question Bank:

  Very short answer type questions:

1. What was world’s population at the beginning of the 21st century?

Ans.  The world’s population at the beginning of the 21st century recorded the presence of over 6 billion people.

2. What did George be Cressey say about Asia’s population distribution?

Ans.  George B Cressey said that Asia has many places where people are few and few places where people are many.

3. What is population density?

Ans.  Population density is the ratio between the number of people and the size of the land.

4. 60% of world population is contributed by how many countries? How many of them are in Asia?

Ans.  60% of world population is contributed by 10 countries, 6 of them are in Asia.

5. How is density of population of a region calculated?

Ans.  The density of population of a region is measured by person living per square kilometer in an area.

6. Why do people migrate?

Ans.  People migrate for better economic and social life.

7. Name two areas with more than one person per square kilometer.

Ans.  North and South Poles and hot and cold deserts of the world have more than one person per square kilometer.

8. What was the population of the world around 8000 to 12,000 years back?

Ans.  Roughly 8, million was the population of the world around 8000 to 12,000 years back.

9. Name two countries with medium density of population.

Ans.  Norway and Sweden have medium density of population.

10. How long did the world take to increase its population from 5 billion to 6 billion?

Ans.  It took 12 years to increase the world’s population from 5 billion to 6 billion.

11. What is meant by family planning?

Ans.  Family planning is the spacing or preventing the birth of child.

12. What is the correlation between population growth and economic development?

Ans.  There is a negative correlation between population growth and economic development.

13. Which is the most serious problem of population growth?

Ans.  Depletion of resources is the most serious problem of population growth.

14. What is the world and India’s doubling time of population?

Ans.  The doubling time of population for world is 37 years and for India it is 36 years.

15. Name a country, each from the different stages of demographic transition.

Ans.  From the different stages of demographic transition Bangladesh is at first stage, on the second stage is Sri Lanka, and on the third stage is USA.

16. Which country has the highest and lowest growth rate of population respectively? Ans. Liberia has the highest growth rate of population (8.2%) 1995 to 2000 it has 2.19% increase from 2023 to 2024.

Latvia has the lowest growth rate of population (-1.5%), 2009 – 2010.

17. What is population doubling time?

Ans.  There is a great variation among regions in doubling their population. Developed countries take more time to double their population as compared to developing countries. Most of the population growth is taking place in the developing world where population is exploding.

18. What do you mean by the term population distribution?

Ans.  Population distribution refers to the way people are spaced over the Earth’s surface. Patterns of population distribution and density help us to understand the demographic characteristics of any area.

19. Mention the names of areas where density of population is very low.

Ans.

a) Hot deserts — Sahara, Kalahari, Atacama and West Australia.

b) Extremely cold desert — Northern part of Canada, Greenland and Northern Siberia.

c) Cold deserts — Areas of Central Asia.

d) Equatorial region — Amazon Basin of South America and Zaire Basin of Africa.

20. What is the impact of migration?

Ans.  Migration changes the size of population of an area by either addition due to immigration or subtraction due to immigration in the number of people.

21. How is the actual growth of population calculated?

Ans.  Actual growth of population = Birth — Death + In migration — Out migration.

22. Which continent has the highest growth rate of population?

Ans.  Africa has the highest rate of population growth.

23. Which parts of USA and Europe have density more than 200% per square kilometer?

Ans.  Eastern part of USA and north western part of Europe have density more than 200% per square kilometer.

24. Define the term positive growth of population.

Ans.  Positive growth of population takes place when the birth rate is more than the death rate and people from the other countries migrate permanently.

25. Mention any two sparsely populated regions of the world with less than one person per square kilometer.

Ans.  Hot deserts — Sahara, Kalahari and Atacama are populated regions of the world with less than one person per square kilometer.

26. Name the most densely populated region of North America.

Ans.  North eastern part of USA is the most densely populated region of North America.

27. Why do people migrate in large number from rural to urban areas in India?

Ans.  In India, people migrate from rural to urban areas mainly due to poverty, high population, pressure on the land, lack of basic infrastructural facilities like healthcare, education etc.

 Short answer type questions

1. What is population growth? What does population change indicate for an area?

Ans.  Population growth or population change refers to the change in the number of inhabitants or territory during specific period of time. It is an important indicator of economic development, historical and cultural background of the region.

2. What was Thomas Malthus’s theory?

Ans.  Thomas Malthus’s in his theory (1793) stated that the number of people would increase faster than the food supply. Any further increase would result in population crash caused by disease, feminine and water war. Preventive checks are better than physical checks. For future sustainability, world population need to be controlled.

3. How did science and technology help in population growth?

Ans.  Steam engine replaced human and animal energy and also provided mechanized energy from other sources and help in increasing agriculture and industrial production. Improvement in medical facilities, inoculation against epidemics and sanitation helped in the decline of death rate.

4. What are the impacts of population change?

Ans.  A small increase is beneficial for a growing economy, but growth beyond the carrying capacity of land creates problems. Resource depletion is the most serious of all the problems. Population decline also indicate that the resources are insufficient to support the population of an area.

5. What are the components of population change?

Ans.  There are three components of population change, births, deaths and migration. Population growth occurs not only by increasing birth rate but also due to decreasing death rate. Apart from these, the population size is also affected by the movement of people from one place to another in pursuit of better living, i.e., migration.

6. Distinguish between place of origin and place of destination.

Ans.  Migration may be explained as a spontaneous effort to achieve a better balance between resources and population. When people move from one place to another, the place they move from is called the place of origin and the place they move to is called the place of destination.

7. Which areas of the world have high density of population?

Ans.  Fertile plains with favorable climate and highly industrialized and urbanized areas are densely populated. There are four areas where density is more than 200% per square kilometer. They are:

East Asia — China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan

South and South-East Asia — India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan

North West Europe — UK, France and Germany

The north eastern coast of North America

8. Describe any three characteristics of last stage of demographic transition theory.

Ans.  In the last stage of demographic transition theory, both fertility and mortality declines considerably. Its characteristic features are:

1. a) It is the stage of stable population.
2. b) It is also the indicator of slow population growth.
3. c) It also indicates that humans are extremely flexible and are able to adjust their fertility.

Long answer type questions:

1. Explain with examples three economic factors influencing the population distribution in the world.

Ans.  Minerals – Areas with mineral deposits attract industries and generate employment. Skilled and semiskilled workers move to these areas and make them densely populated. Example – Katanga, Zambia, copper-belt in Africa.

Urbanisation — Cities offer better employment opportunities, educational and medical facilities and better means of transport and communication goods. Civic amenities and attraction of city life draw people to cities. It leads to rural urban migration. Example – megacities of the world.

Industrialisation — Provide job opportunities and attract large numbers of people. Provide different types of jobs to different categories due to industrial belt. Example Kobe — Osaka region of Japan

2. What is the trend in growth of population over the years in the world?

Ans.  The world population attained its present strength over centuries. It grew very slowly in the early periods, about 8000 to 10,000 years ago after the introduction of agriculture; the size of population was around 8 million.

In the first century it was below 300 million. The 16th and 17th century set the stage of growth of population with expanding trade.

The second most significant cultural change that impacted the growth of population came around the 1750 in the dawn of Industrial Revolution. With approximately 550 billion people. It exploded after the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century.

The 3rd major cultural and technological change that influenced the population growth came in the 20th century through medical revolution. This drastically brought down the death rate with the introduction of several lifesaving drugs and improved medical facilities through better connectivity and paved the path for rapid population growth.

3. What is population change? What is the spatial rate of population change?

Ans.  Difference in the birth, death and migration of an area between two points of given time leads to the size of population, thus resulting in change. Population growth is low in developed countries than the developing countries. Population growth and economic developments are negatively correlated. In a developing country with a large population, even a small annual growth rate will lead to a huge change in population. Even if the growth rate continues to decline, the total population grows each year.

Presently, the population of the world is 7.033 billion and is increasing at an alarming rate with more than 8 crore being added every year. Though the developed nations have stabilised their growth, the developing nations are yet to reach the target. The population in the developing nation is bound to increase in the coming years as the proportion of their youthful population is high.

4. What is demographic transition? Explain the stages of demographic transition theory with examples.

Ans.  The demographic transition theory gives us the relationship between the level of economic development of a country and its demographic characteristics. It mentions the transition of a society from a phase of high fertility and mortality to a phase where both come down to low and the countries have growth from primitive, agricultural, illiterate and rural economy to a modern industrial, literate and urban state. Initially there were 3 stages of the theory:

a) Stage – I (Underdeveloped)

b) Stage – II (Developing)

c) Stage – III (Developed)

a) Stage I — Stage of slow population growth. This stage was marked by both high birth rate and high death rates. So population growth rate was very low. Agricultural oriented activities were dependent on the vagaries of nature leading to low productivity. Society was highly illiterate with poor technology. Large families with high birth rates were the norms as they had to compensate the high death rate. About a couple of centuries back, all the economies were at this stage of demographic transition.

b) Stage II — Stage of the beginning of industrial revolution with better economic conditions and living standards. This stage started with improvement of medical facilities, sanitation and as a result death rate went down but birth rate remains high initially. This gave rise to a sudden increase in population, which is common in a developing economy.

Though both of them were falling, the rate of fall in death rate was much faster than that of birth rate, creating a wide gap between them which in turn gave rise to sharp increase in population, often termed as population explosion triggered by better medical facilities and food supply.

c) Stage III — Stage of late industrial revolution and urban state. Typically characterized by low and stable growth rate of population, this stage is marked with the decline in birth rate along with the steady decrease in death rate. The mortality rate gets very low and stabilizes. This demographic transition theory clearly shows how an economy change from an agrarian, illiterate rural state with high birth rate and death rate to an industrial illiterate and urban state with low birth rate and death rate through technological innovations and medical improvements.

5. What are the repercussions of population increase? What are the population control measures?

Ans.  A small Increase in population is desirable in a growing economy, but uncontrolled population growth leads to numerous problems, mainly on the limited resources.

Thomas Malthus in his theory (1793), stated that the number of people would increase faster than the food supply. Any further increase would result in population crash caused by diseases, feminine and war. Preventive checks are better than physical checks. For future sustainability, world population need to be controlled.

Access to family planning measures is an important factor in controlling population. Propaganda, creating awareness, free availability of contraceptives and tax disincentives for large families are some of the majors which can be adopted for controlling population.

6. What is the meaning of density of population? Explain with example. Give geographical factors influencing the distribution of population in the world.

Or.

Define the term density of population. Explain four geographical factors affecting the distribution of population in the world with examples.

Ans.  The ratio between the numbers of people to the size of the land is the density of population. Density of population = Population/ Area

Geographical factors influencing distribution of population in the world:

1. a) Availability of water: People live where freshwater is easily available; river valleys are among most densely populated areas.
2. b) Landforms: People prefer living on flat plains and gentle slopes. Mountainous areas hinder the development of transport. Hence the Ganga planes are among the most densely populated areas.
3. c) Climate: Areas with moderate climate attract people. Areas with cold and dry climates are uncomfortable for humans. Mediterranean regions were inhabited from early periods in history.
4. d) Soils: Fertile soils are important for agricultural and allied activities. Areas which have loamy soils have more people living on it. The Ganga Brahmaputra basins are very fertile.

High order thinking skills (HOTS)

1. Why is there great variation among various regions in doubling their population?

Ans.  Developed countries have controlled their growth rate due to expansion of educational facilities and advancement in medical facilities. Developed countries are taking more time to double their population. Developing countries are taking less time to double their population due to lack of educational and medical facilities.

2. What are the positive impacts of population change?

Ans.  Declining population has the following positive impacts:

1. a) Less pressure on land and on other resources
2. b) Less pressure on infrastructure and civic amenities
3. c) High per capita income and better standard of living

An increasing population, if in a desirable proportion, has the following positive impacts:

1. a) Favorable for expanding economy
2. b) Resources can be utilized in a better way
3. c) Biodiversity is kept intact

3. Describe any three characteristics of the first stage of demographic transition theory.

Ans.  The first stage has high fertility and high mortality because

1. a) People reproduce more to compensate for their deaths due to epidemics and variable food supply.
2. b) The population growth is slow and most of the people engaged in agriculture where large families are an asset.
3. c) Life expectancy is low due to lack of medical aid and food security.

4. Explain the trends in population growth of the world with special reference to the help of science and technology.

Ans.  Population on the earth is more than 6 billion. It has grown to this size over centuries. Population of earth grew slowly in early period. It is during last few 100 years population has increased at an alarming rate. The steam engine replaced human and animal energy. They provided mechanized energy of water and wind. This increased agricultural and industrial production, inoculation against epidemics and other communicable diseases. Improvement in medical facilities and sanitation contributed to rapid decline in death rates throughout the world.

5. Explain any three push and any two pull factors that influence the migration of population in the world.

Ans.  People migrate for a better economic and social life. There are two sets of factors that influence migration.

1. a) The push factors make the place of origin seem less attractive for reasons like unemployment, poor living conditions, political turmoil, unpleasant climate, natural disasters and epidemics, and social economic backwardness.
2. b) The pull factor make the place of destination see more attractive than the place of origin for reasons like better job opportunities and living conditions, peace and stability, security of life and property, and pleasant climate.

6. How is the mortality rate of a region affected? Explain any four push factors responsible for emigration?

Ans.  Death rate plays an active role in population change. By and large, mortality rates are affected by the regions demographic structure, social advancement and level of its economic development. The following push factors make the place of origin seem less attractive:

1. a) Unemployment
2. b) Poor living conditions
3. c) Unpleasant climate
4. d) Natural disasters
5. e) Epidemics
6. f) Social economic backwardness

7. 6.90% of the world population lives in about 10% of its total land area, whereas remaining 10% of population resides in the 90% of its land area. Support the statement with suitable examples.

Ans.  The population of world is unevenly distributed due to:

1. a) Availability of water like in river valleys
2. b) Land forms example plains are densely populated, while hilly areas are sparsely populated. Deserts are also sparsely populated.
3. c) Climate: Hot, cold and dry climates have sparse population Eg. Tundra region, desert regions etc.
4. d) Areas of moderate climate have dense population.
5. e) Fertile soil regions are densely populated for the possibility of agriculture.
6. f) Availability of minerals
7. g) Industrialization

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