How population varies between places: Physical and human factors affecting population

distribution at the local and global scale.

Activity 1:

Physical factors:
 Densely populated Sparsely populated

No extreme temperatures, abroad river High annual humidity, forest, thin soils in
valleys, deep fertile silt left by rivers. mountainous areas, lacking energy
supplies, mountain barrier.

Human factors:

Densely populated Sparsely populated

Ports, development of tourism, retirement Lack of industrial development, poor

areas. housing opportunities, limited education,
health, facilities, entertainment.

Activity 2:

Read p. 4-5 in your textbook and answer the following questions and activities:

1. Define and explain the term population distribution.

Population distribution is how people are spread out over a geographical area.
2. How do you usually display population distribution on a map?
We have to use dots to represent the population in each part of the map.
3. Define and explain the term population density.
Population density is the number of people living in an area per square kilometer.
4. Describe the population density of the world, what regions/continents are
densely populated? Sparsely populated?
Africa and Europe are densely populated, but not as much as Asia. America and
Oceania are the sparse ones.

5. Use figure 1.3 p. 4 and 5 and add to the information you have in the table above.
6. Case study - population density and distribution in Brazil (or another country of
your choice):
● Copy figure 1.24
● Annotate (draw arrow and a textbox, see image below) your map with
information from p. 16 and 17 and describe the population density of Brazil.
● For each of these places, give reasons why it has a high, average or low
density.
 ● Locate places with:
- High density
- Average density
- Low density

Extension: population density/distribution

Watch this very extensive video of the pop.dens/distr. of Brazil and add to you annotated
map above.

Leaving Cert Regional Geography: Population distribution in Brazil

Extension:

Population Patterns at the Global Scale

The world's population is not evenly distributed. The (interactive) Worldmapper map
shows the uneven distribution of the world's population. The size of the area is enlarged or
decreased to reflect its population size, according to its land area. It is clear to see the
massive population size of South and East Asia and of course these two regions support
the two countries with the largest population, namely India (1.38 Billion) and China (1.44
Billion) according to Worldometer in 2020. In contrast, the population size of the Americas
seem small in comparison to their land area and Russia is almost squeezed off the map by
the bulging nations of Asia.
A closer look at how the global regions compare can be seen in the World in Data graph
below

Asia supports a massive sixty percent of the world's population, dwarfing every other
region. However, Africa has a rapidly growing population and now has 17% of the world's
population. Back in 1812 Africa was home to less than 10%. One other notable growth
region is Oceania. Europe and North America have seen modest growth in numbers but as
a percentage of the world population, these regions have fallen in importance.

There are both historical physical and human factors that influence the population size of
these regions as well as more contemporary processes that help explain the rates of
population growth.

The Ancient Worlds

Why some regions are more populated than others can be explained largely by their
physical geography. Climatic factors and availability of resources have increased the
success of populations. Of course, human innovation is also critical and so knowledge and
technology and the cultural impacts this has on people play an important role too.

The Ancient Worlds such as the Han Dynasty, Mesopotamia and the Greek and Roman
Empires all grew because they were able to firstly, master agriculture. They also enjoyed
the benefits of temperate climates that avoid extremity, which provides natural advantages
for agriculture. In addition, these societies had plentiful supplies of freshwater and coastal
access for food and trade. They further developed in economic and political organisation,
which allowed for economic specialisation, trade, development and long periods of relative
peace.

You may want to watch this video, which documents the history of population growth as
described above.

Research skills ATL:

Research what place in the world is the most optimum place to live. Consider the main
physical factors such as climate, freshwater, coastal areas and flat land. In addition,
consider human processes, such as regional and global connectivity, international relations
and governance.