1. Population and Health
Chapter 2

2. Where is the World’s population distributed?
Chapter 2 Key Issue 1
Where is the World’s population distributed?

3. Population Concentration
2/3 of the world population is clustered in 4 regions
East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Western Europe
Most people in these regions live near a body of water
2/3 of population lives within 300 miles of an ocean
4/5 lives within 500 miles
Located in northern hemisphere b/n 10 and 55 latitude
Except southeast Asia

4. World Population Cartogram
Fig. 2-1: This cartogram displays countries by the size of their population rather than their land area. (Only countries with 50 million or more people are named.)

5. World Population Distribution & Climate Zones
Fig. 2-2: World population is unevenly distributed across the earth’s surface. Climate is one factor that affects population density.

6. World Population Density

7. Climate Zones (simplified)

8. East Asia 1/4 of the world’s total population Includes
China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan
China is the world’s most populated country
2/3 of China lives in rural areas as farmers

9. South Asia 1/5 of world’s population lives here
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
India 2nd most populated country
¾ of the South Asia population
Only ¼ of the total population lives in urban areas

10. Europe 3rd largest population cluster Includes 4 dozen countries
Monaco smallest at 1 square kilometer (.7 mile)
Russia is largest land area including Asian portion
¾ of population lives in cities
Do not produce enough food to feed population
Import food and other product
Initial reason for colonies

11. Southeast Asia 4th most populated area
Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Papua New Guinea, Philipines
Indonesia is 4th most populous country
Contains 13, 677 islands including Java
Very high percent lives as farmers

12. Other Clusters Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada
About 2% of the world’s population
Most are urban dwellers (less than 5% farmers)
West Africa
About 2% of world’s population
Nigeria is most populous country in Africa
Most work in agriculture

13. Sparsely Populated Regions
Four areas that humans tend to avoid
Dry, Wet, Cold, and High lands
Ecumene- the portion of Earth’s surface occupied by permanent human settlement
Ecumene is increasing
¾ or 75% of the population occupies only 5% of Earth’s surface

14. Dry Lands Land to dry for farming covers 20% of Earth’s land surface
Sahara desert- North Africa to Southwest and Central Asia
Largest Dry Land area
AKA Arabian, Thar, Gobi,
Australia
Contains natural resources- OIL
People adapting to or near deserts to obtain oil

15. Wet Lands Receive too much precipitation
Near Equator- 20 degrees north and south
South America, Central Africa, Southeast Asia
Average above 50 inches/year up to 90
May be concentrated in seasons or spread
Concentrated can be adapted to grow rice SE Asia

16. Cold Lands North and South poles
Permafrost- ground is permanently frozen
Receive less precipitation than desert areas
Ice has accumulated over many years

17. High Lands High elevations
Steep, snow covered, sparsely settled
Switzerland- more than 50% of land is 3,300 ft above sea level
Only 5% of population lives in these areas
Exceptions in Latin America and Africa
Temperatures and precipitations can drive people to higher elevations

18. Expansion of the Ecumene 5000 BC - AD 1900
Fig. 2-3: The ecumene, or the portion of the earth with permanent human settlement, has expanded to cover most of the world’s land area.

19. Ecumene, 5000 B.C.

20. Ecumene, A.D. 1

21. Ecumene, A.D.1500

22. Ecumene, A.D.1900

23. Arithmetic density- total number of objects in an area.
Population Density
Arithmetic density- total number of objects in an area.
Physiological density- farm land
Agricultural density- farmers

24. Arithmetic Density TOTAL # of people/ Land Area
U.S.- 31 persons/square kilometer (90 people/ square mile)
Bangladesh (South Asia)- 2,700 people/square mile
Allows geographers to compare number of people in different regions
Answers the “where” question

25. Measures of Population Density

26. Physiological Density
The number of people per area of a certain area of land in a region
Arable Land- land suited for agriculture
US- 445 people/square mile
Egypt- 6,682 people/square mile
Egypt must feed far more people per square mile of arable land
Higher PD the greater pressure placed on the land
Helps geographers understand the capacity of the land to produce enough food for the people

27. Agriculture Density
The ratio of the number of farmers to the amount of arable land
US has an AD of 1 farmer/ square kilometer
Egypt has an AD of 826 farmers/ square kilometer
Egypt has been known to have food shortages
HOW do you explain US having enough food?

28. Arithmetic Population Density
Fig. 2-4: Arithmetic population density is the number of people per total land area. The highest densities are found in parts of Asia and Europe.

29. Physiological Density
Fig. 2-5: Physiological density is the number of people per arable land area. This is a good measure of the relation between population and agricultural resources in a society.

30. World Population Through History

31. World Population Through History