Population and Resources: Concept of Optimum Population,
Overpopulation and Overpopulation and
Underpopulation, Population‐
Resource Region
Introduction Introduction
• Population is the most important component of population geography
population geography.
• Present human species had common ancestor but it is Present human species had common ancestor but it is varied initial physical environment coupled with some sort of luck gave some human group higher pace of
d l h h
development than others.
• These difference further multiplied with the passage of
• These difference further multiplied with the passage of
time to make different human groups differently able
in understanding and utilisation of their environment.
Th diff t biliti ith diff t h
• These different abilities with different human group to understand and exploit their
i t h it t d th d t
environment have necessitated the need to compare human numbers with respect to local
h i l i t hi h t ti f
physical environment which owes to satisfy their needs now and also for the generations to come.
• In this parlance the concept of optimum
population, overpopulation or underpopulation
and population resource region come to fore.
Understanding Concept of Optimum Population, Overpopulation and Under population
and Under population
• Size, distribution and population structure within a country must be viewed in relation to its natural resources and the techniques of production used by its population (Leong and Morgan, 1982).
p p ( g g )
• The concept of optimum population, overpopulation and underpopulation are intimately related with the and underpopulation are intimately related with the resource base(concept is highly subjective and vary as human acquires more and more knowledge base) and its exploitation pattern
its exploitation pattern.
• Some resources are inherently attached, like air and y ,
water, with humans while others are acquired through
various interactions and practices with them
• Thus resource now may not be a resource in the past and anything not a resource now will may become resource in future.
• As new and new uses of same resource come
forward its importance multiplies. Further, not p p
only the knowledge but the place of
availability and cost involved in its exploitation y p
also has the capacity to make a resource more
important. p
• After resource the second most important consideration in our population and resource consideration in our population and resource consideration is the population themselves.
• Each individual and each human group probably have different capability and also attitude to use resources.
• A saint need minimum exploitation of resources while a materialistic person may aspire for many more times a materialistic person may aspire for many more times.
• Thus ,firstly, the capacity to exploit different resource is important; secondly, attitude towards them and finally, p y y it is human numbers since it multiply the human needs.
F th th t t iti f l ti i
• Further, the structure or composition of population is
also important as it is usually the adult which are
actively involved in resource utilisation.
• Further, a large population but technologically poor may not have that much capacity to bring stress on may not have that much capacity to bring stress on resources than a small but technically very advance population.
• Attitudes is also a matter of concern since
• Attitudes is also a matter of concern since technologically advance population may not necessarily have a materialistic and selfish outlook of life
life.
• Unfortunately, technically advance world with about a
quarter of world population has put much stress on all
resources by consuming roughly more than three
fourth of all consumable resources in the world
annually leaving behind three fourth of world
population dependent only on less than a quarter of
resources.
Optimum Population
• Optimum population is where the amount of resources available in a country is equal to the country's population needs so there are enough resources to maintain its needs, so there are enough resources to maintain its population.
f b l l h h
• If it is below its optimum population then it has more resources than needed for the population, if it is above then it has too little resources to maintain its population.
• To achieve optimum population, a country must change some of the following dimensions to lower or increase some of the following dimensions to lower or increase their fertility rate, before they can achieve optimum population. Immigration, age distribution and changes in lifespan must also be taken into account
lifespan must also be taken into account.
Achieving Optimum Population
• Social and Cultural: Changing people's views and attitudes on religion to adjust it into a modern fashion, changing social attitudes, such as giving
i ht d th ht i t ti l f il th f ll i women more rights and thought in starting a large family than following tradition.
• Economic: Increasing career opportunities will have peoples' minds set
• Economic: Increasing career opportunities will have peoples minds set on education and career prospects, and maintaining their job, such that the immediate impulse to start a family might be delayed.
• Medical and Scientific: Increasing the amount of contraception in LEDC (Less Economically Developed Country) educating adults and children about sexual education, on how to use contraception and the risks
i l d
involved.
• Political: Improving education to direct people into a career, this will
have people concentrate on getting a stable job rather than plan ahead
have people concentrate on getting a stable job rather than plan ahead
on starting a family.
Over Population
• Overpopulation is a condition when an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its ecological niche (position, function).
(position, function).
• Overpopulation is not simply a function of the size or density of the population but it can be determined using the ratio of population to available resources. If a given the ratio of population to available resources. If a given environment has a population of ten, but there is food or drinking water enough for only nine, then that environment is overpopulated; p p
• Overpopulation can result from an increase in births, a decline in mortality rates due to medical advances, from an increase in immigration, a decrease in emigration, or from g , g , an unsustainable use and depletion of resources.
• Some of the overpopulated regions of the world are India,
region of Guatemala, Bangladesh, Madagascar, Nigeria, g , g , g , g ,
Ethiopia, Sudan, Niger, Haiti, Arizona, California, Uganda,
and Zimbabwe.
• It is possible for very sparsely‐populated areas to be "overpopulated", as the area in question may have a very meager or non‐existent capability to
t i h lif ( th iddl f th S h d t A t ti ) sustain human life (e.g. the middle of the Sahara desert or Antarctica).
• The resources to be considered when evaluating whether an ecological niche is overpopulated include clean water,clean air, food, shelter, warmth, and other resources necessary to sustain life.y
• If the quality of human life is addressed as well, there are then additional resources to be considered, such as medical care, employment, money, education, fuel, electricity, proper sewage treatment, waste management, and transportation.
management, and transportation.
• Negative impacts should also be considered including crowding stress and increased pollution.
• If addressing the environment as a whole, the survival and well‐being of species other than humans must also be considered. Some countries have managed to increase their carrying capacity by using technologies such as, used in agriculture, used for desalination, and the use of nuclear power.
Some people have argued that poverty and famine are caused by bad government and bad economic policies, and that higher population density leads to more specialization and technological innovation, and that this leads to a higher standard of living.
Effects of Overpopulation
• Inadequate fresh water for drinking water use as well as sewage treatment and effluent discharge Some countries like Saudi Arabia use energy and effluent discharge. Some countries, like Saudi Arabia, use energy‐
expensive desalination to solve the problem of water shortages.
•
• Depletion of natural resources, especially fossil fuels.p , p y
• Increased levels of air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination and noise pollution. Once a country has industrialized and become wealthy, a combination of government regulation and technological innovation causes combination of government regulation and technological innovation causes pollution to decline substantially, even as the population continues to grow.
• Many Third World countries simplyy p y lack the economic or infrastructural base to provide a rising standard of living for most of their people, especially in Africa, the Arab world, and parts of Latin America.
• Deforestation and loss of ecosystems that sustain global atmospheric oxygen
• Deforestation and loss of ecosystems that sustain global atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide balance; about eight million hectares of forest are lost each year.
• Changes in atmospheric composition and consequent global warming
• Irreversible loss of arable land and increases in desertification
• Illegal (and legal) immigration to the developed world on an
unprecedented scale, creating an unprecedented demographic and political problem in Europeand the United States
political problem in Europeand the United States.
• Mass species extinctions from reduced habitat in tropical forests due to slashand‐burn techniques that sometimes are practiced by shifting cultivators, especially in countries with rapidly expanding g p y p y p g rural populations; present extinction rates may be as high as
140,000 species lost per year.
• Starvation, malnutrition or poor diet with ill health and diet‐
deficiency diseases (e g rickets) deficiency diseases (e.g. rickets).
• Low birth weight due to the inability of mothers to get enough resources to sustain a fetus from fertilization to birth
• Low life expectancy in countries with fastest growing populations
• Low life expectancy in countries with fastest growing populations
• Elevated crime rate due to drug cartels and increased theft by people stealing resources to survive
• Conflict over scarce resources Conflict over scarce resources and crowding, leading to increased and crowding leading to increased levels of warfare
• Over‐utilization of infrastructure, such as mass transit, highways, and public health systems
• Higher land prices
Under‐Population
• recognized when there are more resources in an area (for example, food, energy and minerals) than can be used by the people living there. Hence, the maximum human potential of that area is not realized as the
t f ll l it d C t i lik C d d A t li
resources are not fully exploited. Countries like Canada and Australia can export the surplus of food, energy, and mineral resources, have high incomes, good living conditions and level of technology and immigration.
This phenomenon results in a decline in a population. With fewer people,
th i d i d d f i
there is a decrease in demands for services.
• The lower level of services therefore sometimes encourages further outward migration. However, when making comparisons on a global scale,g , g p g , there does not seem to be any direct correlation between population density and over‐or under‐population. For example, Brazil is 'over‐
populated' with two people per square kilometer, whereas portions of California may have further carrying capacity with over 500 people pery y g p y p p p square kilometer.
• Therefore, this is related to the amount of available resources. The balance of population and resources within a country may be uneven For balance of population and resources within a country may be uneven. For example, a country may have a population, which is too great for one resource such as energy, yet too small to use fully a second such as food supply.
attempts to address population decline that have
been made are as follows:
• Improving communication networks and transport facilities makes remote places more accessible. This strategy was used in developing countries like Nigeria and Tanzania where modern railway networks were established,g y , but these attempts were not very successful.
• Establishment of new capital cities, new towns, or development growth points For example Brazil has a population imbalance between the points. For example, Brazil has a population imbalance between the coastal parts from east and south and the rest of the country. Brasilia, the new capital was created in the 1960s in the country's geographical center to attract people into the North and Center‐West regions, but this had limited effect as most of these unpopulated areas are occupied by large limited effect, as most of these unpopulated areas are occupied by large forests and swamps.
• Regional development programs.g p p g In Brazil, the interior improvement of, p transport networks and development of secondary growth points and rural development has all been enhanced to attract more people and discourage out‐migration. The standard of living in such regions is expected to gradually improve due to improved resource utilization.p g y p p
Problems of Under population Problems of Under population
• witness highly uneven population distribution in favour of few large urban cities.
• As a result of it there exist marked differences in resource As a result of it there exist marked differences in resource exploitation and level of various kinds of infrastructure and opportunities in few big urban centers and countryside.
• In such region In such region large cities grow at the cost of smaller cities large cities grow at the cost of smaller cities and countryside.
• Providing all modern facilities in small town and countryside
• Providing all modern facilities in small town and countryside become a very costly affair where population are limited and immigration may also not successful in addressing this
problem as most of them like to go to big cities only
problem as most of them like to go to big cities only.
• Such regions have not only shortage of labour but also of skilled labour
skilled labour.
• Their domestic market is small and export is highly competitive and unreliable too.
• poor industrial development.
• Loneliness: Population residing in countryside are few and feel marginalised as every aspect of development they receive are filtered by few big cities with a considerable time lag and so they have a sense of perpetual lonliness.
• Difficult Geo‐environment: The historical reason why these areas remain underpopulated will reveal in most of the cases that the geo‐environment of these areas are g relatively difficult.
• As capitals with these regions are usually limited so
domestic investment become difficult. Foreign aid and g
investment may have many undesirable conditionality
attached with them.
Factors affecting the distribution of population:
Physical factors:
Location:
• The main concentrations of population are marginal to the continents and the interiors tend to be very sparsely populated Nearly 75% of the world’s population interiors tend to be very sparsely populated. Nearly 75% of the world s population live within 1,000 km of the coast and about 66% of this live within 500 km.
• So it can be said that population is attracted by coast and repelled by continentality but the ultimate pattern of population is determined by the climate and other economic factors.
and other economic factors.
Altitude:
• generally population densities decreases with altitude.
O b 56% f h ld’ l i li b l l d
• On an average about 56% of the world’s population live between sea‐level and 200m above which comprises only 27.8% of the total land area.
• High altitude compels limitations upon human habitation because of drastic reduction in atmospheric pressure and oxygen content.
• Relief:
• High rugged relief restricts human access, habitation and cultivation.
• Thus most of the mountainous region of the world, whatever be their location areg , very sparsely populated (Himalayas, Plateau of central Asia etc.)
• while plains are normally more advantageous to human occupation and are generally densely populated like Ganges valley in India.
Climate:
• Moderate climate leads to the growth of population. In these regions density of population is high.
• people do not like to live in too hot and too cold climates.
• This is the reason that Canada is sparsely populated Average density of population in Canada is 2 5
• This is the reason that Canada is sparsely populated. Average density of population in Canada is 2.5 per sq. km. metre. Similarly in India, Rajasthan, Deccan Hills, plateaus and the Himalayan regions are sparsely populated.
• Indirect influences of climate are equally important because they determine the types of soil, vegetation and agriculture which inturn influences population distribution.
Soils:
• Rich and fertile soil always help in the growth and development of agricultural activities with substantially high yield per hectare and support dense population
d h i i d h l i f di d l l d
• East and South Asian Region and northern plains of India are densely populated
• while on other hand depletion of soil resources restricts population concentrations (like Chambal valley in India).
Bi i f
Biotic factors:
• Varying distributions of plants and animals, large and small forests, grassland marshes, deserts and scrub lands assist and hinder population concentrations. Forest, by development of lumbering industry, can support a moderately dense population.
Natural Resources:
• The regions having rich wealth of natural resources like coal, water, minerals and forest wealth favour the growth of population. These resources help in the development of trade, commerce and industry. This promote cluster of population and thereby increase density of population. This is the reason that North‐West Europe and in India Bihar and West Bengal have high density of population reason that North West Europe and in India, Bihar and West Bengal have high density of population
Non‐Physical Factors:
• Means of Transport and Communication: Highly developed means
f i f d dd h d i f l i i
of air, surface and water add to the density of population in a particular region because there the people can manage and carry on agricultural, commercial as well as industrial activities very safely and swiftly.
and swiftly.
• Age of human settlement: Australia and USA have low density of population. Human habitation (or living) in these countries is of recent origin compared to river valleys of the ancient period.
B id thi th t i l ti t i t i i ti
Besides this, these countries also practice strict immigration procedures. This system keeps population density far below the total potential.
• Cultural factors: Cultural factors like the modes of life of the people Cultural factors: Cultural factors like the modes of life of the people also affect the density of population. The density of population is low in equatorial forests and deserts because nomadic tribes live in regions are often found engaged in food gathering to support their
f ili Th i i h bit d b t l d l h l
families. The regions inhabited by pastoral nomads also have low
density because they migrate with their animals in search of
pastures.
• Political factors: Countries with stable government tend to have high population density e.g Singapore while unstable government
d h l l f h ( l
tend to have lower population e.g. Afghanistan (as people are migrating).
E i f t G d j b t iti hi h
• Economic factors: Good job opportunities encourage high population densities while limited job opportunities discourage high population densities eg. Amazon rainforest.
• Demographic factors: The variations in the rate of natural increase
and also through migration between areas effect changes in the
distribution and density of population in the world. Regional
variations in the patterns of fertility, mortality and mobility give rise
to regional differences in population. The rate of natural increase in
the world is much higher than that in the new world. That is why
already crowded areas in the world are becoming alarmingly
already crowded areas in the world are becoming alarmingly
crowded.
Population‐Resource Regions p g
Population‐Resource Regions
• A complex relation exists among man, resource base and p g , technology
• In this connection whole world can be divided into different population‐resource regions which have some advantages and disadvantages over others. g
• Ackerman(1970) grouped population resource region into five
broad category which has been reproduced here with certain
modifications.
United States Type or Technology‐Source Area of Low Population‐
Potential/ResourceRatio
b h f h ld’ l l h l
• About one sixth of the world’s people live in technology‐source areas with low population potential/resource ratios.
It l t it i f t ti l
• It cover large territories of potential resources.
• Here technologically skilled people are in abundance not only for the national territory but also for export to the technology deficient areas national territory but also for export to the technology deficient areas.
• Here economy develops rapidly but it causes irreparable damages to the habitat due to the destructive manner in which people of these the habitat due to the destructive manner in which people of these regions have used their own as well as outside resources, especially the soils, forests, grasslands, minerals and water etc.
• They witness rapid development in last one to two hundred years as
they received massive in migration from then technically very advance
society. In fact at that time most of them belong toBrazilian type.
• Original inhabitants of these lands were low in
b t h i ll b k d d th
numbers, technically very backward and so they gave up quickly against migrants.
• These lands were full of pristine natural resources and thus technological support gave them very high growth and prosperity.
and prosperity.
• They use resource of not only of their own land but
l f h i
also of other regions.
• Examples are: United States of America Canada Examples are: United States of America, Canada,
Australia, NewZealand, Argentina and parts of Russia,
etc.
European Type or Technology‐Source Area of high Population‐
Potential/Resource Ratio
• One sixth live in technology‐source areas with high population‐
potential/resources ratios.
• It has smaller territories and larger populations in comparison to USA type.
• Here the smaller territories and smaller resources coupled with larger population produce intensive local economies and conservative altitude towards resources.
• Here industrialization and technology have permitted an expansion of resources through international trade.
• Examples are: The most of countries of Western, Southern and Eastern Europe, Japan and Soviet Central Asian republics belongs to thi
this group.
China or Egyptian Type or Technology‐Deficient Area of high Population‐Potential/ResourceRatio
• Roughly one half live in these areas which are technology‐ deficient with high population/resource ratios.
• These areas suffer from great imbalance of population and resources because these areas are most densely populated.
T h l i d i l ti h d hi h t
• Technology is poor and excessive population has caused very high stress on physical resources.
• Here main occupation of people is agriculture.Here main occupation of people is agriculture.
• These areas are not scientifically developed, so large population is engaged in agriculture.
• Capital and mineral resources are also very limited and mass illiteracy poverty,unemployment,malnutrition also prevails.
• The countries passing through this stage are Egypt Algeria Tunisia Morocco
• The countries passing through this stage are Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Albania, Greece, Haiti, Guatemala, China, India, Pakistan, SriLanka ,Afghanistan, etc.
Brazilian Type or Technology‐Deficient Area of low Population‐
Potential/ResourceRatio
• One sixth live in technology‐ deficient areas with low population/resource ratios.
• They have ample physical resources but their technologies are poor and so
• They have ample physical resources but their technologies are poor and so their prosperity are average
• Here the territories are of substantial size, where the population size is, p p well below the level that could comfortably be supported by known resources of origin.
• Here resources sometimes remain unused because of the problems of
• Here resources sometimes remain unused because of the problems of developing difficult environments.
• In such areas much larger populations could be achieved with the help ofg p p p higher socio‐economic development.
• Examples are: Cover most Brazilian plateau, Bolivia, Venezuela, Paraguay interior Argentina Central American Republics Cuba north Australian interior Argentina, Central American Republics, Cuba, north Australian territory, etc.
Arctic‐Desert Type or Technology‐Deficient Area with few Food Producing Resources
• The largely uninhabited ice caps, tundra’s and deserts are mostly technology‐ deficient and offer little food‐
producing potential at the moment producing potential at the moment.
• These are quite extensive and remained entirely q y uninhabited due to excessive aridity or cold, physical isolation or inhospitable terrain but abundant type resources are present there and are important for future p p use
• E ample sare Co ers the Antarctica northern part of
• Example sare: Covers the Antarctica, northern part of North America and Eurasia, the Amazon basin, the Sahara desert, deserts of Central Australia, Chile,
P t i t
Patagonia, etc.
Demographic Transition Theory
Demographic Transition Theory
• theory was given by theory was given by W S Thompson and F M Natestain W.S.Thompson and F.M.Natestain
• based their statements on the trends in fertility and mortality being experienced by Europe, America and Australia.
• The theory postulate a particular pattern of demographic change from a high fertility and high mortality to a low fertility and low mortality
mortality to a low fertility and low mortality ,
• when a society progresses from a largely rural agrarian y p g g y g
and illiterate society to a dominantly urban, industrial
and literate society. Generally a four staged model has
been identified:
Stage I the pre modern society:
d h d b h h h d hl
• death rates and birth rates are high and roughly in balance.
• All human populations are believed to have had
• All human populations are believed to have had this balance until the late 18th century.
• Birth and death rates both tend to be very high in this stage and fluctuated rapidly according to natural events such as drought famine and natural events, such as drought, famine and diseases.
• Because both rates are approximately in balance, population growth is typically very slow in stage
d th j it f d th t t d
one and the majority of deaths are concentrated
in the first 5–10 years of life.
Stage II; the urbanizing, industrializing society:
h d h d idl d i i f d l d
• the death rates drop rapidly due to improvements in food supply and sanitation,
• The improvements specific to food supply typically include selective breeding and crop rotation and farming techniques.g p g q
• Other improvements generally include access to technology, basic healthcare, and education thus reducing mortality, especially childhood mortality.
• In Europe the death rate decline started in the late 18th century in north
• In Europe, the death rate decline started in the late 18th century in north western Europe and spread to the south and east over approximately the next 100 years.
• Without a corresponding fall in birth rates this produces an imbalance,
d h i i hi i l i i l i
and the countries in this stage experience a large increase in population.
Countries in this stage include Yemen, the Palestinian territories, Bhutan and Laos and much of Sub‐Saharan Africa (but do not
include South Africa,
Zi b b B S il d L h N ibi K d Gh
Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia, Kenya and Ghana, which have begun to move into stage 3). The decline in death rates in Stage Two brought about the increasing survival of children and a growing population. Hence, the age structure of the population becomes
i i l thf l d f th hild t th d ti
increasingly youthful and more of these children enter the reproductive cycle of their lives while maintaining the high fertility rates of their parents.
Stage III; mature industrial:
• birth rates fall due to access to contraception, increases in wages,p , g , urbanization, a, reduction in subsistence agriculture, an increase in the status and education of women, a reduction in the value of children's work, an increase in parental investment in the education of children and other social changes.
• Population growth begins to level off. The birth rate decline in developed countries started in the late 19th century in northern Europe.
• The resulting changes in the age structure of the population include a reduction inThe resulting changes in the age structure of the population include a reduction in the youth dependency ratio and eventually population aging.
• Countries that have experienced a fertility decline of over 40% from their pre‐
transition levels include Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, Jamaica, Mexico, transition levels include Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, Jamaica, Mexico, Colombia, Guyana, Surinam, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, SriLanka, Turkey, Aze rbaijan, Turkmenistan,Uzbekistan, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Sout h Africa, India,Saudi Arabia, and many Pacific islands.
• Countries that have experienced a fertility decline of 25‐40%
include: Guatemala, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Bolivia, Vietnam,Myanmar, Bangladesh, J ordan, Albania, United Arab Emirates,Zimbabwe, and Botswana.
• Countries that have experienced a fertility decline of 10‐25% include: Haiti, Papua New Guinea, Nepal, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Sudan,Kenya, Ghana and Senegal.
Stage IV:
• there are both low birth rates and low death rates
• there are both low birth rates and low death rates.
• Birth rates may drop to well below replacement level as has happened in countries like Germany Italy and Japan leading to happened in countries like Germany , Italy , and Japan, leading to a shrinking population,
• a threat to many industries that rely on population growth. a threat to many industries that rely on population growth.
• As the large group born during stage two ages, it creates an economic burden on the shrinking working population. Death rates g g p p may remain consistently low or increase slightly due to increases in lifestyle diseases due to low exercise levels and high obesity and an aging population in developed countries.
• By the late 20th century, birth rates and death rates in developed
countries levelled off at lower rates. Countries that are at this stage
include: United States Canada Argentina Australia New Zealand
include: United States, Canada, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand,
all of Europe, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, South
Korea, Singapore, Turkey , Thailand and Mauritius.
problems
• The model does not provide guidelines as to how long it takes a country to get from Stage I to III and IV.
• Western European countries took centuries through some rapidly developing countries like the p y p g Economic Tigers (South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong) are transforming in mere decades.
• The model also does not predict that all countries will reach Stage IV and have stable low birth and death reach Stage IV and have stable low birth and death rates.
• There are factors such as religion that keep some
countries' birth rate from dropping.
Population Distribution
Population Distribution
• pattern of global distribution of population is uneven, both over space and time.
• The population distribution, by continents, is most uneven. The old world is more populous than the new. Europe
uneven. The old world is more populous than the new. Europe and Asia contain well over three quarters of mankind. The north and south America sustain nearly 22% of the total population and the three southern continents only 18.35%.
• The world's population is unevenly distributed, with six of Earth's seven continents being permanently inhabited on a large scale.
• As of 2011, Asia is the most‐populated continent, with its 4.1 billion inhabitants accounting for over 60% of the world population.
• The world's two most‐populated countries alone are China and India, constitute about 37% of the world's population.
population.
• Africa is the second‐most‐populated continent,
• with around 1 billion people accounting 15% of the world's population.
• Europe's 733 million people make up 11% of the world's population,
• Latin American and Caribbean regions are home to 589 million (9%).
• Northern America has a population of around 352 million (5%), and
• Oceania, the least‐populated region, has about 35 million inhabitants (0.5%). ( )
• Antarctica has a small, fluctuating international population, based
mainly in polar science stations. This population tends to rise in the
summer months and decrease significantly in winter, as visiting
researchers return to their home countries.
• The distribution by latitudes is also highly variable.
Less than 10% of the total global population live in southern hemisphere,
10% between the equator and 200N,
nearly 50% between 200N to 400N,
30% between 400N to 600N and
less than 0.5% north of 600N.
• In other words,In other words, nearly 4/5 of mankind live between 20 N to 60 N, mainly in the nearly 4/5th of mankind live between 200N to 600N, mainly in the old world.
• Yet this zone includes most of the great deserts of the northern hemisphere as well as the Alpine‐ Himalayan mountain chains.
• It also contain bulk of the four major concentrations of humanity‐ in South andIt also contain bulk of the four major concentrations of humanity in South and Eastern Asia, Europe and North‐Eastern part of North America‐ where about 63%
of the worlds population live on 10% of the world’s area.
• TheThe secondary concentrations may also be noted in California, Coastal Brazil, the secondary concentrations may also be noted in California Coastal Brazil the estuary of Plate River, the Nile valley, West Africa and South‐East Australia
• while on other hand if we see some 64% of the land areas has densities less than 2 per square km and 35‐40% may be regarded as practically uninhabited.
• The unevenness in the distribution of population is equally prominent q y p within continents and countries. The southern and south‐eastern parts in Asia are more populous than its counterparts in north and west Similarly the north‐western in north and west. Similarly, the north western parts of Europe exhibit a greater concentration of population than the rest of the continent and a majority of people in North America live along majority of people in North America live along the Atlantic coast in the east.
• Another striking feature of the world distribution of population is the disparity between the more
d l d d l d l d i f h
developed and less developed countries of the
world. Nearly 81% of the mankind resides in the
less developed p countries.
• three primary concentrations of humanity with outstandingly high population density.
south and south‐eastern parts of Asiasouth and south eastern parts of Asia where world’s two populationwhere world s two population giants‐China and India are located. This region alone accounts for more than half of the world’s population on less than 10 percent of its area and majority of people in these areas are rural dwellers and depend on farming.
farming.
The north‐western parts of Europe and
east‐central parts of North America.
Here much of the population is concentrated in urban centres, whilep p the rural areas remain relatively sparsely populated. These three regions of primary concentration taken together for account for more than 7/10 of the world’s population.
• secondary concentration of population can be seen widely distributed over the globe. They include California, Easter Brazil, the river Plate low lands, the Nile valley, western and southern parts of Africa and south eastern parts of Australia There are numerous pockets of tertiary eastern parts of Australia. There are numerous pockets of tertiary concentration of population scattered over the globe in the form of knots or strings.
• vast areas almost uninhabited by mankind. They are especially the high ltit d l t d b d 600 N l tit d id l tit d d t i l altitude areas located beyond 600 N latitude, mid‐latitudes and tropical deserts, high mountain and plateau areas and areas of equatorial forests.
• Ecumene and nonecumene or anacumene are the terms used by geographers to differentiate between the permanently inhabited parts and uninhabited or very sparsely populated parts of the world.
• Ecumene was the term used by the ancient Greeks to signify the inhabited parts of the earth. It has been estimated that approximately 60 per cent of the earth’s land may be called ecumene, while the rest constitutes nonecumene.
• The distinction between ecumene and nonecumene is however, not sharp.
• Areas of high concentration of population gradually merge into sparsely
l d E i hi h f
populated areas. Even within the ecumene one may come across areas of very sparse population.
• Similarly, the nonecumene does contain dense settlement nodes in the form of oases, mining camps and other small communities., g p
• Perhaps the most strange case of settlement in nonecumene world is that of dense population in the Andes mountains of South America and plateau of Mexico.
• Further the nonecumene is not contiguous or vast as the ancient Greeks
• Further, the nonecumene is not contiguous or vast as the ancient Greeks had once supposed. It is found in discontinuous patch spread over different parts of the globe and includes parts of tropical rainforest, mid‐
latitude deserts, high mountain areas, apart from the permanent ice caps in the polar region and large segments of the Tundra and coniferous in the polar region and large segments of the Tundra and coniferous forests.
Population by continent
Continent name Density
(inhab /km2) Population
(2011) Most populous country Most populous city (inhab./km ) (2011)
Asia 86.7 4,140,336,501 People's Republic of
China(1,341,403,687) Tokyo (35,676,000) Africa 32.7 994,527,534 Nigeria(152,217,341) Cairo(19,439,541) Europe 70 738,523,843 Russia (142,905,200) Moscow(14,837,510)
North America 22.9 528,720,588 United States of
America(308,745,538) Mexico City/Metro Area (8,851,080 / 21,163,226)
South America 21.4 385,742,554 Brazil (190,732,694) São Paulo(19,672,582) Oceania 4.25 36,102,071 Australia (22,612,355) Sydney(4,575,532)
Antarctica 0 4,490 (varies) N/A McMurdo Station(955)[
Population Growth Population Growth
Th t " l ti th"
The term "population growth"
refers to how the number of
individuals in a population increases
individuals in a population increases
(or decreases) with time. This growth
is controlled by the rate at which new y
individuals are added to the
population -- the birth rate, and the
rate at which individuals leave the
population -- the death rate.
Population growth can be divided into four major periods:
1. An early period of hunters & food gatherers with less than a few million people.
2. A second period beginning with the rise of agriculture that was the period of first major increase in human population.
3. The industrial revolution with improvement in health care and food supply leading to rapid increase in the human population
4. The present situation, where the rate of population growth has slowed down in wealthy industrialized nations but the population continues to increase rapidly in poorer and less developed nations continues to increase rapidly in poorer and less developed nations.
Change in population depends on the growth rate which is the difference between the birth rate and the death rate.
difference between the birth rate and the death rate.
• population growth rate, superimposed on the total world population, for the period 1750‐2010 (plus projections up to 2100).
• This is the period in history when population growth changed most drastically. Before 1800 the world population growth rate was always well below y 1%, ,
• while in the course of the first fifty years of the 20th century annual growth increase to up to 2.1%
g p
• the highest annual growth rate in history, recorded in 1962.
• After this point, it has been systematically going down with projections estimating an annual rate of growth of 0.1% for 2100.
• This means that while the world population quadrupled in the 20th
century it will not double in the 21st century.
World population, 1750-2015 and projections until 2100
• It is estimated that the population of the world reached:
– one billion for the first time in 1804.
another 123 years before it reached two billion in 1927 – another 123 years before it reached two billion in 1927,
– it took only 33 years to rise by another billion people reaching three billion in 1960.
Thereafter the global population reached four billion in 1974 – Thereafter, the global population reached four billion in 1974, – five billion in 1987,
– six billion in 1999 Seven billion in 2011 – Seven billion in 2011
– according to a United Nations current projections; the global population will reach eight billion by 2025–2030, and will likely reach around nine billion by 2045–2050.
reach around nine billion by 2045 2050.
World population milestones in billions (USCB estimates)
Population 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Year 1804 1927 1960 1974 1987 1999 2011 2024 2042
Years
elapsed –– 123 33 14 13 12 12 13 18
