IGCSE GEOGRAPHY4. POPULATION DENSITYAND DISTRIBUTION

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION

CASE STUDIESSINGAPORE – DENSELY POPULATED

SAHEL – SPARSELY POPULATED

INTRODUCTIONThe way in which people are spread across a given area is known as population distribution. Geographers study population distribution patterns at different scales: local, regional, national, and global.Patterns of population distribution tend to be uneven. For example, in the UK there are more people living in south-east England than in Wales.

DENSITY FORMULAPopulation density = total population ÷ total land area in km²

PATTERNS OF POPULATION DENSITYThe following map shows patterns of population density on a global scale.

FACTSAreas of high and low population density are unevenly spread across the world.The majority of places with high population densities are found in the northern hemisphere.The population density of a country has very little to do with its level of economic development. For example, both Bangladesh and Japan are very densely populated, but Bangladesh is a LEDC and Japan is a MEDC.

FACTORS AFFECTING DENSITYEnvironmental and human factors affect the spread of people across the world.

Factors attracting settlement

Temperate climate - eg the UK.Low-lying flat fertile land - eg the Bangladesh Delta.Good supplies of natural resources - eg building resources.

Brahmaputra River in India

FACTORS AFFECTING DENSITYFactors discouraging settlement

Extreme climates - eg Sahara Desert.Mountainous or highland areas - eg the Scottish Highlands.Dense vegetation - eg the Amazon Rainforest.

The Sahara Desert

SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORSFactors such as the availability of jobs and comparatively high wages can contribute to high population density through migration. For example, from 2004 the UK has seen an influx of migrants from countries that have recently joined the EU, such as Poland.

POLITICAL FACTORSCivil war, eg in the Darfur region of Sudan, can contribute to lower population densities as people become refugees and leave an area.

CASE STUDY – SINGAPORE - DENSESingapore population: 5.2 million peopleLand area: 710 sq kmPopulation density: 7300 people/ sq kmGDP per capita: $50000From these statistics, it is evident that Singapore is already an extremely dense country. However, it is important not to forget that Singapore, having an urbanisation rate of 100%, resembles more of a city rather than a country, due to its small land area.

CASE STUDY – SAHEL - SPARSEThese 10 countries span over 7 million square km and have close to 135 million inhabitants.Some of the larger countries that contain extensive expanses of desert (Mali and Niger) have low population densities of fewer than 20 people per square km.Other geographically smaller countries that have access to the sea (such as Senegal) have population densities of 50 people or more per square km. Landlocked Burkina Faso has a population density of 65 people per square km.Only Gambia has more than 150 people per square km.