Population Density

By Shiv Mirpuri

Introduction

• Population density is an often reported and commonly compared statistic for places around the world.

• It is commonly represented as people per sq. km. ( or sq. mile ).

• Total area population / land area in sq. km. ( or sq. mile)

• Density within a country can vary dramatically depending on geographical and economic factors so pop. density is only a raw gauge to measure a population’s disbursement across the land.

• About 90% of the earth’s people live on 10% of the land.

Largest Countries

Country Population ( 000 people )

Area ( 000 km2⃣) Population density ( people / km2⃣)

Brazil 153,725 8,512 18

Canada 29,248 9,971 2.9

China 1,208,841 9,561 126.4

Russia 147,997 17,075 8.7

USA 260,650 9,809 26.6

These are the five largest countries and economies in the world. Their population densities vary greatly.

China’s Population Density

• Pop. density is 126.4 people per sq. km.

• Most populated country in the world.

• 4th biggest country in the world.

• The western and northern parts of China have a few million people, while the eastern half has about 1.3 billion, the vast majority living in major cities.

China’s Population Density

China’s Population Density

• Population is most sparse in the mountainous, desert and grassland regions of the northwest and southwest.

• The south-west is home to the harsh Tibetan Plateau which leads to the Himalaya Mtns. The high altitudes and harsh cold temperatures in the winter, make this one of the least populous areas in the world.

Himalaya Mountains

China’s Population Density

• Flowing out of the Tibetan Plateau are two of China’s longest rivers, the Yangtze and the Yellow River. They cut across China as they continue towards the east coast through the more densely populated areas.

• About 20% of China’s land is desert. The largest deserts are the Gobi and the Taklamakan Desert in the north-west. These areas are sparsely populated due to their arid environment and harsh winter climate.

Gobi Desert

Russia’s Population Density

• Pop. density is 8.7 people per sq. km. making it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world.

• World’s largest country and has a very diverse geography.

• Forests cover some 40% of the entire Russian land mass.

• Many mountain areas e.g the Ural Mtns, the Caucasus Mtns and the Altai Mtns in the south.

Russia’s Population Density

Russia’s Population Density

• Siberia- scarsely populated area covered by coniferous forests, swamps and tundra in the north-extreme climate

• Pop. most dense in the western part of the country ( North European Plain ), centering around Moscow and St. Petersburg.

• 74% of pop. is urban.

Kremlin in Moscow

USA’s Population Density

• Pop. density is 26.6 people per sq. km.

• Third most populous country in the world.

• Pop. density is relatively low compared to many other developed countries due to its size and its colonial history. E.g pop. density of the US is one twelfth of the Netherlands.

USA population density

USA’s Population Density

• 82% of the pop. reside in cities and suburbs. This leaves vast expanses of the country uninhabited.

• Deciduous vegetation and grasslands ( in the Appalachian Mtns ) prevail in the east, transitioning to prairies, boreal forests and the Rockies in the west, and deserts in the southwest ( Great Basin ).

• In the northeast, the coasts of the Great Lakes and Atlantic seaboard host much of the country’s pop.

Appalachian Mountains

USA Population Density

• New Jersey is the most densely populated state.

• Alaska is the most sparsely populated state where tundra and arctic conditions prevail in the north.

Alaska

Brazil’s Population Density

• Pop. density is 18 people per sq. km.

• Fifth largest country in the world and has one of the highest pop.

• Pop. density is relatively low since much of the country is covered in rainforest (Amazon).

• The Amazon Basin occupies more than 60% of the entire country and receives more than 80 inches of rain a year in some areas making the area wet, humid, infertile and inhabitable.

Brazil Population Density

Brazil’s Population Density

• The basin contains the most extensive river system in the world.

• 20% of Brazil is covered with a woodland savanna ( ‘cerrado’). Here the climate is hot, semi humid with rainy summers and dry winters.

• The south-east contains the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro on the Atlantic coast where the pop. density is so high that air and water pollution are a major concern.

Image of Rio de Janeiro

Canada’s Population Density

• Pop. density is 2.9 people per sq. km.

• Second biggest country in world.

• Physical geography of Canada is a factor in its low pop. density.

• Coniferous forests prevail throughout the country, ice is prominent in northerly Arctic regions and through the Rocky Mtns. in the west.

Canada Population Density

Canada’s Population Density

• Largest region is the Canadian Shield ( consists of some of the oldest rock in the world ). Southern part is covered with boreal forests ( coniferous ) while the northern parts are tundra because it is too far north for trees.

• Because of the harsh weather and geography in the north, nearly 90% of Canadians live within 99 miles of the US border.

• Three largest urban areas in Canada are Toronto, Vancouver and Montréal.

Toronto

Conclusion

• China, Russia, USA, Brazil and Canada have relatively low pop. densities due to their location and geography.

• China has the highest pop. density from the list above, not only because of its geography but because of its past political policies. Even though the Communist government has forced people to migrate from the densely populated east to the sparsely populated west, the distribution is still uneven.

• Settlers are attracted to an area by mild climate, flat fertile land, natural resources and good job opportunities.

• Settlers are repelled from an area by extreme climates, mountainous areas, dense vegetation and limited job opportunities.