1. Population distribution & density

Question 1

Population distribution refers to

Answer 1

the way in which people are spread over an area

Question 2

population is unevenly distributed because

Answer 2

some areas of the world are densely, and others sparsely settled

Question 3

the different scales population distribution can be examined at

Answer 3

global, regional and local level.

the fundamental questions are where they are located and why there.

Question 4

both human and physical factors explain population distribution but, in general, physical factors have a

Answer 4

greater influence in the less developed countries

Question 5

the physical factors that explain population distribution (7)

Answer 5

1) climate vegetation
2) Communications
3) Diseases
4) Economic and political factors
5) Relief
6) Soils
7) The availability of portable water

Question 6

population distribution is the

Answer 6

spread of people within an area, whether that area is a village, parish, county, continent or globe

Question 7

explain figure 1.1 world population distribution using a dot map

Answer 7

each dot on the map represents 100 000 people, populations are dispersed/widely scattered and clustered/concentrated in others

check notebook #7

Question 8

in general the map of world population distribution shows that (3)

Answer 8

1) most of the people live north of the equator which has a larger land area than the south, and within this area there is a marked concentration between 20° and 60° North.
2) the margins of continents have attracted the greatest concentrations.

Four clusters are apparent - East Asia (including China and Japan), South Asia (including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) Europe and North Eastern United States of America and Canada.

3) The Arctic North, the dry interior of Australia and the African Sahara have attracted relatively few people.

Question 9

factors affecting population distribution (6)

Answer 9

1) Cultural traditions
2) Historical factors
3) Human/economic factors
4) Physical factors
5) Political instability,
6) Religious beliefs

Question 10

physical factors affecting population distribution generally refer to

Answer 10

natural or environmental influences.

modern technology can overcome many of the physical limits and has allowed settlement to spread over the earth

Question 11

what can overcome many of the physical limits and has allowed settlement to spread over the earth

Answer 11

technology

Question 12

how climate affects population distribution

Answer 12

climate affects the population distribution globally.

areas of extreme cold such as the artic and Antarctic, and
extreme aridity such as the Sahara Desert remain very sparsely populated.

people tend to seek out climates that are not extreme therefore temperate and tropical moist climates such as Northwest Europe and Asia tend to support the greatest clustering of population

Question 13

the tropical climates that support the greatest clustering of population are

Answer 13

Northwest Europe and Asia

Question 14

how soil affects population distribution

Answer 14

fertile soils for the cultivation of food have always attracted human settlements.

River Valleys in the past (The Nile and Tigris-Euphrates) as well as in the present have attracted large populations because of soils that are enriched by the rivers, access to potable water and food.

The Valleys of the large Asian Rivers such as the Ganges and Hwang Ho are some of the closely settled areas of the world.

Question 15

some of the closely settled areas of the world that are rivers are

Answer 15

The Valleys of the large Asian Rivers such as the Ganges and Hwang Ho

Question 16

why do river valleys attract large populations

Answer 16

because of soils that are enriched by the rivers, access to potable water and food

Question 17

how relief affects population distribution

Answer 17

Low lying areas attract large populations.

Highlands are less favored because of their rugged nature, low temperatures, thin soils, steep slopes and short growing seasons.

Question 18

why Highlands are less favored for populations (5)

Answer 18

because of their

1) rugged nature
2) low temperatures
3) thin soils
4) steep slopes
5) short growing seasons.

Question 19

how natural resources affects population distribution

Answer 19

some areas are either poor in natural resources or lack the capital to develop them therefore they cannot support large populations.

• the large population of western Europe was sustained by the discovery of coal.
• the opening of the northern frontier in Mexico was given impetus by the silver deposits at Zacatecas.
• Mining settlements were also established in the Andes to exploit silver deposits.

However, population numbers in mining areas tend to decline as deposits become expensive to mine or the mineral becomes depleted

Question 20

when do population numbers in mining areas tend to decline

Answer 20

when deposits become expensive to mine or the mineral becomes depleted

Question 21

Human/Economic factors affecting population distribution

Answer 21

• Economic factors such as economic consideration
• Government policy/government influence
• Communication

Question 22

how economic factors affects population distribution

Answer 22

Economic considerations remain one of the most important factors in determining population distribution.

Good infrastructure (roads, water, electricity) attract populations.

Transportation costs make it difficult to exploit the resources found in the interior of South America.

In general terms, the longer the journey into the interior; the greater the transportation costs and the less profitable economic operations in these parts are likely to be.

Population distribution therefore remains low in the interior of South America.

Question 23

why population distribution remains low in the interior of South America.

Answer 23

Transportation costs make it difficult to exploit the resources found in the interior of South America because the longer the journey into the interior; the greater the transportation costs and the less profitable economic operations in these parts are likely to be.

Population distribution therefore remains low in the interior of South America.

Question 24

what is the most important factors in determining population distribution

Answer 24

Economic considerations

Question 25

how government policy affects population distribution

Answer 25

The State may directly or indirectly decide to encourage development in a particular area or region

In modern times, governments have taken a regional view of resource development and created urban centers to act as economic nodes.

To encourage such developments they offer incentives, tax breaks and employment contracts to investors who are willing to go into these areas. Areas which receive high levels of investment are likely to attract large populations.

Question 26

example of when governments have taken a regional view of resource development and created urban centers to act as economic nodes

Answer 26

the Venezuelan government established the complex of towns that make up Cuidad Guayana on the Orinoco

River to smelt bauxite and iron ore brought in from the Guiana Highlands to the south of the river.

This development has also been influenced by the presence of a transportation route provided by the river.

Question 27

example of a area which received high levels of investment from the government that attracted large populations.

Answer 27

Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, is an excellent example. The capital was transferred from Rio de Janeiro to

a site that was nearer to the centre of the country to redistribute the population. It became the seat of government and headquarters of major Brazilian companies. Population growth was explosive.
Planned for a half a million people, the city is now home to 2 million.

Question 28

how communications affects population distribution

Answer 28

Caribbean capitals developed because of their port functions, links between the colonies and Britain.

Modern modes of transportation and communication have allowed population distribution to spread over most continents.

Most places are easily accessible over land allowing individual choice in residence depending on personal preference.

Some people are moving into previously sparsely settled areas because of highway construction,

Question 29

why Caribbean capitals developed

Answer 29

Caribbean capitals developed because of their port functions, links between the colonies and Britain.

Question 30

example of where people are moving into previously sparsely settled areas because of highway construction

Answer 30

New highways in Caribbean counties such as

• H1ghway 2000 in Jamaica and the
• Adams-Barrow-Cummins Highway in Barbados are changing the distribution of population.

Question 31

Dot maps usually display

Answer 31

counts with each dot representing a specific value

Question 32

Dot maps are

Answer 32

Thematic maps that use points/dots to represent a phenomenon, such as a population to depict variation in density in a given area

Question 33

dot maps allow the reader to

Answer 33

identify areas with higher or lower concentrations of people.

Question 34

In areas with a higher population frequency, the dots in dot maps are

Answer 34

more numerous and appear closer together

Question 35

in areas with a sparser distribution, the dots in dot maps are

Answer 35

are more widely spread

Question 36

how dot maps are effective

Answer 36

It is visually ve1y effective in identifying and locating variations in population distribution.

Question 37

Steps in the construction of dot maps showing population distribution

Figure 1.2 Dot map of Barbados showing population distribution

Answer 37

1) Create a base map of Barbados showing the boundaries of the parishes in pencil.
2) Decide on the graphical size of the dot.

Bear in mind the maximum and minimum number to be shown and the size of the map.

A stencil could be used to ensure that the dots are of equal size.

3) Careful consideration must be given to the value of the dot.

The largest population shown in the table is 83,684 and the lowest 5,254.

A dot value of 2,000 may be chosen although it will distort the population distribution of the smaller parishes.

4) Calculate the number of dots needed for each parish and insert them in the appropriate parish on the map.
5) Consult topographical maps and other information to assist with the placing of the dots in the appropriate places in the parish.

Question 38

Advantages of Dot Maps (4)

Answer 38

• It is intuitive in associating the number of dots with number of people
• It has a strong visual impact.
• It can recover original data from the map by counting dots
• Manual placement of dots takes into account the distribution of other phenomena, such as agricultural land use, mountainous terrain.

Question 39

Disadvantages of a Dot Map (3)

Answer 39

• Dots may be interpreted as representing a single instance of the phenomena at a particular location
• If dots form too dense a pattern - visual overlap - it is impossible to recover original data values
• poor choice of dot size can distort the accuracy of the map. Too small a dot value may cre1te clustering, while too large a dot value may result in blank spaces appearing unpopulated. It is difficult to count large numbers of dots

Question 40

Human placement is subjective resulting in

Answer 40

different distributions for same data

Question 41

Describe the population distribution shown on Figure 1.2

Answer 41

The population of Barbados is very unevenly distributed.
Most people are concentrated in the south west of the island, with very few in the east and north.
The central area shows a moderate population spread.

Question 42

Explain the factors influencing the population distribution of Barbados shown on Figure 1.2

Answer 42

The main factors accounting for the distribution of population in Barbados are the relief and socioeconomic factors.

The southwest of the island is the location of the capital, Bridgetown, and is the main port. It also has the greatest concentration of commercial and business activity which has attracted many persons seeking jobs.

Along the south and west coasts intense tourism activity has attracted many people.

To the east, the very rugged Scotland District is prone to landslides and has very few economic opportunities and, therefore, does not support many people.

In the central area some land is still used for agriculture, although there are many recent housing developments

Question 43

The Lorenz curve is a graph which

Answer 43

represents inequality

Question 44

The Lorenz curve may be used to show

Answer 44

inequality in the distribution of population, income, food, medical care and many other assets

Question 45

how is population distribution plotted on a Lorenz curve

Answer 45

When representing population distribution,
population, shown on the x-axis, is plotted against area on the y.

Both are plotted from O to 100%

Question 46

in a Lorenz curve the population is plotted on what axis?

Answer 46

the x axis

Question 47

in a Lorenz curve the area in population distribution is plotted on what axis?

Answer 47

the y axis

Question 48

what would happen if the population were evenly distributed

Answer 48

20% of the population would inhabit 20% of the area;
75% of the population would inhabit 75% of the area.

The relationship would be linear and the result would be a straight line.

However, this rarely occurs as it has been shown that some areas are more attractive to settlement than others.

The Lorenz curve commonly shows this unevenness.

The greater the distance of the curve from the diagonal line, the greater the inequality in distribution.

Question 49

in a Lorenz curve when plotting population distribution the relationship is rarely linear with a straight line because

Answer 49

some areas are more attractive to settlement than others.

Question 50

in the Lorenz Curve, what shows the greater the inequality in distribution.

Answer 50

The greater the distance of the curve from the diagonal line, the greater the inequality in distribution.

Question 51

Steps in the construction of Lorenz curve

Answer 51

1 Calculate the percentage population and percentage area for each parish.

2 Order the parishes by decreasing size of population

3 Set up axes of a graph for values 1-100 per cent, with the x-axis showing the cumulat1ve percentage of the population and the y, the cumulative percentage of the area (columns 2 and 4 above.)

4 Plot each variable according to its cumulative percentage populat10n (x) and cumulative percentage area (y).

5 Join the points plotted to form a smooth curve .

The line x=y which indicates an even d1stnbution between area and population may be indicated

Question 52

construct the Lorenz curve for Barbados

Answer 52

chegg

Question 53

Advantages of the Lorenz curve for displaying population inequality

Answer 53

it provides a visual representation of inequality of population distribution.

It is sufficiently simple that it can be compared across countries and be easily interpreted.

scale independence: it does not consider the size of the country, the way it is measured, or whether it is a dense or sparely settled.

Population independence: it does not matter how large the population of the country is.

Question 54

The important principles that satisfies the Lorenz curve

Answer 54

scale independence:
it does not consider the size of the country, the way it is measured, or whether it is a dense or sparely settled.

Population independence:
it does not matter how large the population of the country is.

Question 55

Disadvantages of the Lorenz curve

Answer 55

The Lorenz curve may not give an accurate picture of actual inequalities if the resources of the area are unevenly distributed.

Populations of similar size may have dissimilar shaped curves

It can only be analyzed in terms of cumulative percentages

The measure will give different results when applied to different levels of data, for example, constituencies instead of parishes.

As for all statistics, there may be systematic and random errors in the data.

Question 56

which areas generally tend to attract larger populations.

Answer 56

Generally, areas where climatic conditions are not extreme and with abundant natural resources tend to attract larger populations

Question 57

what is often used to illustrate population distribution.

Answer 57

Dot maps and the Lorenz curve

Question 58

Using clot maps and the Lorenz curve to depict population distribution result in

Answer 58

a graphical representation of population over an area.

However, these techniques may lead to an over-simplification of reality

Question 59

The study of population distribution remains critical to an understanding of

Answer 59

the reasons why people locate the way they do

Question 60

While many distribution patterns may have had their genesis in historical factors, what also plays an important role?

Answer 60

contemporary forces are also playing an important role

Question 61

Being able to identify areas of largest population numbers can allow policy-makers to

Answer 61

plan more effectively and more strategically.

In a world of scarce resources, this is essential to ensure that optimal use of the resources is always the over-riding consideration.

Question 62

The Lorenz curve is useful for investigating population distribution because it shows the relationship between:

Answer 62

cumulative area and population

Question 63

Economic considerations remain some of the most important factors in determining population distribution.

These considerations are often viewed in terms of:

Answer 63

costs,
revenue, and/or
profits/wages