POPULATION DISTRIBUTION AND DENSITY
Western and Central Europe – very densely populated A generally moderate climate and vast areas of low-lying fertile land have allowed Western Europe to support profitable agriculture and large rural populations.
The presence of coal led to the early growth of industry and large industrial cities in countries such as Germany and Britain.
Former imperial powers such as Britain and France also derived much wealth from their colonies. This wealth stimulated economic development.
Low birth rates have led to very low or ‘negative’ population growth. In-migration maintains population levels in some areas.
East Asia – very densely
populated Fertile rice-growing regions such as in Vietnam, the Philippines and eastern China support large rural populations. Fertile soils vary from alluvium in the floodplains of China’s Yellow River to volcanic soils on the Indonesian island of Java.
Countries such as China and Japan are highly industrialised and contain many huge cities such as Beijing and Tokyo. China is the world’s leading manufacturing nation.
Population continues to grow at an annual rate of nearly 2 per cent in countries such as Vietnam. China’s population is declining because of its government’s ‘one-child’ policy.
The Sahara Desert – very sparsely populated Extreme drought makes agriculture and human survival very difficult.
Much of the land is rocky or stony and is inaccessible. The Nile valley is one of the few densely populated areas. Alluvial soil and river water for irrigation allows agriculture to thrive.
The Indian sub-continent – very densely populated Fertile rice-growing regions in the Ganges and Indus river basins support huge rural populations.
The region includes huge and rapidly growing cities such as Mumbai and Kolkata. There has been rapid industrial growth in such cities.
High birth rates result in rapid population growth. 3
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