Class 9 Geography Chapter 6 Extra Question Answers - Population

1) What does 'census' mean?

Answer:  A census is an official count and detailed enumeration of a country's population carried out at regular intervals. In India, the census is conducted every tenth year and collects information on demographic, social and economic characteristics of the people.

2) According to 2001 census, which state is most populous?

Answer: Uttar Pradesh. According to the 2001 Census, Uttar Pradesh was the most populous state with about 166 million people (approximately 16.6 crore).

3) In which states of India does half of India's population live?

Answer: Almost half of India's population lives in five states: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. These five states together accounted for nearly half of the country's population in 2001.

4) How is density of population calculated?

Answer: Population density is calculated as the total number of persons living per square kilometre of area. In formula form: population density = total population ÷ area (sq. km).

5) What was the population density of India in 2001 census?

Answer: The population density of India in the 2001 Census was 324 persons per sq. km.

6) What is the highest and lowest density of India?

Answer: As per the 2001 data, the highest population density was in West Bengal with about 904 persons per sq. km, and the lowest was in Arunachal Pradesh with about 13 persons per sq. km.

7) Why do some states of India have sparse population?

Answer: Some states have sparse population because of factors such as rugged terrain, extreme climatic conditions, poor and infertile soils, lack of water and remoteness, and poor transport and communication facilities. These unfavourable conditions make settlement and large-scale agriculture difficult.

8) Why do most of the peninsular states have moderate population?

Answer: Most peninsular states have a moderate population because of their hilly, dissected and rocky terrain, generally moderate to low rainfall, and shallow, less fertile soils. Limited extensive plains and fewer major river systems also restrict dense agricultural settlement.

9) Why do Northern plains and Kerala have very high density of population?

Answer: Northern plains have very high density because of extensive flat fertile alluvial soils, abundant rainfall and well-developed irrigation, which support intensive agriculture and dense settlements. Kerala has high density due to its long-settled coastal plain, intensive land use and high population in a relatively small area.

10) What does growth of population mean?

Answer: Growth of population refers to the change in the number of inhabitants of a country during a specific period of time, for example over ten years. It can be measured as absolute increase in numbers or as a rate (percentage) per year.

11) How do we get absolute increase in numbers of population?

Answer: Absolute increase is obtained by subtracting the earlier population from the later population. The difference gives the absolute increase in the number of people over the period.

12) How is annual growth rate calculated?

Answer: The annual natural growth rate is often estimated as the difference between the birth rate and the death rate (both expressed per thousand). This difference gives the rate at which the population increases per year, excluding migration.

13) How is birth rate calculated?

Answer: Birth rate is the number of live births per 1,000 persons in a year.

14) How is death rate counted?

Answer: Death rate is the number of deaths per 1,000 persons in a year.

15) What is migration of population?

Answer: Migration is the movement of people from one region or place to another. It can be internal (within the country) or international (between countries).

16) What is the impact of migration on population?

Answer: Migration changes both the size and distribution of population. It usually increases the population of destination areas and reduces that of origin areas. It also alters the composition of population (for example, age and sex structure) and affects urbanisation, labour supply and social services in receiving areas.

17) What are the push and pull factors of internal migration in India?

Answer: Push factors in rural areas include poverty, lack of land, unemployment and poor living conditions. Pull factors in cities include better employment opportunities, higher incomes, improved services and better living standards. These push and pull forces drive much of the rural-to-urban migration in India.

18) What does 'Age Composition' mean?

Answer: The age composition of the population refers to the number or proportion of people in different age groups (for example children, working-age and elderly) in a country.

19) How is 'Age Composition' an important component of population?

Answer: Age composition affects what people need, buy and do. It determines the dependence burden, the size of the workforce, and the kinds of services (education, health, pensions) that society must provide. Thus it is a key factor in planning social and economic policies.

20) In which category are children below 15 years counted?

Answer: Children below 15 years are counted among the dependent population because they are economically unproductive and require support for food, clothing, education and medical care.

21) What is the age of working population in India?

Answer: The working-age population is generally considered to be between 15 and 59 years. People in this age group are usually economically productive and biologically reproductive.

22) How people above the age of 59 years are called dependent population?

Answer: People above 59 years are generally classed as dependent (aged) because many have retired and are not available for regular employment, even though some may still work voluntarily or contribute economically in informal ways.

23) What is Sex Ratio?

Answer: Sex ratio is defined as the number of females per 1,000 males in the population. It is an important social indicator of gender balance in a society.

24) What was the sex ratio of India in the year 2001?

Answer: In 2001, the sex ratio of India was 933 females per 1,000 males.

25) Why literacy is considered an important quality of a population?

Answer: Literacy is important because an informed and educated citizen can make better choices, participate in social and economic development, and contribute to research, innovation and improved living standards. Low literacy hampers economic progress and social well‑being.

26) Who is considered a literate in India?

Answer: According to the 2001 Census, a person aged 7 years and above who can read and write with understanding in any language is considered literate.

27) What is the literacy rate of male and female as per the census of 2011?

Answer: As per the 2011 Census, the literacy rate was 75.26% for males and 53.67% for females.

28) What is referred as occupational structure?

Answer: Occupational structure is the distribution of the population according to different types of occupation or economic activities in which people are engaged.

29) In which three types occupations are broadly classified?

Answer: Occupations are broadly classified into three categories:
(i) Primary activities,
(ii) Secondary activities,
(iii) Tertiary activities.

30) What are the main Primary Activities?

Answer: Main primary activities include agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, fishing, mining and quarrying.

31) Which occupations are covered under Secondary Activities?

Answer: Secondary activities cover manufacturing industry, building and construction and other industrial processes that transform raw materials into finished goods.

32) Which activities are considered as Tertiary Activities?

Answer: Tertiary activities include transport, communications, commerce, administration and a wide range of services such as education, health and office services.

33) How proportion of people working in different activities varies iii developed and developing countries?

Answer: In developed countries, a higher proportion of people work in secondary and tertiary activities (industry and services). In developing countries, a larger share of the workforce is engaged in primary activities such as agriculture.

34) What can be the reasons for the declining death rate in India?

Answer: The decline in death rate in India is mainly due to improvements in public health, sanitation, prevention and control of fatal diseases, immunisation, better nutrition and advances in medical diagnosis and treatment.

35) Who are Adolescents?

Answer: Adolescents are generally grouped in the age range of about 10 to 19 years. This group undergoes physical, emotional and social changes as they move from childhood to adulthood.

36) What is NPP? 

Answer: NPP stands for National Population Policy (2000). It is a comprehensive policy framework introduced by the Government of India to address family welfare, stabilise population and promote reproductive and child health services, along with measures such as promoting delayed marriage and universal education up to a specified age.

37) What is migration? Which are the two types "of migration? Describe the trends of migration in India.

Answer: (i) Migration is the movement of people across regions and territories.
(ii) Migration may be internal (within the country) or international (between countries).
(iii) In India, most migration has been from rural to urban areas because of push factors such as poverty and unemployment in rural areas, and pull factors such as more employment opportunities and better living conditions in cities.

38) What is census? When was the first census held in India? Which type of In formations can we get through census?

Answer: (i) A census is an official enumeration of the population carried out periodically.
(ii) The first census operations in India began in 1872; the first complete and regular decennial census was taken in 1881, and since then censuses have been held every ten years.
(iii) The census provides the most comprehensive source of demographic, social and economic data about the population, such as size, distribution, age structure, literacy, occupation and housing.

39) What do you know about the size and distribution of India's population on the basis of the 2001 Census?

Answer:  According to the Census 2001 data:
(i) Uttar Pradesh, with a population of about 166 million, was the most populous state.
(ii) Small population regions included Sikkim (about 0.5 million) and Lakshadweep (about 60 thousand).
(iii) Almost half of India's population lived in five states: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.

40)   What do you mean by growth of population? How is it calculated?

Answer: Growth of population refers to the change in the number of inhabitants of a country during a specific period, for example over ten years. It can be expressed in two ways:
(i) Absolute numbers: This is obtained by subtracting the earlier population from the later population; the result is the absolute increase in numbers.
(ii) Annual growth rate: This is the percentage increase per year. For example, a 2 per cent annual growth rate means an increase of two persons for every 100 persons in the base population.

41) What are the three main processes of change of population?

Answer: The three main processes of population change are births (birth rate), deaths (death rate) and migration.
(i) Birth rate: Number of live births per 1,000 persons in a year; a major component of population growth in India.
(ii) Death rate: Number of deaths per 1,000 persons in a year; the rapid decline in death rates has been a key factor in the rise of India’s population.
(iii) Migration: Movement of people within or between countries; this redistributes population and affects local growth.

42) Give reasons for how migration plays a significant role in changing the composition and distribution of the population.

Answer: (i) Much migration in India is from rural to urban areas due to push factors in villages.
(ii) Rural areas often face poverty and unemployment, which push people to move.
(iii) Cities pull migrants with more jobs, services and better living conditions.
(iv) Migration changes the size, spatial distribution and composition of populations in both origin and destination areas, affecting age and sex structures and the demand for services.

43) What is age composition? How does it affect the population's social and economic structure?

Answer:  Age composition refers to the number of people in different age groups in a population.
(i) It is a basic characteristic of population.
(ii) A person's age affects needs, behaviour, consumption and work capacity.
(iii) Therefore, the proportions of children, working‑age people and the elderly determine the social and economic structure, such as demand for education, jobs and health care.

44) What are the three broad categories of division of population on the basis of their economic structure?

Answer: The three broad categories are:
(i) Children (generally below 15 years): Economically unproductive and dependent; require food, clothing, education and health care.
(ii) Working age (15–59 years): Economically productive and form the main workforce.
(iii) Aged (above 59 years): Often retired and dependent, though some continue to work voluntarily or in informal roles.

45) What is sex ratio? How is it calculated?

Answer:  Sex ratio is defined as the number of females per 1,000 males in the population. It is an important social indicator of gender balance. Historically, India’s sex ratio has been unfavourable to females; it was 946 females per 1,000 males in 1951 and declined to 933 females per 1,000 males in 2001.

46) Who is a literate person according to the Census 2001? Why is literacy considered important for the quality of the population?

Answer: According to the 2001 Census, a person aged 7 years and above who can read and write with understanding in any language is treated as literate. Literacy is important for population quality because: (i) a well‑informed and educated citizen can make intelligent choices and contribute to development and research; (ii) low literacy levels are a serious obstacle to economic and social improvement.

47) What is occupational structure? How are occupations generally classified?

Answer: Occupational structure is the distribution of the population according to types of occupation. Occupations are generally classified as:
(i) Primary activities: Agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, fishing, mining and quarrying.
(ii) Secondary activities: Manufacturing, building and construction.
(iii) Tertiary activities: Transport, communication, commerce, administration and other services.

48) What does the National Population Policy indicate?

Answer: The National Population Policy (2000) provides a framework that aims to:
(i) Ensure free and compulsory schooling up to 14 years,
(ii) Reduce the infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1,000 live births,
(iii) Achieve universal immunisation of children against vaccine‑preventable diseases,
(iv) Promote delayed marriage for girls and make family welfare a people‑centred programme focused on reproductive and child health.

49) What is the relationship between occupational structure and development?

Answer:  (i) The share of people working in different sectors varies between developed and developing countries.
(ii) Developed nations have a larger proportion employed in secondary and tertiary activities.
(iii) Developing countries have a higher proportion in primary activities.
(iv) In India, about 64% of the population was engaged in agriculture, with smaller proportions in secondary (~13%) and tertiary (~20%) sectors, though recent industrialisation and urbanisation have begun shifting the workforce towards industry and services.

50) Which areas are sparsely populated in India and why?

Answer: Sparsely populated areas include the high mountain regions of Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh and the desert parts of Rajasthan. Reasons:
(i) Extremely cold or harsh climatic conditions make living difficult.
(ii) High, snow‑covered or steep terrains are not suitable for large-scale habitation or agriculture.
(iii) Fertile land is limited, scattered and often inaccessible because of poor transport and communication.
(iv) Desert regions are arid with sandy soils and low rainfall, which do not support regular cultivation or dense settlements.