Class 12 Geography Long Questions with Answers - The World Population

Q. 1. Define the term "Population Density ". Mention the geographical factors that influence the population distribution in the world.
Ans. 

• Meaning of Population Density: The ratio between the number of people to the size of the land. The number of people inhabiting per unit of land is called population density.
• Density of Population = Population/Area.

Factors affecting distribution of population in the world

• Availability of water: The distribution of population is influenced by the availability of water in a particular area. Areas where water is easily available experience high density of population as compared to areas where water accessibility is limited.
• Landforms: High altitude in general imposes an ultimate physiological limit upon human existence due to reduced atmospheric pressure and low oxygen content. Abrupt changes in the density of population can be seen on the world map of population distribution where plains meet mountain ranges. In mountainous areas valleys provide suitable locations for human settlements.
• Climate: Extremes of temperature, rainfall and humidity limit the concentration of population in any part of the world. For example, in the Northern Hemisphere, extreme cold conditions in the high latitude areas have prevented human habitation. Likewise, extremely hot high temperatures and aridity in hot deserts of the world restrict human habitability.
• Soils: The type and quality of soils available all across the world also exert an undeniable influence on the distribution of world population. The fertile alluvial and deltaic soils can support dense populations. Thus, most of the major concentrations of population in the world are located in river valleys and deltas. Great civilizations of the world have almost invariably flourished on good fertile alluvial soils.
• Natural resources: Location of mineral and energy resources has led to dense concentration of population in many parts of the world, which otherwise do not provide suitable conditions for human habitation. Large towns have grown up in inaccessible and extremely inhospitable areas such as deserts, Polar regions or in the midst of forests where precious minerals and metals have been found.

Q. 2. Why is the population of the world unevenly distributed?
Ans.  The population of the world is unevenly distributed due to the combined influence of physical and human factors.

Physical factors include:

• Relief: Plains such as the Indo-Gangetic Plain are densely populated, while mountains like the Himalayas are sparsely populated.
• Climate: Moderate climates attract more people, whereas extreme climates (deserts and polar regions) discourage settlement.
• Availability of water: River valleys are densely populated due to easy access to fresh water.

Human factors include:

• Economic development: Industrial and urban regions provide employment opportunities and attract population.
• Social and political conditions: Peaceful and stable regions attract people, while conflict-prone areas witness out-migration.

Thus, favourable conditions lead to dense population, while unfavourable conditions result in sparse population distribution.

Q. 3. A region has fertile soil, adequate water supply and a favourable climate, yet it shows low population density. Analyse the reasons for this situation with reference to non-physical factors.
Ans . A region may possess favourable physical conditions, yet population density can remain low due to several non-physical factors. Economic factors play a major role; lack of industrial development and employment opportunities discourages people from settling. Transport and communication facilities also influence distribution-poor connectivity makes the region less accessible and limits economic growth.
Further, social and political conditions such as instability, conflicts or lack of security can lead to out-migration. The absence of urban centres, healthcare, and educational facilities reduces the overall quality of life, making the region unattractive. In some cases, government policies, such as restricted land use or environmental conservation laws, may also limit human settlement.
Thus, population distribution is not solely determined by physical factors but is significantly shaped by economic development, infrastructure, governance and social conditions.

Q. 4. Explain three economic and two social and cultural factors influencing the distribution of population in the world.
Ans. Factors influencing the distribution of population in the world are:
Economic factors:

• Minerals: The regions which are rich in natural resources like coal, water, etc, favor the growth of the population. These resources help in the development of trade, commerce and industry.
• Urbanization: People move from villages to live in cities in order to hunt for better employment opportunities, medical facilities, and other amenities which results in the growth of the population of the cities.
• Industrialization: Industrial areas provide better job opportunities for the people as a result more and more people prefer to move towards the industrial belt.
• Agriculture: Rich and fertile soil always help in the development of agricultural activities and hence results in the growth of a dense population.

Social and cultural factors :
(i) People are attracted towards certain areas as these areas have some religious and cultural significance.
(ii) Social and political unrest such as riots result in the movement of people towards areas where they can live peaceful life.
(iii) Government of some places offers incentives to people to live in sparsely populated areas.

Q. 5. How do push factors compel the people to migrate in the world? Explain any five factors with examples.
Ans. Push factors which make the place of origin less attractive and compel the people to migrate are Unemployment, Poor living conditions, Political turmoil, Unpleasant climate, Frequent occurrence of natural disasters, Continual hitting of epidemics and Socio-economic backwardness
Five push factors that compel the people to migrate in the world are: 

• Unemployment: People migrate to land of opportunities in order to find employment or to improve their financial conditions. In past, people generally moved from poorer to richer countries in search of better opportunities. Prospects of higher wages, better employment opportunities make individuals migrate. For example, people from poor countries like Bangladesh move to European countries for better job prospects.
• Poor living conditions: Food, sanitation, housing and water are expected to become a more salient issue over the coming decades. It has been observed that regions which can no longer sustain agriculture are likely to experience migration.
• Political turmoil: Increasing level of political intolerance has been a major factor for migration. In some places clashes between the political groups lead to increase in threat and tension and hence forcing people to leave and settle in a new place. Many asylum seekers flee to the nearest safe countries that are ready to accept them. For example, most of the asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iran, etc migrate to countries like France, etc.
• Unpleasant climate: Of the ecological factors that push individuals to migrate, climate change is the most serious. Over many years, climate change has potentially intensified the movement of people who were intolerant to a certain type of climate.
• Frequent occurrence of natural disasters: Vulnerability to climate change which leads to natural disasters in poor countries is also a major push factor. For example, the natural disaster such as the massive earthquake that devastated Nepal in 2015, has played a significant role in influencing migration patterns. Natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones, etc, influence the migration pattern.
• Continual hitting of Epidemics : The spread of epidemic in a particular area also acts as a push factor as people start migrating from the epidemic infected areas to areas which are relatively safe and adequate healthcare facilities, improved sanitation conditions are available.
• Socio-economic backwardness : Places which are socially and economically backward experience a gush of out migration as people prefer to settle in places which are more developed and basic facilities are easily available.

Q. 6. "Migration is both a cause and a consequence of uneven population distribution." Examine this statement with suitable arguments.
Ans: Migration is closely linked with uneven population distribution and acts both as a cause and a consequence. It is a consequence because people move from sparsely populated or less developed regions to areas with better opportunities. Push factors such as unemployment, poor living conditions, and natural disasters force people to migrate.

At the same time, migration becomes a cause of uneven distribution. Pull factors like better employment, healthcare, education, and infrastructure attract people to already developed regions. This leads to overcrowding in urban and industrial areas, while rural or backward regions experience population decline.
As a result, migration increases regional disparities by concentrating population in selected areas and reducing it in others. Therefore, migration both reflects existing inequalities and further intensifies the imbalance in population distribution across the world.

• Birth rate: The birth rate refers to the number of live births per 1,000 people in a given year.
• Death rate: The death rate is the number of deaths per 1,000 people in a given year. 
• Migration: Migration refers to the movement of people from one place to another, either within a country or across international borders. 

• In many developing countries such as India, the level of maternal and infant mortality rate is quite high. Repeated childbirths are taken as security against multiple infant and child deaths. Large number of people cannot avail a number of facilities provided by the government such as family planning programmes even though they are available, due to lack of knowledge and accessibility.  
• As the population grows, the pressure on the available natural resources automatically increases.  
• Increase in population will also have a direct impact on the per capita availability of land for farming, which will affect the availability of basic amenities.

• Many places where people are few and few places where people are many is true about the pattern of population distribution of the world.  
• Broadly, 90 per cent of the world population lives in about 10 per cent of its land area. The 10 most populous countries of the world contribute about 60 per cent of the world's population. Of these 10 countries, six are located in Asia. 
• The North-Eastern part of USA, North-Western part of Europe, South, South-East and East Asia are the densely populated parts of the world with more than 200 persons on every sq. km.  
• Other areas like those near the North and South Poles, the hot and the cold deserts and high rainfall zones near the Equator have very low density of population. 
• These are the sparsely populated regions of the world with less than one person per sq. km.  In between these two types are the areas of medium density. 

• The First Stage: This stage is marked by high fertility and high mortality. The death rate is also high due to epidemics and variable food supply. Therefore, the population growth is slow and life expectancy is low. People are mostly illiterate and engaged in agriculture due to which large families are preferred. Level of technology is also low.
• Second Stage: In this stage, the expansion of population remains high because the death rate reduces due to the improvement in sanitation and health conditions but the fertility rate remains high. Though at the later stage it declines with time. The mortality rate also decreases. The net addition to a population in this stage is high.
• The third Stage: In the last stage, both fertility and mortality declines considerably and population either stabilises or grows slowly. The family size is deliberately controlled as the population becomes urbanised and literate. There is a high level of technical know-how in this stage. High technical knowledge contributes deliberately in controlling the family size.