Chapter 1 - Patterns of population and economic development
Population Distribution
◦Average gures such as these are not very useful, because the world’s population is not
distributed evenly
• Population is also unevenly distributed by latitude. Altitude is also a signi cant factor.
• Physical factors
◦Landforms: areas with high population densities tend to be broad, at plains in lowland
areas.
◦Climate: people are attracted to temperate areas with adequate, evenly distributed rainfall
and a lengthy growing season for crops.
◦Soils: from the early days of human farming, people have been attracted to areas with
rich, fertile soils, which are of vital importance to ensuring a reliable supply of food.
◦Vegetation: higher population densities are found in areas with extensive grasslands,
such as East Africa and south-western Russia.
◦Water: a reliable water supply is essential for human survival, and people are attracted to
areas where the availability of water is su cient without being excessive.
◦Pests and diseases: people tend to avoid places with dangerous pests and diseases
◦Natural resources: people are attracted to areas with major concentrations of natural
resources
• Human factors
◦Agriculture: areas which are productive for cropping or livestock rearing tend to have high
population densities
◦Manufacturing: areas where manufacturing industry has been established for many
decades, or even centuries, usually have a high population densities
◦Communication: areas where it is physically easy and nancially viable to construct
communications infrastructure, such as ports, canals, roads, railways and airports, attract
people and therefore tend to have high population densities
◦Political factors: government policies and decisions can cause areas to become either
more densely populated or less densely populated.
• When we analyze the factors a ecting global population distribution, we can conclude that
physical factors are more signi cant than human factors. However, if we focus on a
smaller, more local or regional scale, human factors are likely to become far more
signi cant
Economic Development
• The level of a country’s economic development is a real issue that a ects people very
powerfully
• The level of development in the country where a person happens to have been born a ects
their quality of life, and in many cases, even the number of years that their life is likely to last
• In the 1950s and 1960s, when the issue of development rst began to be studied seriously, the
poorer countries of the world were labelled backward or undeveloped. These labels were
inaccurate and gave a false impression, because all countries of the world have developed in
some way. To overcome this inaccuracy, the label “undeveloped” was replaced by
underdeveloped. Still, this term caused o ence to some people, so it was replaced by the
new term less developed countries. Lastly, this term evolved into developing countries.
• The popular term to to describe the development of countries are LEDC (Less Economically
Developed Countries) and MEDC (More Economically Developed Countries)
• Development is a relative term
Population Distribution
◦Average gures such as these are not very useful, because the world’s population is not
distributed evenly
• Population is also unevenly distributed by latitude. Altitude is also a signi cant factor.
• Physical factors
◦Landforms: areas with high population densities tend to be broad, at plains in lowland
areas.
◦Climate: people are attracted to temperate areas with adequate, evenly distributed rainfall
and a lengthy growing season for crops.
◦Soils: from the early days of human farming, people have been attracted to areas with
rich, fertile soils, which are of vital importance to ensuring a reliable supply of food.
◦Vegetation: higher population densities are found in areas with extensive grasslands,
such as East Africa and south-western Russia.
◦Water: a reliable water supply is essential for human survival, and people are attracted to
areas where the availability of water is su cient without being excessive.
◦Pests and diseases: people tend to avoid places with dangerous pests and diseases
◦Natural resources: people are attracted to areas with major concentrations of natural
resources
• Human factors
◦Agriculture: areas which are productive for cropping or livestock rearing tend to have high
population densities
◦Manufacturing: areas where manufacturing industry has been established for many
decades, or even centuries, usually have a high population densities
◦Communication: areas where it is physically easy and nancially viable to construct
communications infrastructure, such as ports, canals, roads, railways and airports, attract
people and therefore tend to have high population densities
◦Political factors: government policies and decisions can cause areas to become either
more densely populated or less densely populated.
• When we analyze the factors a ecting global population distribution, we can conclude that
physical factors are more signi cant than human factors. However, if we focus on a
smaller, more local or regional scale, human factors are likely to become far more
signi cant
Economic Development
• The level of a country’s economic development is a real issue that a ects people very
powerfully
• The level of development in the country where a person happens to have been born a ects
their quality of life, and in many cases, even the number of years that their life is likely to last
• In the 1950s and 1960s, when the issue of development rst began to be studied seriously, the
poorer countries of the world were labelled backward or undeveloped. These labels were
inaccurate and gave a false impression, because all countries of the world have developed in
some way. To overcome this inaccuracy, the label “undeveloped” was replaced by
underdeveloped. Still, this term caused o ence to some people, so it was replaced by the
new term less developed countries. Lastly, this term evolved into developing countries.
• The popular term to to describe the development of countries are LEDC (Less Economically
Developed Countries) and MEDC (More Economically Developed Countries)
• Development is a relative term
