Class 12 Geography Chapter 2 The World Population Distribution, Density & Growth

Class 12 Geography Chapter 2 The World Population Distribution, Density & Growth The answer to each chapter is provided in the list so that you can easily browse throughout different chapters SCERT Class 12 Geography Chapter 2 The World Population Distribution, Density & Growth and select need one.

Class 12 Geography Chapter 2 The World Population Distribution, Density & Growth

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Also, you can read the SCERT book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per SCERT (CBSE) Book guidelines. These solutions are part of SCERT All Subject Solutions. Here we have given Assam Board/NCERT Class 12 Geography Chapter 2 The World Population Distribution, Density & Growth Solutions for All Subject, You can practice these here…

LONG TYPE QUESTION & ANSWERS

Q.1. Discuss the three stages of demographic transition. 

Ans : Demographic transition is a theory in which we can use to describe and predict the future population of any area. According to the demographic transition theory, the population of any region changes from high births, high deaths to low births and low deaths as society progresses from rural agrarian and illiterate to urban industrial and literate society. These changes occur in stages which are collectively known as the demographic cycle

The following figure explains  the three staged model of Demographic Transition Theory (Fig.1)

First Stage : The first stage has high fertile and high mortality because people reproduce more to compensate for the deaths due to various causes. like epidemics and variable food supply. The population growth is slow and most of the people are engaged in agriculture where large families are an asset.

Life expectancy is low in this stage. People are mostly illiterate and have low levels of technology. According to the theory two hundred years ago all the countries of the world were in this stage.

Second Stage: In the beginning of the second stage of demographic transition theory the fertility remains high but it declines with time. This is accompanied by reduced mortality rate. Improvements in sanitation and health conditions lead to decline in mortality. Because of this gap the net addition to the population is high.

Third Stage or Last Stage : In the last stage of demographic transition theory, both fertility and mortality decline considerably. The population is either stable or grows slowly. The population becomes urbanised literate and has high technical knowledge and deliberately controls the family size.

This shows that human beings are extremely flexible and are able to adjust their fertility.

In the present day, different countries of the world are at different stages in the USA. Japan and Kenya, Nigeria on the other hand.

Q.2. Briefly discuss the types of area as flow density of population in the world. 

Ans :-  Different types of areas of Low Density of Population in the world may be explained below:

(i) Hot and Rainy areas – Equatorial regions.

(ii) Hot and Dry deserts – Sahara, Saudi Arabia, Atakama, California, Great Australian Desert etc.

(iii) Cold Deserts – Tundra Region.

(iv) Mountainous, Rocky Terrain, Plateau areas.

(v) Forested areas – Alpine areas.

(vi) Areas with unrest and insecure situations – Jammu and Kashmir, North-east India.

Q.3. Discuss the factors influencing density and distribution of population in the world.

Ans:  The factors which influencing the distribution and density of population in the world can be grouped into three :

(A) Geographical Factors

(B) Economic Factors

(C) Social and Cultural Factors.

(A) Geographical Factors : The important geographical factors are:

(i) Availability of water: It is the most important factor for all living beings. So, people prefer to live in those areas where water is available, especially fresh water. On the distribution and density of population over space fresh water plays a dominant role.

(ii) Landforms: People prefer living on flat plains and gentle slopes. The uneven topography always hinders all types of development. So, these areas tend to be less populated.

(iii) Climate : An extreme climate such as very hot or cold deserts are uncomfortable for human habitation. Areas with a comfortable climate, where there is not much seasonal variation attract more people i.e. such areas are thickly populated.

(iv) Soils: Soils are important for agricultural and allied activities. So, those areas where soil is more fertile, the density of population is more.

(B) Economic Factors :

(i) Minerals : Minerals are not available all over the world. Some areas are endowed with more minerals while some areas are devoid of minerals. So, areas with more mineral deposits are thickly populated.

(ii) Urbanisation : Cities offer better opportunities in all respects. So, all the urbanised areas are thickly populated. 

(iii) Industrialisation: Industrialisation provides job opportunities and attracts a large number of people. In other words such areas are thickly populated.

(c) Social and Cultural Factors : There are many places found over the surface of the earth which attract more people because they have religious or cultural significance. In the same way- people tend to move away from places where there is social and political unrest. Thus, such social and cultural factors are also responsible for high population or low population density of a region.

Q.4. Discuss the pattern of population distribution of the world.

Ans : The population of the world is unevenly distributed. Broadly, 90 percent of the world population lives in about 10 percent of its land area, while only 10 percent of its land area, while only 10 percent of her world population distributed over 90 percent of its land area. Again, it is found that more than 90 percent of the world’s population lives in the northern hemisphere while only 10 percent of her population live in the southern hemisphere. Again, more than 60 percent of the total population of the northern hemisphere concentrated within the tropical areas.

Continent – wise distribution of the population is also very uneven. Out of the total world’s population, the percentage of population of the various continents are as follows:

The 10 most populous countries of the world contribute about 60 percent of the world’s population. Of these 10 countries 6 are located in Asia (China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Japan). In other words the distribution of the population of the world is very uneven.

There are so many factors responsible for the uneven distribution of population of the world.

These factors are categories as follows:

(a) Geographical factors:

(i) Availability of water

(ii) Landforms

(iii Climate

(iv) Soils

(b) Economic factors :

(i) Minerals

(ii) Urbanisation

(iii) Industrialization

(c) Social and cultural factors : From a density point of view, the density of the world’s population is highly variable. The average density of the population in the world is 45.5 (46) persons per sq. km. The highest density is 21900 persons per sq. km in Macau (China) and the polar and hot deserts are the density less than I person per sq. km.

The following Map reveals the density of world population:

Q.5. Give a note on the density variative of the population of the world.

Ans: Density of Population are:

(i) Each unit of land has limited capacity to support a certain number of people.

(ii) Hence, it is necessary to understand the ratio between the numbers of people to the size of land.

(iii) This ratio is termed as density of population.

(iv) It is usually measured in the number of persons per square kilometre.

Q.6. Give a description of the component of population change. Ans : Births, deaths and migration are the three components of population change :

(A) Births : The Crude Birth Rate (CBR) is expressed as the number of live births in a year per thousand of women.

Here CBR = Crude Birth Rate; Bi = Live birth during the year.

P= Mid year population of the area.

(B) Deaths : Death rate plays an active role in population change. 

(1) Population growth occurs not only by increasing birth rate but also due to decreasing death rate.

(ii) Crude Death Rate (CDR) is a simple method of measuring mortality of an area.

(a) CDR is expressed in terms of the number of deaths in a particular year per thousand of population in a particular region. 

Here CDR Crude Death Rate: D = Number of deaths: P = Estimated mid-year population of that year. 

(h) By and large mortality rates are affected by the demographic structure, social advancement and levels of economic development of a region.

(c) Migration :

(i) Besides birth and deaths, migration is another way by which the population size changes.

(ii) When people move from one place to another, the place they move from is called the Place of Origin and the place they move to is called the Place of Destination.

(iii) The place of origin shows a decrease in population while the population increases in the place of destination. Migration is interpreted as a spontaneous effort to achieve a better balance between population and resources.

Migration may be permanent, temporary or seasonal.

(a) It may take place from rural to rural areas.

(b) from rural to urban areas 

(c) from urban to urban areas and

(d) from urban to rural areas.

The same person is both an immigrant and an emigrant.

(a) Immigration. Migrants who move into a new place are called immigrants.

(b) Emigration. Migrants who move out of a place are called emigrants.

Q.7. Discuss the trend of population growth of the world.

Ans :-  The population on the earth is more than six billion. It has grown to this size over centuries. In the early periods the population of the world grew very slowly. It is during the last few hundred years that the population has increased at an alarming rate.

After the evolution and introduction of agriculture about 8,000 to 12.000 years ago, the size of the world’s population was small-roughly 8 million. In the first century A.D. it was below 300 million. The expanding world trade during the 16th and 17th century, set the stage for rapid population growth of the world. Around 1750, at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution the world population was 550 million. After that, the world population exploded in the 18th century after the Industrial Revolution Technological advancement achieved so far helped in the reduction of birth rate and provided a stage for accelerated population growth.

The following table (Table) shows the growth of world population.

Doubling Time World Population

Q.8. Discuss the Demographic Transition Theory. 

Ans : The demographic transition theory is a model describing the transition from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates that occurs as part of the economic development of a country. This transition can be broken down into four stages.

(ii) The Pre-Industrial Stage : During the pre-industrial stage, societies have high birth and death rates. Because both rates are high, the population grows slowly and also tends to be very young: many people are born, but few live very long. In pre-industrial society, children are an economic benefit to families, reinforcing high birth rates. Children contribute to the household economy by carrying water and firewood, caring for younger siblings, cleaning, cooking, or working in fields. With few educational opportunities, raising children costs little more than feeding them. As they become adults, children become major contributors to the family income and also become the primary form of insurance for adults in old age.

(ii) The Industrial Revolution : In stage two countries begin to industrialize, and death rates drop rapidly. The decline in the death rate is due initially to two factors: improved food production and improved health and sanitation. Food production is improved through more efficient agricultural practices and better transportation and food distribution, which collectively prevent death due to starvation and lack of water. Health is improved through medical progress as well as more advanced sanitation methods, especially water supply, sewerage, food handling, and general personal hygiene. As death rates fall, birth rates remain high, resulting in a population explosion. Population growth is not due to increasing fertility, but to decreasing deaths: many people continue to be born, but more of them now live longer. Falling death rates also change the age structure of the population. In stage one, mortality is especially high among children between 5 and 10 years old. The decline in death rates in stage two improves the odds of survival for children. Hence, the age structure of the population becomes increasingly youthful.

(iii) Post-Industrial Revolution : During the post-industrial stage, birth rates fall, eventually balancing the lower death rates. Falling birth

rates coincide with many other social and economic changes, such as better access to contraception, higher wages, urbanization. commercialization of agriculture, a reduction in the value of children’s work, and greater parental investment in the education of children. Increasing female literacy and employment lower the uncritical acceptance of childbearing and motherhood as measures of the status of women. Although the correlation between birth rates and these changes is widely observed, it is not certain whether industrialization and higher incomes lead to lower population, or whether lower populations lead to industrialization and higher incomes. As birth rates fall, the age structure of the population changes again.

(iv) Stabilization : During stage four, population growth stabilizes as birth rates fall into line with death rates. In some cases, birth rates may even drop below replacement level, resulting in a shrinking population. Death rates in developed countries may remain consistently low or increase slightly due to lifestyle diseases related to low exercise levels and high obesity and an aging population. As population growth slows, the large generations born during the previous stages put a growing economic burden on the smaller, younger working population. Thus, some countries in stage four may have difficulty funding pensions or other social security measures for retirees.

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