world_population_distribution - Grade 5

1. WORLD POPULATION DISTRIBUTION

2. TODAY’S LESSON
 Title: World population distribution
 Date:14/08/2022
 Aim: To find out about the distribution of people
living in the world and to find out the factors that
affect this.

3. LESSON STARTER
Think of one place in the world where
many people live and another one
where very few people live. Write them
down.
Beside each one write down the
reason that they are highly populated
or not.

7. INTRODUCTION
 Even though the population has reached over 7
Billion people the world is not yet overcrowded.
In fact it is not even crowded.
 There are on average, only 24 people to every
square mile of land.
• Some areas are much more crowded than this,
but there are also a lot of empty areas.
• The world’s population is scattered very
unevenly.

8. WORLD POPULATION DISTRIBUTION

9. Population Density
(people per sq mi)
Population of a country
Area of country (sq mi)
=
Population: 298,444,215
Area: 3,539,225 sq mi
Population: 127,463,611
Area: 152,411 sq mi
= 84 people / sq mi
= 836 people / sq mi

10. POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
 Population distribution is the spread of people
over an area.
 Densely populated means that there is a lot of
people in a small area.
 Sparsely populated means that there is very
little people in an area.

11. The population density is very
sparse in the areas of the
highlands to the North West and
North central.
Scotland is most densely
populated along the central belt
around areas such as Glasgow
and Edinburgh.
There are also pockets of high
density population in major cities
along the East coast, such as
Dundee and Aberdeen.

12. REASONS FOR THIS UNEVEN DISTRIBUTION IN
POPULATION:
 Climate
 Relief
 Soil and Vegetation
 Economic Activity
 Development
 Standard of Living

13. THE IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATE
Polar regions
Few people Lots of people

14. POLAR REGIONS HAVE FEW PEOPLE
BECAUSE:
It is difficult
and expensive
to survive in
such conditions.
Building is very
difficult because
of the permafrost
underneath.
They are very remote, due to the poor
weather and lack of roads and railways.
It is impossible to grow crops,
so food is expensive.

15. THE IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATE
Very Dry Regions (hot deserts)
Few people Lots of people

16. HOT DESERT REGIONS HAVE FEW PEOPLE
BECAUSE:
Living in extreme heat and drought is
unpleasant to most people
It is impossible to
grow without
irrigation so food
is expensive
They are remote and unlikely to attract
industries, so there are few job
opportunities.

17. THE IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATE
Regions with moderate climate and reliable water
supply
Few people Lots of people

18. REGIONS WITH A MODERATE CLIMATE AND RELIABLE
WATER SUPPLY ARE MORE CROWDED BECAUSE:
 It is a comfortable climate in which to live.
 No extra costs needed in order to cope with the climate.
 Farmers have steady harvests from year to year because the
climate is reliable.

19. THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIEF
Relief means how flat or how mountainous the land is.
Which one has the highest population density?
Steep Moutainous
Regions
Flat and gently
sloping areas

20. They are very cold
(except in the tropics)
and so living and farming
conditions are harsh.
STEEP, MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS HAVE A
LOW POPULATION DENSITY BECAUSE:
It is too steep for
roads are railways,
so the areas are
remote.
It is too
steep on which to build
houses and factories and
to use farm machinery, so
job opportunities
are few.

21. FLAT AND GENTLY SLOPING AREAS HAVE A
HIGH POPULATION DENSITY BECAUSE:
 It is easy to build houses and factories.
 Farming is more productive because the soil is
deeper and machinery can be used.
 Roads are railways can be built, which encourages
industry.

22. THE IMPORTANCE OF SOILS AND VEGETATION
Tropical Rainforests Areas with poor soils Areas with fertile soils
The hot humid
climate is
uncomfortable in which
to live.
Dense forest is
difficult to clear in
order to build houses,
roads etc…
Soils are very poor,
once the trees have
been cut down.
Crops grow so badly
that farms have to be
very large for the
farmer to make a
large profit.
Crops grow very
well and so farms are
smaller.

23. THE IMPORTANCE OF ECONOMIC
ACTIVITIES
Farming Areas Industrial Areas
Each family needs a
large area to make a
living (unless the soil is
extremely fertile)
Factories and offices
take up a small area,
yet provide many jobs.

24. THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPMENT
Areas with
low levels of
development
Farming methods will be
poor and there is little
farm equipment, so farms
need to be quite large.
There are a few
factories and offices,
as there are not
enough skilled workers,
managers or money
available.

25. THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPMENT
Areas with
high levels of
development
Most people work in offices and factories which need
large populations nearby.