The document discusses population distribution in India, noting its unevenness and factors influencing it, such as geography, climate, water availability, and economic opportunities. It highlights changes in population density between 2001 and 2011, detailing the increasing pressure on resources due to high density areas. Social, cultural, historical, and industrial factors are emphasized as contributing to the concentration of populations in certain regions.

1. Population Distribution in India and Factors
affecting the distribution
MIHIR ADHIKARY

2. CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Density Wise Distribution
3. Percentage Wise Distribution
4. Factors Affecting Population distribution

3. Introduction
Distribution is where people are located in an
area. Population distribution is most simply
shown on a map by representing each person or
a group of people by a dot or a symbol.
This shows us where people are and gives an
impression of how the numbers of people vary
from place to place.
The distribution of population in continent is
most uneven.

4. Population Density
• Number of persons per square kilometers.
• Important index which shows
concentration of population in a specified
area.
• Different types of density.
• As per recent census data which show
density gone up to 382 persons per
square kilometers from 325 persons per
square kilometers in 2001.
• High increase puts immense pressure on
our natural resources and existing
infrastructural facility and adversely
affect the quality of life.

5. Chronological change in density
Spacial
Density
distribution
Trend and pattern of density
distribution

6. 2001 2011
Population Density, 2001 and 2011: State and union Territories

7. Percentage
Distribution of
Population in
India

8. State wise share
of Population
India,2011

9. Ranking of states and union territories by population: 2001 and 2011

10. Population, 2001 and 2011: States and union territories
2001 2011

11. Factors
affecting the
distribution
Geographical factors:
Topography: people prefer living on plains
rather than plateaus and mountains since these
areas are suitable for agriculture, manufacturing
and also service activities. The ganga plains are
one of the most densely populated areas of the
world whereas mountains like alps, andes and
the himalayas are thinly populated.
Climate: people generally stay away from
extreme climates (very cold or very hot) like
the sahara desert, the russian polar regions,
canada and antarctica.
Water: people prefer to live in those places
where fresh water is easily available. So, the
river valleys are densely populated and the
deserts have less population.

13. Minerals: Places with deposits of mineral are
naturally more populated. Diamond mines of
South Africa and discovery of oil in the Middle
East led to people settling down in these areas.
In India, the areas of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau
in Jharkhand and nearby areas of Odisha see a
high population distribution because of the
presence of huge mineral deposits.
Soil: Fertile soils offer optimal land for
farming. Fertile plains like Brahmaputra and
Ganga and in India, the Nile in Egypt, Hwang-
He and Chang Jiang in China are highly
populated.

14. Social, Cultural, Economic and Historical Factors:
Social: Areas with better housing, health facilities and education are more
populated e.g., Pune. Better transport facilities also contribute to the increased
population of any region.
Cultural: Places with cultural or/and religious import attract people. Example:
Varanasi, Jerusalem and Vatican city.
Economic: Industrial areas offer employment opportunities. A large number of
people make their way into these areas. Examples: Mumbai in India and Osaka in
Japan.
Historical: Historical processes should also be taken into account while explaining
the pattern of population distribution.

15. Industrial Factors:
Industrial growth offers massive employment opportunities and acts as
a great magnet to attract people, particularly from the neighbouring
areas. This results in higher population density. Industrial areas are
almost invariably associated with areas of high population densities.
One hectare of industrial land is capable of supporting several
thousand persons, while the most fertile area devoted to agriculture
may not support more than a few hundred persons per hectare. One of
the major causes of high population density in West Bengal, Bihar,
Jharkhand, Orissa, Maharashtra and Gujarat is the phenomenal growth
of industries in these states.
Transport:
Growth of population is directly proportional to the development of
transport facilities. The northern plain of India has a dense network of
transport routes and is densely populated region. The peninsular
plateau has moderate network of transport route and is moderately
populated area. The Himalayan region badly lacks transport facilities
and is scarcely populated.

16. Urbanization:
Urbanization and population concentration go hand-in-
hand and are closely related to each other. All the urban
centres are marked by high density of population. The
minimum density, that an area should have to be
designated as urban, is 400 persons per sq km. The
highly urbanized districts of Kolkata, Chennai, Greater
Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi and Chandigarh have
population densities of over 6,000 persons per sq km.