Population

BY
ZURAIFAH
BTE
HAJI MOHD TAHIR
POPULATION

POPULATION


DISTRIBUTION
What is population distribution?
 This large number of people is not spread out
evenly over the Earth.
 The spread of people over an area is termed
population distribution.
 Many parts of the Earth such as the Indo-
Gangetic Plain in India and Bangladesh and
North West Europe, which have large numbers
of people, are densely populated.
 On the other hand there are other areas such as
Antarctica and parts of the Australian desert,
which have very few people. We describe
these areas as being sparsely populated.
 The number of people that can be supported in
any one area is dependent on the environment
and the level of technology.
 The same number of people may be regarded as
too many in one area and too few in another.
 In the first case, insufficient resources may limit
number of people that can be supported,
while in the second case, the level of
technology may allow more people to be
supported.
 Hence, what is considered to be sparsely or
densely populated varies from place to place.
 How Is Population Density Calculated?

 To find out the spread of people in an area, we look

at the number of people living in a unit area of
land.
 This is known as it population density which can be
calculated using the simple formula:



Population density = Number of people (people)

Area (km²)

=Number of persons per unit area

[people per km²]

 Factors Affecting Distribution And
Density Of Population
 There are many reasons why some areas are
densely populated and others are not.
 Factors such as relief, climate, soil, mineral
resources and accessibility greatly affect
population distribution.
 For instance, deserts usually have low population
densities because of unfavourable climate.
 However, despite the hot, dry climate, many parts
of the deserts of the Middle East have a
moderate population density because of the
presence for crude oil, which is a valuable
mineral resource.
What Are The Factors Affecting
Distribution And Density Of
Population?

1.Relief
2.Climate
3.Soils
4.Mineral Resources
5.Accessibility
 (1) Relief
Dense Population 
Sparse Population


 High, rugged
r easy development of agriculture, land
transport and
and industry.
waterlogged conditions
hinder development of
Plain in India and Bangladesh.
agriculture, transport
and industry.


 Examples: The
mountainous relief of
the Himalayas & The
swampy areas of
eastern Sumatra in
Indonesia.
 (2) Climate
Dense Population  Sparse Population


eratures suitable for cultivation of crops

 Too little or make and
rainfall agriculture easier
extreme temperatures,
that is, too hot or too
cold make agriculture
difficult and living
uncomfortable.


 Examples: The Sahara in

Africa, Antarctica, Alice
Springs in Australia &
Greenland.
 (3) Soils

Dense Population 
Sparse Population


o support cultivation of crops.  Infertile

soils hinder
agriculture
because
Mekong River in Vietnam and Java in theywith
Indonesia are its rich vo
unable to support
cultivation of
crops.


 Example: Central
Australia.
 (4) Mineral Resources
Dense Population 
Sparse Population


ttract settlers and promote industrial development.

 Lack of mineral
resources
ys in Peninsular Malaysia & The Ruhr industrial area in Germany whe
discourages
industrial
development.


 Example: The Sahel

in Africa.
 (5) Accessibility
Dense Population 
Sparse Population


loped telecommunications encourage Poor transport and

settlement, trade and develo
d development. telecommunication
links discourage
settlement, trade
sroads of air and shipping routes. and development.


 Example: The Rocky

Mountains in north-
central Colorado,
Canada & The
densely forested
Amazon basin in
South America.
 Case Study:
Distribution And Density Of
Population In Peninsular Malaysia
 Peninsular Malaysia covers an area of about
131,600 km².
 Estimates in 1994 put the total population at 15.8
million.
 This gives Peninsular Malaysia an average density
of 120 persons per km².
 The population distribution of Peninsular Malaysia
is very uneven.
 More than three-quarters of the population live in
the western part of the peninsula but even there
the population density is not uniform.
 Where Are The Areas Of High, Moderate
And Low Densities In Peninsular Malaysia?
nd in the wide stretch along the west coast and much of the coastal plains in the
density, along the valleys of the Sungai Perak, Pahang and Kelantan as well as on

High Population
Density
 Areas of high
population density
are found mainly in
y are found in the interior
and around the stretch of the central northern part of the Peninsula M
main cities,
namely, Kuala
Lumpur, Johor
Baharu, George
Town, Melaka and
Ipoh.
 Other notable areas
of high density are
the lowland of the
northeast and the
northwest of
Peninsular Malaysia
 Factors Influencing Distribution
And Density Of Population In
Peninsular Malaysia

1) Relief
2) Climate
3) Mineral Resources
4) Soils
5) Accessibility
6)
(1) Relief
 Relief plays an important role in influencing the
distribution of population in Peninsular
Malaysia.
 It shows that the coastal lowland areas along the
west coast are densely populated because the
low-lying and flat relief makes it more suitable
for agriculture and the development of
industries and infrastructure.
 In contrast, the interior highlands are sparsely
populated due to the steep and rugged terrain.
 The thick forest vegetation and thin soil also
make agriculture difficult as accessibility is
poor.
 (2) Climate
 Climate is another factor influencing population distribution.
 The west coast is protected from the full force of the
Northeast Monsoons by the interior highlands and from the
Southwest Monsoons by Sumatra.
 Being protected from the full impact of the monsoon rain
allow trade, market towns and ports to flourish in the west
coast.
 On the other hand, population density is much lower on the
east coast which receives the full force of the Northeast
Monsoons as a result of facing the South China Sea.
 The heavy rain often result in floods that disrupt agriculture,
fishing and transportation and communication links.
 Most parts of Peninsular Malaysia experience the high
tropical temperatures from 25◦C to 28◦C which favour the
cultivation of a variety of crops such as padi, rubber and
oil palm.
(3) Mineral Resources
 Mineral resources have also been an important
factor in the distribution and density of
population.
 The west coast of Peninsula Malaysia was rich in tin
ore and attracted mining companies and large
numbers of workers into the area.
 Mining of tin ore such as a Kinta Valley and Klang
Valley remained in the western part are areas
with dense population.
 The infrastructure developed for tin mining
facilities led to the other urban and industrial
development of towns such as Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh
and Georgetown into main cities.
 The recent discovery and extraction of natural gas
and oil off the coast of Terengganu also led these
areas provide new employment opportunities.
(4) Soils
 The soil along the west coast is generally deep
and well oxidised, making them suitable for
the cultivation of plantation crops.


 Fertile alluvial soil deposited by major rivers

such as Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu in
the Northeast and Northwest plains is also
favourable for the cultivation of rice supports
a high population density.


 Rice which is the staple crop is grown

intensively here and can support a high
population density.
 (5) Accessibility
 Accessibility has also influenced population distribution.
 Communication links such as transportation lines and ports
are more established in the west coast due to tin mining
activities.
 It shows the railway and road systems of Peninsular
Malaysia.
 There is better transportation network on the west coast
and this has led to an influx (immigration) of workers
and traders to this area.
 The sheltered waterways of the Strait of Malacca is an
important trade route resulting in densely populated
shipping centres such as Klang, Melaka and Georgetown.
 This is in direct contrast to the interior highlands that
have remained sparsely populated partly because steep
gradients and the dense vegetation cover of tropical
rainforest make then difficult to access.
 The poorer infrastructure along the east coast and in the
interior highlands resulted in lower population densities.