Population Distribution (College Board AP® Human Geography): Flashcards
0Still learning
Know0
Define population distribution.
Was this flashcard helpful?
Cards in this collection (23)
Define population distribution.
Population distribution refers to the spatial distribution of people on Earth's surface.
Define population density.
Population density measures the number of people living in a particular area.
Define demography.
Demography is the study of population characteristics.
Define ecumene.
Ecumene refers to the portion of the Earth's surface occupied by permanent human settlement.
How is population density typically expressed?
Population density is typically expressed as the number of people per square mile or per square kilometre.
Name three physical factors that affect population distribution.
Physical factors affecting population distribution include climate and weather, relief and landforms, soil types and quality, vegetation, natural resources, and natural hazards.
Name three human factors that affect population distribution.
Human factors affecting population distribution include economic development, political stability, cultural diversity, social services, and historical factors.
What kinds of areas do people tend to live in?
People tend to live in hospitable areas, such as river valleys, near fertile agricultural land, along the coast, in temperate climates, and at low elevation.
What are examples of the population characteristics studied in demography?
Examples of population characteristics studied in demography include age, sex ratio, size, birth rate, and death rate.
True or False?
People tend to settle in areas at high elevation.
False.
People tend to avoid areas that are too dry, wet, cold, or at high elevations.
As the scale of analysis changes, the of certain factors affecting population distribution also changes.
As the scale of analysis changes, the relevance of certain factors affecting population distribution also changes.
How can population distribution differ with the scale of analysis?
At a national scale most people may live in cities, but within a particular region most people might live in rural areas.
Define arithmetic density.
Arithmetic density is the measure of the total number of people divided by the total amount of land.
Define physiological density.
Physiological density is the measure of the total number of people divided by the amount of arable land.
Define agricultural density.
Agricultural density gives the ratio of the number of farmers to the amount of arable land.
What are the three methods of calculating population density?
The three methods of calculating population density are arithmetic, physiological, and agricultural.
What is arithmetic density also known as?
Arithmetic density is also known as crude population density.
True or False?
Agricultural density measures the total number of people divided by the total amount of land.
False.
That definition describes arithmetic density; agricultural density gives the ratio of the number of farmers to the amount of arable land.
Why is physiological density more useful for countries with large non-arable areas, such as deserts?
Physiological density gives a more accurate representation of density for such countries because it reflects the number of people supported by a unit of arable land, not total land.
What does a large difference between a country's arithmetic and physiological densities indicate?
A large difference indicates the country has a small percentage of land suitable for agriculture and very densely concentrated populations.
How does agricultural density differ between highly-developed and developing countries?
Highly-developed countries tend to have lower agricultural density because technology produces sufficient food without many workers, while developing countries tend to have higher agricultural density because more workers are required.
Why is arithmetic density considered a misleading measure for Australia?
Australia's arithmetic density of three people per square kilometre is misleading because the population is not evenly distributed but heavily concentrated in a few cities and along the coast.
Australia's physiological density is 43 people per square kilometre of land.
Australia's physiological density is 43 people per square kilometre of arable land.
Sign up to unlock flashcards
or