Population Density & Distribution Notes

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From this section, you must know…

1. What does population density measure?
2. What is urbanization?
3. Why does population distribution matter? </aside>

Definition: Population - all the people who live in a particular town, area, or country.

We will define two areas of different population density in this class: urban and rural.

Definition: Rural - farmland and small settlements outside large towns, cities, or the capital. These areas have low population density.

Definition: Urban – the area in and around a city. These areas have high population density.

Definition: Urbanization – the increasing process of people moving into cities (urban areas)

As more of the world’s population moves into dense cities, these are some of the problems cities face (especially in developing countries):

1. Overcrowding – Cities are becoming too crowded with too little space.
2. Strain on Utilities – Cities have to provide more services to more people.
3. Dying Communities – As people move away, rural communities are struggling
4. Climate Change – More people moving into the path of climate disasters.

Density is the measure of the amount of people living in an area (measured in person per sq. mile or km) or – How crowded/not crowded a place is.

Distribution is the pattern of where people live in the world. In other words, how and why people live where they do.