Question

Explain with example how socio-economic factors affect distribution of population

Answer 1

1. Physical Factors:

Physical factors that affect population distribution include altitude and latitude, relief, climate, soils, vegetation, water and location of mineral and energy resources. It is important to note that most of the physical factors influence population distribution only indirectly through climatic conditions.


The influences of latitude and altitude on population distri­bution cannot be separated from one another. High altitude in general imposes an ultimate physiological limit upon human existence due to reduced atmospheric pressure and low oxygen content. Therefore, very few permanent settlements can be seen in the lofty mountains of the world at a height above 5,000 metres. Staszewski, in his exhaustive analysis of the vertical distribution of population, has shown that both numbers and densities in different parts of the world decline with increasing altitude.


This is particularly true in the temperate and other high latitude areas where insolation is very important. The river valleys may promote or restrict human settle­ments depending upon other geographic conditions. In Egypt, nearly 98 per cent of the population is concentrated forming a ribbon along the Nile River. As against this, in tropical swamps and dissected plateaus, river valleys tend to repel population.
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2. Economic, Political and Historical Factors:

Population distribution and density in an area depends to a large extent on the type and scale of economic activities. Same geographic conditions provide different opportunities for people with different types and scale of economic activities. Technological and economic advancement can bring about significant changes in population distribution of an area. For instance, the Prairies of North America offered different opportunities for the Indians with their hunting economy, the nineteenth century ranchers, the later settled agriculturist and finally the modern industrialized and largely urbanized society.

Each stage in economic development was marked with profound changes in population density and distribution in the region. Industrialization and discovery of new sources of minerals and energy resources have, throughout human history, brought about redistribution of population through migration. In the pre-industrial agricultural societies, population distribution often fairly evenly distributed responds to the nature of crops grown and their relationship to physical conditions.



During the more recent times, government policies and political factors have emerged as an important determinant of population patterns. With increasing state control over economic activities, government policies have led to a significant change in the patterns of population distribution in several parts of the world. In the erstwhile USSR, facilitated by advances in science and technology, population was directed to parts of Siberian plains, which were hitherto not suitable for human habitation. Likewise, in China, planned colonization of the interior, encouraged by the communist government, has resulted in signif­icant change in population patterns.

In the late 1960s and 1970s, some 10 to 15 million people in the country were forcibly relocated to the rural communes in order to ease pressure on urban employment. Examples of government inducements encouraging migration to new areas can be cited from several developed countries of the West as well. In addition to government policies, political events have also caused redistribution of population throughout human history.

Answer 2

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Social Factors: 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.

Economic Factors: Industrial areas offer employment opportunities. A large number of people make their way into these areas. Examples: Mumbai in India and Osaka in Japan.

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