It is easy to analyse the words
population distribution .
Population refers to people and
distribution refers to where these people live on earth. The map below indicates that people are not distributed evenly across the globe. In certain areas there is a larger concentration of people than elsewhere.
1. Factors that influence the movement and settlement of people
There are approximately 6 milliard (6 000 million) people on earth and they inhabit only approximately 15% of the surface of the earth (see circle graph).
There are certain factors that influence the choice of where to live.
N atural factors:
Climate:
Pleasant temperatures (between 10 ºC and 30 ºC) and comfortable humidity attract people. Extreme circumstances such as windstorms or very high rainfall should not prevail.
Sources:
People go where their basic needs can be addressed. Food and water are the most important of these needs.
Human factors
Economy:
People will settle where they can earn money (often in spite of an unpleasant climate).
Political decisions:
Decisions made by the government of a country can make circumstances very unpleasant for the inhabitants, which cause a migration of people elsewhere.
AN INTERESTING FACT: - Approximately 90% of the world population lives in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Approximately 60% of the world population lives in areas that are lower than 200 m above sea level.
Activity 1:
To study a map of the world as a group to acquire information
[lo 1.1]
Study the map of the world as well as maps in your atlas. Find possible answers to the following questions:
What are the reasons for the low density of population at a, b and c?
Why is the population at d and e also sparse?
Does the Amazon River in Brazil have anything to do with the density of _______________population in that country? (Explain)
Explain the reasons for the density of population in the North Eastern corner of __________________________Africa.
Would you say that Australia is an urbanised country?
2. The choice: in the city or in the country/rural area?
Most of the grade 6 learners who are reading this, live in a city or in a large town! We know this because more than half of our country’s population is
URBANISED . This means that more than 50% of our people live in large towns or cities. This is determined by means of a
census .
When you examine the map on page 3 it becomes clear that people are not distributed evenly over the globe, but are concentrated in certain parts. This has not always been the case. From the very beginning – even in Biblical times – there were cities, although most people did not live there. Only over the past 50 years the number of people in South Africa living in cities increased, and decreased in rural areas. These figures vary from country to country.
In the migration between urban and rural areas, technology has always played a significant role. As new opportunities for work develop, people change their workplace and often the place where they live. This means that people generally move from rural to urban areas to look for new employment opportunities.
Technological development results in people being replaced by machines in the workplace and that the people who lose their jobs, move to the cities where there are more employment opportunities.
