The World - Population density and megacities

Population
978-3-14-100890-6 | Page 36 | Ill. 2
The World | Population density and megacities | Population | Karte 36/2

Overview

The world's population is not evenly distributed across the continental land masses. Various physical-geographical as well as socioeconomic and cultural-historical factors play an important role in defining this distribution. Population density maps can be used to concretely identify such differences. The contrast between metropolitan areas and sparsely populated regions could hardly be shown more clearly.

Population density and surface composition of the Earth

The global overview of population distribution and density uses colouring to show the contrast between densely populated and sparsely or not at all populated regions of the Earth. The arid, cold and altitude boundaries of the inhabited areas are also recognizable. Permanent settlement is mostly dominant beyond arid and cold zones as well as areas of high altitude, which are defined by mining or scientific activities. The tropical rainforests also belong to the areas with little settlement, although their area has decreased dramatically in recent decades.

Densely populated coastal regions

The large densely populated areas (agglomerations, metropolitan areas) of the Earth can be divided into two groups. On the one hand, there are the densely populated and highly industrialised regions. This group includes, for example, the north-east of the USA, the east coast of Japan and the Rhine area located in Europe with its continuations towards London and Milan, but also some coastal regions of South Korea and Taiwan.

The special case of China

China occupies a special position, since in addition to the urban, highly industrialised densely populated areas - such as Beijing, the Pearl River Delta, Qingdao or Shanghai - large farming areas are also among the world's largest and most populous concentrations of settlements. They are mostly concentrated in the Red Basin, the Great Plains, the valleys of the major rivers to the east coast and along the coasts.

Population distribution by continent

Currently, almost 7.9 billion people live on earth. Asia accounts for more than 60 percent of the world's population, followed by sub-Saharan Africa (16 percent), North, Central and South America (13 percent), Europe (10 percent) and Oceania (0.5 percent). Within the continents or subcontinents as well as large nations, there are often strong contrasts between densely populated areas and peripheral areas. In Asia, for example, there is a cold area in the north and large arid areas and highlands in the west or interior of the continent, which considerably limit the space in which dense settlement is possible.

Further densely populated areas

The second large group of densely populated areas, the intensive agricultural areas with a lower degree of industrialisation, includes not only large parts of the Great Plain or the Red Basin in China, but also the North Indian Plain with its irrigated cultures, the south of the Caspian Sea, Java, the eastern Upper Guinea Coast with its hinterland along the Niger River, and the Nile River Oasis in Egypt.