Class 12 Geography chapter 2 ncert solutions: The World Population Distribution Density and Growth question answer
| Textbook | Ncert |
| Class | Class 12 |
| Subject | Geography |
| Chapter | Chapter 2 |
| Chapter Name | The World Population Distribution Density and Growth ncert solutions |
| Category | Ncert Solutions |
| Medium | English |
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Question 1: Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below
Question 1.(i): Which one of the following continents has the highest growth of population?
(a) Africa
(b) South America
(c) Asia
(d) North America
Answer 1.(i): (a) Africa
Question 1.(ii): Which one of the following is not an area of sparse population?
(a) The Atacama
(b) South-east Asia
(c) Equatorial region
(d) Polar regions
Answer 1.(ii): (c) South-east Asia
Question 1.(iii): Which one of the following is not a push factor?
(a) Water shortage
(b) Medical/educational facilities
(c) Unemployment
(d) Epidemics
Answer 1.(iii): (b) Medical/educational facilities
Question 1.(iv): Which one of the following is not a fact?
(a) Human population increased more than ten times during the past 500 years.
(b) Population growth is high in the first stage of demographic transition?
Answer 1.(iv): (b) Population growth is high in the first stage of demographic transition?
Question 2: Answer the following questions in about 30 words.
Question 2.(i): Name three geographical factors that influence the distribution of population.
Answer 2.(i): Three geographical factors that influence the distribution of population are:
Climate: People tend to live in areas with a temperate climate that offers a balance of warmth and rainfall, making agriculture and living conditions more favorable. Harsh climates like deserts or extreme cold areas often have sparse populations.
Water Supply: Proximity to water sources, such as rivers, lakes, and coastlines, influences population distribution. Water is essential for drinking, agriculture, and industry, so areas with reliable water sources tend to have denser populations.
Topography: The physical features of the land, such as mountains, plains, and valleys, impact where people can live. Flat and fertile land is typically more suitable for agriculture and urban development, leading to higher population density, while mountainous or rugged areas often have lower populations.
Question 2.(ii): There are a number of areas with high population density in the world. Why does this happen?
Answer 2.(ii): The areas with high population density across the world have at least one or usually multiple factors favorable for the settlement of population. Wherever people found conducive conditions for living, they have been settling there. With passage of time and growth of population, these areas became regions of thick population density.
For example, the regions with availability of water, good climate, presence of minerals and other resources, of religious or cultural significance became regions of thick population. Example: Ganga-Yamuna Doab, Mediterranean regions.
Question 2.(iii): What are the three components of population change?
Answer 2.(iii): The three components of population change are:
Crude Birth Rate (CBR): It is expressed as number of live births in a year per thousand of population in a particular region.
Crude Death Rate (CDR): It is the number of deaths in a place per thousand of population in a particular region. CBR and CDR are natural factors of population growth. They result in natural population growth, which is equal to the difference between CBR and CDR.
Migration: It is the induced factor in population growth. It is the number of people moving in and out of a place due to various social, economic and political reasons. It is taken into account while calculating actual growth of population.
Question 3: Distinguish between:
Question 3.(i): Birth rate and death rate.
Answer 3.(i): Birth rate and death rate are both demographic measures that help in understanding population growth and decline. Here’s the distinction:
- Birth Rate:
- Definition: The birth rate refers to the number of live births per 1,000 people in a given year.
- Formula: Birth rate = (Number of births / Total population) × 1,000
- Significance: A higher birth rate typically indicates a growing population, whereas a lower birth rate may signal a population decline or stable growth.
- Death Rate:
- Definition: The death rate refers to the number of deaths per 1,000 people in a given year.
- Formula: Death rate = (Number of deaths / Total population) × 1,000
- Significance: A higher death rate can result from factors like poor healthcare, malnutrition, or epidemics, and it usually corresponds with a declining population if not balanced by a higher birth rate.
Question 3.(ii): Push factors and pull factors of migration.
Answer 3.(ii): Push Factors and Pull Factors of migration refer to the reasons why people leave one place (push) and why they are attracted to another place (pull). Here’s a distinction between the two:
Push Factors: These are the negative conditions or circumstances in a person’s current location that drive them away to seek better opportunities elsewhere.
- Examples:
- Unemployment: Lack of job opportunities can force people to move.
- Water shortage: Areas facing drought or inadequate water supply may push people to migrate.
- Natural disasters: Earthquakes, floods, or other natural calamities can displace people.
- Conflict or War: Political instability, violence, or war can force people to flee their homes.
- Poor living conditions: Inadequate housing, sanitation, or healthcare may push people to seek better living conditions elsewhere.
Pull Factors: These are the positive conditions or advantages of a destination that attract people to migrate there.
- Examples:
- Job opportunities: Better employment prospects can attract people to move to a new area.
- Better living conditions: Access to better healthcare, education, and housing can be a strong pull.
- Climate: A more favorable climate, like a temperate or tropical environment, can draw people in.
- Political stability: A peaceful and secure political environment can attract migrants seeking safety.
- Social amenities: Access to medical, educational, and recreational facilities can be a significant pull factor.
Question 4: Answer the following questions in about 150 words.
Question 4.(i): Discuss the factors influencing the distribution and density of population in the world.
Answer 4.(i): The factors influencing the distribution and density of the population in the world may be classified into three broad categories, which may again be divided into minor elements. They are enumerated below.
Geographical factors:
- Availability of water: It is the most critical factor in life. People prefer to live in areas where fresh water is readily available. Water is essential for the development of agriculture and for carrying out day-to-day activities.
- Landforms: People prefer to live in flat plains and gentle slopes as they are favourable for the production of crops and for building roads and industries. The mountainous and uneven terrain offers obstacles in infrastructure development activities that hamper human development and hence are less populated. Eg: Himalayan regions in India.
- Climate: People prefer living in areas that do not have extreme climatic conditions, that is, areas that do not have a high daily and annual range of temperature and adequate rainfall. Eg. Mediterranean regions.
- Soils: Fertile soils are essential for agricultural and allied activities. Therefore, areas with fertile loamy soils have more people living in them as these can support intensive agriculture. Eg. Northern plains.
Economic factors:
- Minerals: Areas rich in minerals attract industries. Mining and allied activities generate employment. Skilled and semi-skilled workers move to these areas, making them densely populated. Eg. Katanga Zambia copper belt in Africa.
- Industrialization: Industrial belts provide job opportunities and attract large numbers of people. These include factory workers, transport operators, shopkeepers, doctors and other professionals.
Eg: The Kobe – Osaka industrial region of Japan. - Urbanization: Better employment opportunities, educational and medical facilities, and better means of transport and communication attract people to cities. It leads to rural-urban migration, and hence cities grow in size.
E.g. prominent, many people move to cities like Delhi, Mumbai, etc., making them densely populated.
Social and cultural factors:
Some places attract more people because they have religious or cultural significance. In the same way, people tend to move away from areas where there is social and political unrest.
For example, the emigration of people from civil war affected areas of Africa. The government often incentivises people to live in sparsely populated areas.
E.g. Indira Gandhi Canal colonies.
Question 4.(ii): Discuss the three stages of demographic transition.
Answer 4.(ii): The three stages of demographic transition are:
• The first stage has high fertility and high mortality because people reproduce more to compensate for the deaths due to epidemics and variable food supply. The population growth is slow and most of the people are engaged in agriculture where large families are an asset. Life expectancy is low, people are mostly illiterate and have low levels of technology.
• In the second stage, fertility remains high in the beginning, but it declines with time. This is accompanied by reduced mortality rate. Improvements in sanitation and health conditions lead to decline in mortality. Because of this gap the net addition to population is high. This results in population explosion. Eg., Countries like India.
• In the last stage, both fertility and mortality decline considerably. The population is either stable or grows slowly. The population becomes urbanized, literate and has high technical know how and deliberately controls the family size. Some countries even face negative growth of population, E.g., many Western European countries.