CBSE Class 12 Geography The world Population Assignment Set 01

Patterns of Population Distribution
- Population distribution means arrangement distribution of people over the earth’s surface.
- Population is not evenly distributed as 90 percent of the world’s population lives in about 10 percent of its land area.
- The 10 most populous countries of the world contribute about 60 per cent of the world’s population.
- Out of these 10 countries, 6 are located in Asia.

Density of Population
- This means the ratio between the number of people to the size of the land.
- It is usually measured in persons per sq km density of population/area.

Factors Influencing Population Distribution
- The population distribution is influenced by three factors i.e., geographical factors, economic factors and social and cultural factors.

Geographical Factors
Environmental or natural factors such as landforms, fertile soil, suitable climate for cultivation and availability of adequate source of fresh water are the geographical factors that affect the population distribution.

Some geographical factors are:
- Land Forms Flat Plains and gentle slopes are preferred by people, because these are favorable for the production of crops and to build roads and industries.
- Climate Area with less seasonal variation attract more people.
- Soil Area which have fertile loamy soil have more people living on them as these can support intensive agriculture.
- Water People prefer to live in areas where fresh water is easily available. Because, it is the most important factor for life.

Economic Factors
Places having employment opportunities like mineral rich areas, industrial units and urban centres have high concentration of population. Some economic factors are:
- Industrialisation Industries provide job opportunities and attract large numbers of ‘ people.
- Minerals Minerals deposits attract industries 1 mining and industrial activities generate
- employment.
- Urbanisation Good civic amenities and the attention of city life draw people to the cities.

Social and Cultural Factors
- Places having religious importance and cultural significance are also very densely populated areas.

Population Growth
- This refers to the change in number of inhabitants of a territory during a specific period of time.
- When change in population is expressed in percentage, then it is called Growth Rate of Population.
- When there is an increase in population by taking the difference between births and deaths, then it is called Natural Growth of Population.
- There is also Positive Growth of Population which happens when birth rate is more than death rate and Negative Growth of Population when birth rate is lower than death rate.
Components of Population Change
There are three components of population change i.e., births, deaths and migration.

Crude Birth Rate [CBR]
- Number of births in a year per thousand of population is expressed as Crude Birth Rate (CBR). It is calculated as:
- CBR=BiP×100
- Here, Bi= live Births during the year; P = Mid year population of the area.

Crude Death Rate (CDR)
Number of deaths in a year per thousand of population is expressed as Crude Death Rate (CDR). It is calculated as:
- CDR=DP×100
- Here, D= Number of Deaths; P= Estimated mid-year population of that year.

Migration
- It is movement of people across region on permanent, temporary or seasonal basis.
- The place they move is called place of origin and the place they move to is called place of destination.

Push and Pull Factors of Migration
- The Push factors make the place of origin seem less attractive for reasons like unemployment, poor living conditions, political turmoil, unpleasant climate, natural disasters, epidemics and socio-economic backwardness.
- The Pull factors make the place of destination seem more attractive than the place of origin for reasons like better job opportunities and living condition eace and stability, security of life and property and pleasant climate.

Trends in Population Growth
- Trends show that initially growth of population was very slow but after the improvement in Science and Technology, there had been tremendous growth in population which is called population explosion.
- About 8000 to 12000 years ago world population was 8 million and now it has reached to 7 billion.
- In every 12 years, 1 billion people are added. Increased agriculture and industrial production, inoculation against epidemics, improvement in medical facilities have reduced death rates.

Doubling Time of World Population
- Developed countries are taking more time to double their population as compared to developing countries.

Spatial Pattern of Population Change
- The world population growth rate is 1.4%, it is highest in Africa i.e. 2.6% and lowest in Europe i.e. 0.0% means neither grow nor decline.
- So even when a small annual rate is applied to very large population, it will lead to a large population change. There is negative correlation between economic development and population growth.

Impact of Population Change
- High increase in population leads to problems like depletion of natural resources, unemployment and scarcity. Decline in population indicates that resources are insufficient to maintain a population.

Demographic Transition Theory
This theory studies the changes in the population of a region as it moves from high births and high deaths to low births and low deaths. This happens when a society progresses from rural agrarian and illiterate to urban, industrial and literate.
There are three-staged model of Demographic Transition Theory. They are:

First Stage
- This stage is marked by high fertility high mortality rate because people reproduce more to compensate for the deaths due to epidemics and variable food supply.
- People are poor, illiterate and mostly engaged in agriculture. Life expectancy is low and population growth is slow.

Second Stage
- Level of technology increases and other facilities like medical, health, sanitation improves due to which the death rate reduces.
- But the fertility rate and birth rate remains high due to which there is huge rise in population. Population expands rapidly as there is wide gap between birth and death rate.

Third Stage
- The birth and death rate both reduces and the population moves towards stability.
- People become literate, urbanised and control the size of the family. There is good judicious use of technology also.

Population Control Measures
- Family planning is the spacing and preventing the birth of children. Thomas Malthus theory (1793) states that the number of people would grow faster than the food supply thus leading to famine, diseases and war.
- Therefore, it is essential to control the population. This is undertaken through measures like awareness for family planning, free availability of contraceptives, tax disincentives and active propaganda.

Question. Who mentioned regarding the population control that preventive checks are better than the physical checks?
a. Thompson
b. Thomas Malthus
c. Ralph Waldo Emerson
d. Tailor
Answer. b

Question. Which is measured in terms of person's per sq km.?
a. Growth of population
b. Immigration of population
c. Density of population
d. Emigration of population
Answer. c

Question. Which region were inhabited from early periods in history due to the present climate?
a. Savannah region
b. Pampas
c. Prairie
d. Mediterranean region
Answer. d

Question. Kobe- Osaka region is in
a. Japan
b. India
c. Indonesia
d. Africa
Answer. a

Question. Assertion : The annual population growth rate in India is 1.6 % .
Reason: Some developed countries will take 318 years to double their population.
a. Assertion (A) correct and reason (R) is incorrect.
b. Assertion ( A) is incorrect and reason (R) is correct
c. Assertion is correct and reason is also correct but it is not the right reason for the Assertion (A)
d. None of these is correct.
Answer. c

Question. Migrants who are moving to a new place is called ---------
a. Emigration
b. Immigrants
c. Emigrants
d. Immigration
Answer. b

Question. CBR = Bi/P*1000. Here P refers to
a. Population of an area
b. Population growth
c. Population birth
d. Mid year population of an area
Answer. d

Question. Who stated "Asia has many places where people are few and few places where people are very many"?
a. Hartshorne
b. George B Cressey
c. Malthus
d. None of them
Answer. b

Question. What is the demographic transition model?
a. A graph that plots changes in birth and death rates and migration over time and shows how the population grows in response.
b. A graph that plots changes in birth and death rates over time and shows how the population grows in response.
c. A graph that plots changes in infant mortality and people per doctor over time and shows how the population grows in response.
d. A graph that plots changes in child mortality and death rates over time and shows how the population grows in response
Answer. b

Question.Consider the following statements and choose the correct answer
I. The Kobe-Osaka region of Japan is thickly populated because of the presence of a number of industries.
II. Industrial belts provide job opportunities and attract large numbers of people
a. Only I is correct.
b. Only II is correct
c. Both the statements are incorrect
d. Both statements are correct and statement II correctly explains the statement
Answer. d

Study the graph carefully and answer the questions that follow

Question. When was the stage for rapid population growth set up?
a. During sixteenth century
b. During eighteenth century
c. During fifteenth century
d. During twentieth century
Answer. a

Question. What was the reason behind the population growth in question 1
a. Agricultural development
b. Industrial revolution
c. Expanding world trade
d. Technological revolution.
Answer. c

Question. When did population explosion take place?
a. During sixteenth century
b. During eighteenth century
c. During fifteenth century
d. During twentieth century
Answer. b

Question. What was the impact of technological advancement on world population?
a. Reduction in birth rate
b. Decrease in population
c. Reduction in death rate
d. Increase in birth rate
Answer. a

Question. Among the top ten countries with the highest population, how many countries are located in Asia?
a. Six
b. Four
c. Nine
d. Two
Answer. a

Question. How many countries of Africa are included in the top ten most populous countries?
a. Three
b. One
c. Two
d. Four
Answer. b

Question. Ten most populous countries make up %of world’s population
a. 65%
b. 55%
c. 60%
d. 50%
Answer. c

Question. Why are the people of a country considered its real wealth ?
Answer. The people of a country are its real wealth because it is they who make use of the country’s resources and decide its policies

Question. Define the term population distribution
Answer. The term population distribution refers to the way people are spaced over the earth’s surface

Question. What is the meaning of density of population? Explain with examples four geographical factors influencing the distribution of population in the world.
Answer. Density of population is the number of people living in a square kilometer of area.
Density of population =population/Area.
Geographical factors influencing distribution of population are
1. Availability of water-people prefers to live in areas where fresh water is easily available. River valleys are therefore the most densely populated areas of the world. Eg- Gangetic plains are densely populated
2. Landforms: people prefer living on flat plains and gentle slopes. The mountainous and hilly areas are less populated. Eg- Himalayan region are sparsely populated.
3. Climate: extreme climate are uncomfortable for human habitation. Areas with comfortable climate attract more people. Eg- Mediterranean region is densely populated.
4. Soils: areas which have fertile loamy soils have more people living on them as these can support intense agriculture. Eg- Nile Delta

Question. When does the positive growth of population take place?
Answer. When the birth rate is more than the death rate between two points of time or when people from other countries migrate permanently to a region positive growth of population takes place

Question. Which are the two sets of factors that influence migration in the world? Explain both the set of factors with suitable examples
Answer. The two sets of factors that influence migration in the world are
Push factors makes the place of origin seems less attractive- unemployment, poor living conditions, political turmoil,, unpleasant climate, natural disasters, epidemics, socio economic backwardness.
Pull factors makes the place of destination seem more attractive than the place of origin - better job opportunities, peace and stability, security of life and property, pleasant climate.

Question. What does the Theory of Demographic Transition tell us?
Answer. This theory tells us that population of any region changes form high births and high deaths to low births and low deaths as society progresses from rural agrarian and illiterate to urban industrial and literate society.

Question 1. Mention any two push factors.
Answer: Unemployment and lack of civic amenities.
In simple words: Push factors are negative conditions that force people to leave their home place.

Exam Tip: Always distinguish clearly between push factors (negative forces) and pull factors (attractive forces) in migration questions.

Question 2. Which Continent has the highest growth rate of population?
Answer: Africa.
In simple words: Africa currently experiences the fastest population growth among all continents.

Exam Tip: Memorize continent-wise population growth trends as questions frequently appear in 1-mark formats.

Question 3. Name a mineral belt in Africa which has dense population?
Answer: Katanga-Zambia Copper belt.
In simple words: Mineral-rich regions attract human settlements due to employment opportunities, creating pockets of high density.

Exam Tip: Link economic factors like mining and industrialization directly with population concentration.

Question 4. Name three components of population change.
Answer: Birth rate, Death rate, and Migration.
In simple words: Population changes due to people being born, people dying, and people moving from one place to another.

Exam Tip: These three components together determine the demographic dynamics of any region.

Question 5. Who are emigrants?
Answer: Emigrants are people who move out of a place.
In simple words: Emigrants are out-migrants who leave their original country or region to live elsewhere.

Exam Tip: Do not confuse emigrants (people leaving) with immigrants (people arriving).

Question 6. Which country in the world has the highest growth rate of populations?
Answer: Liberia.
In simple words: Liberia records the highest annual population growth rate globally.

Exam Tip: Keep updated with demographic textbook data for specific country-based facts.

Question 7. Why is population growth high in second stage of Demographic Transition?
Answer: High birth rate and low death rate.
In simple words: In stage two, medical improvements reduce deaths while birth rates remain high, leading to rapid population explosion.

Exam Tip: Emphasize the widening gap between high fertility and declining mortality in stage two.

Question 8. What is the trend of population growth in third stage of demographic transition?
Answer: Stable, zero, or even negative growth.
In simple words: Population growth slows down significantly as both birth and death rates become low.

Exam Tip: Stage three represents urbanized, industrialized societies with controlled family sizes.

Question 9. Why has life expectancy been reduced in some developing countries of Africa?
Answer: Due to deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS.
In simple words: Epidemics and fatal health crises drastically lower the average lifespan in affected regions.

Exam Tip: Mention health infrastructure and disease burdens as critical determinants of life expectancy.

Question 10. What is meant by Demographic Transition?
Answer: To predict the future population of an area, demographic transition theory can be used. This theory explains a 3-staged model of demographic transition:
Stage (i) High birth rate, high death rate, low growth rate - Example: Bangladesh
Stage (ii) Initially high birth rate, low death rate, high growth rate - Example: India
Stage (iii) Low birth rate, low death rate, stable or low growth rate - Example: Japan
In simple words: It is a model showing how population changes as a country develops economically and socially from rural-agrarian to urban-industrial.

Exam Tip: Always list the stages sequentially with their respective birth/death characteristics and correct country examples.

Question 11. Classify the world into various regions on the basis of population density.
Answer:
1. Areas of High Density:
(i) Monsoon Asia, South and South-east Asia
(ii) Europe - river valleys, coastal plains
(iii) Eastern coastal region of North America
2. Areas of Medium Density:
(i) Asia
(ii) Europe
(iii) U.S.A., Australia
(iv) Africa, South America
3. Areas of Low Density:
(i) Hot Deserts
(ii) Extremely cold areas
(iii) Cold Deserts
(iv) Equatorial Region
In simple words: The world is divided into high, medium, and low population density zones based on environmental and economic habitability.

Question 12. What are the components of population change?
Answer:
1. Fertility or Birth rate: \(\text{CBR} = \frac{B}{P} \times 1000\)
\(B =\) Live birth during the year
2. Mortality or Death rate: \(\text{CDR} = \frac{D}{P} \times 1000\)
\(P =\) Mid-year population of the area
3. Migration: Out-Migration and In-Migration
\(D =\) Number of deaths
In simple words: Population change is calculated mathematically using crude birth rate, crude death rate, and net migration.

Exam Tip: Write formula equations clearly using proper mathematical notation and define all variables.

Question 13. "There are many places where people are very few and few places where people are very many in the world." Support the statement with five suitable examples.
Answer:
- The 10 most populous countries contribute about 60% of the world's population.
- Out of 10 most populous countries, 6 are located in Asia.
- Six Asian countries contribute 292.93 crores.
- N.E. part of USA, NW part of Europe, S.E. & East Asia are densely populated with more than 200 persons on every sq. km.
- Area near the North & South poles, the hot & the cold deserts & high rainfall zones near the equator have low density of population with less than 1 person per sq. km.
In simple words: Global population is unevenly distributed, with extreme concentration in a few river valleys and plains, and sparse population in harsh climates.

Exam Tip: Support geographical distribution statements with statistical percentage figures and regional examples.

Question 14. What is the meaning of density of population? Explain with examples four geographical factors influencing the distribution of population in the world.
Answer:
Density of population = \(\frac{\text{Population}}{\text{Area}}\)
Geographical factors:
1. Availability of water: People prefer to live where fresh water is easily available for drinking, cattle, and agriculture (e.g., river valleys).
2. Landforms: Plains are densely populated because they are suitable for agriculture, road construction, and industries (e.g., Ganga plains), whereas mountainous areas have low density.
3. Climate: Extreme climates such as very hot or cold deserts (Sahara, polar regions) have very low population, while moderate climates support high population.
4. Soil: Fertile loamy soils are vital for agriculture, supporting dense populations in river basins and volcanic plains.
In simple words: Population density measures how crowded an area is, and natural factors like water, relief, climate, and soil dictate where humans can comfortably settle.

Exam Tip: Always state the population density formula first before explaining the influencing geographical factors.

Question 15. Which are the two sets of factors which influence migration in the world. Explain both the sets of factors with suitable examples.
Answer:
Two sets of factors: Push factors and Pull factors.
1. Push factors: Unemployment, poor living conditions, political turmoil, unpleasant climate, natural disasters, and epidemics.
2. Pull factors: Better job opportunities, peace & stability, security in life, and pleasant climate.
In simple words: People migrate due to negative conditions pushing them away from origin places and attractive opportunities pulling them towards destination places.

Exam Tip: Contrast push and pull factors systematically with matching pairs of socio-economic examples.

Question 16. What are the negative impacts of population change?
Answer:
A declining population has the following negative impacts:
(i) Lack of utilization of resources.
(ii) Ageing population leads to more pressure on the economy in terms of medical expenses, etc.
(iii) Decrease in working population hinders societal, economic, and scientific/technological development.
An increasing population has the following negative impacts:
(i) Pressure on land, other resources, and infrastructure increases.
(ii) Large population below the age of 18 years leads to more expenditure on education, health, etc.
(iii) Increase in poverty, deprivation, and unemployment.
(iv) Environmental degradation.
In simple words: Both extreme population decline and rapid population growth create severe economic, social, and environmental challenges.

Question 17. What are the positive impact of population change?
Answer:
A declining population has the following positive impact:
(i) Less pressure on land and on other resources.
(ii) Less pressure on infrastructure and civic amenities.
(iii) Higher per capita income and better standard of living.
An increasing population, if in a desirable proportion, has the following positive impact:
(i) Ample opportunity of workforce / human resource.
(ii) Good for an expanding economy.
(iii) Helpful in better utilization of resources.
(iv) Bio-diversity is kept intact.
In simple words: Controlled population changes can relieve resource stress or provide productive human capital depending on economic conditions.

Exam Tip: Present both positive aspects of population decline and positive aspects of balanced population growth.

Question 18. How growth of population differ from growth rate of population. In what conditions it will be natural growth of population.
Answer:
Growth of population - Change of population in a particular area between two points of time.
Growth rate of population - Change of population expressed in percentage.
Natural growth of population - This is the population increased by the difference between births and deaths in a particular region between two points of time.
In simple words: Absolute population growth is the numerical increase, growth rate is the percentage increase, and natural growth excludes migration effects.

Exam Tip: Define absolute growth, percentage growth rate, and natural growth as three distinct demographic terminologies.

Question 19. Why is there great variation among various countries in doubling their population?
Answer:
- Developed countries are taking more time to double their population.
- Developed countries have controlled their growth rate.
- Developing countries are still lagging behind regarding education, health, etc.
In simple words: Developed nations have lower birth rates due to high socioeconomic development, leading to slower doubling times compared to developing nations.

Exam Tip: Link doubling time directly with the level of economic development and demographic transition stage of countries.

Question 20. Mention any three sparsely population regions of the world with less than 1 person/sq.km.
Answer:
Polar areas, equatorial areas, desert areas, and hilly-mountainous regions.
In simple words: Extreme geographical environments prevent permanent human settlement, resulting in extremely low population densities.

Exam Tip: Keep examples brief and precise, naming specific hostile environments like tundra or deep deserts.

Question 21. Explain with examples three stages of demographic transition.
Answer:
Stage I - High BR and High DR (Example: Remote tribal societies)
Stage II - High BR and Low DR (Example: India, developing countries experiencing population explosion)
Stage III - Low BR and Low DR (Example: Japan, Western European nations with stable/declining population)
In simple words: The three stages trace the transition from primitive high birth-death rates to modern low birth-death rates.

Exam Tip: Ensure birth rate (BR) and death rate (DR) abbreviations are clearly paired with stage descriptions.

Question 22. Diagram based Question - From the early period to 1600 what was the trend of population growth & why?
Answer:
Population growth was steady due to an agrarian economy.
In simple words: Agricultural societies sustained a slow, steady population increase without sudden industrial spikes.

Exam Tip: Relate historical population plateaus directly to economic phases like agrarianism and industrialization.

Question 22 (continued). Explain the trend of population growth from 1600 to 1950.
Answer:
Industrial development, development of transport, sanitation, and medical facilities, and evolution of biotechnology.
In simple words: Innovations and better health care after 1600 caused population growth to accelerate rapidly.

Question 22 (continued). Give reasons responsible for the rapid population growth after 1900.
Answer:
Advent of information and computer technology, access to resources, and control on diseases.
In simple words: Modern scientific advancements and disease eradication pushed global population growth to unprecedented heights after 1900.

Exam Tip: Conclude demographic timelines by emphasizing twentieth-century technological and medical triumphs.