NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Geography Fundamentals of Human Geography Chapter 2: The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth

Chapter at a glance

Exercise Questions

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

Africa has the highest population growth rate (about 2.5% per year), though Asia has the largest population.

1. 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

The Atacama desert, the equatorial forests and the polar regions are sparsely populated. South-east Asia (including the river valleys and deltas) is densely populated.

2. 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

Push factors make people leave a place (water shortage, unemployment, epidemics). Medical and educational facilities attract people to a place — they are pull factors.

2. 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. is a fact — the chapter states that human population increased more than ten times in the past 500 years. (b) is not a fact: in the first stage of demographic transition, both fertility and mortality are high, so population growth is slow/low.
2. Population growth is high in the first stage of demographic transition — this is not a fact (growth is low in the first stage).

Question 2 (i)

Name three geographical factors that influence the distribution of population.

Answer

1. Availability of water – people prefer areas where fresh water is easily available; river valleys are densely populated.
2. Landforms – people prefer flat plains and gentle slopes, suitable for agriculture, transport and industries (e.g. Ganga plains); mountains and hilly areas are sparsely populated.
3. Climate – areas with comfortable climate and little seasonal variation attract more people; very hot or cold deserts and heavy rainfall areas have few people. (Also: soils — fertile loamy soils support dense population.)

Availability of water, landforms (flat plains vs mountains) and climate (moderate vs extreme); fertile soils are another factor.

Question 2 (ii)

There are a number of areas with high population density in the world. Why does this happen?

Answer

High density occurs where favourable conditions exist: - Geographical – fertile plains and river valleys (Ganga, Nile, Yangtze), availability of water, moderate climate (e.g. South and South-east Asia, Europe). - Economic – areas with minerals (Katanga, Zambia copper belt), industrialisation (industrial belts of Europe, north-eastern USA, Japan) providing jobs, and urbanisation offering better employment, education, health and transport facilities. - Social and cultural – places of religious or cultural significance, political stability and peace attract people.

High densities occur where fertile plains, water and moderate climate support agriculture, where minerals, industries and cities offer jobs and amenities, and where social, cultural and political conditions (religious centres, peace and stability) attract people — e.g. South and East Asia, Europe, north-eastern USA.

Question 2 (iii)

What are the three components of population change?

Answer

The three components of population change are births, deaths and migration. Births (measured by the crude birth rate) increase population, deaths (crude death rate) decrease it, and migration may increase (in-migration) or decrease (out-migration) the population of a place.

Births (fertility), deaths (mortality) and migration.

Question 3 (i)

Distinguish between birth rate and death rate.

Answer

Birth rate (CBR) is the number of live births per thousand population in a year and adds to population; death rate (CDR) is the number of deaths per thousand population in a year and reduces population. CBR depends mainly on social factors, CDR on health care and development.

Question 3 (ii)

Distinguish between push factors and pull factors of migration.

Answer

Push factors (unemployment, poor living conditions, political turmoil, disasters, epidemics) make people leave their place of origin; pull factors (better jobs and living conditions, peace, security, pleasant climate) attract people to the destination.

Question 4 (i)

Discuss the factors influencing the distribution and density of population in the world.

Answer

1. Geographical factors: - Availability of water – the most important factor; people prefer areas where fresh water is easily available for drinking, bathing, cooking, irrigation, industries and navigation. River valleys are among the most densely populated areas. - Landforms – people prefer to live on flat plains and gentle slopes, favourable for crops and for building roads and industries. Mountains and hilly areas hinder transport and are sparsely populated (e.g. the Ganga plains are dense; the Himalayas sparse). - Climate – areas with a comfortable climate, without much seasonal variation, attract more people; areas with very heavy rainfall or extreme and harsh climates (hot and cold deserts) have low population. Mediterranean regions have been inhabited from early times due to pleasant climate. - Soils – fertile soils are important for agriculture; areas with fertile loamy soils have dense population (e.g. alluvial plains).

2. Economic factors: - Minerals – areas with mineral deposits attract industries and employment; e.g. the Katanga–Zambia copper belt in Africa. - Urbanisation – cities offer better employment, educational and medical facilities, and transport and communication, attracting rural migrants. - Industrialisation – industrial belts provide jobs and attract large numbers of people, including factory workers, transport operators, shopkeepers, bank employees etc. (e.g. Kobe–Osaka region of Japan).

3. Social and cultural factors: - Some places attract more people because they have religious or cultural significance (e.g. pilgrimage centres like Varanasi, Jerusalem, Vatican City). - People tend to move away from places of social and political unrest. - Governments may offer incentives to people to live in sparsely populated areas or move away from overcrowded places.

Population distribution and density are influenced by geographical factors (availability of water, flat landforms, comfortable climate, fertile soils), economic factors (minerals such as the Katanga–Zambia copper belt, urbanisation, industrialisation such as the Kobe–Osaka region), and social and cultural factors (religious and cultural centres, avoidance of unrest, government incentives).

Question 4 (ii)

Discuss the three stages of demographic transition.

Answer

Demographic transition theory describes and predicts the future population of an area: population changes from high births and high deaths to low births and low deaths as society progresses from rural, agrarian and illiterate to urban, industrial and literate.

Stage I – high fertility and high mortality: - Both fertility and mortality are high because people reproduce more to compensate for deaths due to epidemics and variable food supply. - Population growth is slow. - Most people are engaged in agriculture where large families are an asset; life expectancy is low; people are mostly illiterate with low levels of technology. - Two hundred years ago, all countries of the world were in this stage.

Stage II – fertility remains high, mortality declines: - At the beginning, fertility remains high but declines with time. This is accompanied by reduced mortality due to improvements in sanitation and health conditions. - Because of this gap, the net addition to population is high — rapid population growth (population explosion). - Many developing countries (e.g. in Africa and parts of Asia) are in this stage.

Stage III – both fertility and mortality decline: - Both fertility and mortality decline considerably; population is either stable or grows slowly. - Population becomes urbanised, literate and has high technical know-how; people deliberately control family size. - Developed countries (e.g. Europe, Japan, USA) are in this stage; some have even negative growth.

Stage I: high fertility and high mortality, slow growth, agrarian and illiterate society. Stage II: fertility stays high while mortality falls due to better sanitation and health, causing rapid growth (developing countries). Stage III: both fertility and mortality are low, population is stable or grows slowly, and society is urban, literate and technologically advanced (developed countries).

Question 5 (Map Skill)

On the outline map of the world, show and name the following: (i) Countries of Europe and Asia with negative growth rate of population.

Answer

Countries with negative population growth (population declining) to be shown: - Europe: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Albania, Germany (natural decrease). - Asia: Japan, South Korea, China (since 2022), Georgia, Armenia.

(Students should mark these on the outline map and name them; figures vary by year — refer to the latest UN World Population Prospects.)

Mark European countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, the Baltic states, Greece, Italy and Portugal, and Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, China, Georgia and Armenia, which have negative population growth.

Question Project/Activity – (i)

Has someone in your family migrated? Write about her/his place of destination. What made her/him migrate?

Answer

(Sample answer — students should write about their own family.)

My uncle migrated from our village in Bihar to Bengaluru (Karnataka) in 2015.

• Place of destination: Bengaluru, a large metropolitan city known as India’s IT hub, with many software companies, construction projects and services.
• Reasons (push factors): limited jobs in the village, small landholding, low agricultural income, floods affecting crops, lack of higher education opportunities.
• Reasons (pull factors): a job in a software company after completing his engineering degree, higher salary, better living conditions, educational opportunities for his children, modern facilities.
• Effects: he sends money (remittances) home, which helped build a pucca house; he visits during festivals; he faced difficulties of language, high rent and distance from family.

Sample: an uncle migrated from a Bihar village to Bengaluru, pushed by few jobs, small landholdings, floods and lack of education, and pulled by a software job, higher pay and better facilities; he sends remittances home but faced language and housing difficulties.

Question Project/Activity – (ii)

Write a brief report on the distribution and density of population in your state.

Answer

(Sample report on Uttar Pradesh — students should use data for their own state, e.g. from Census 2011.)

Uttar Pradesh – distribution and density of population - Population (Census 2011): about 19.98 crore — the most populous state of India (16.5% of India’s population). - Density: 829 persons per sq km (India: 382). - Distribution: - High density in the fertile Ganga–Yamuna doab and the eastern plains — districts like Ghaziabad, Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur Nagar, Allahabad (Prayagraj), Deoria — due to fertile alluvial soil, water from rivers and canals, agriculture, urban and industrial centres. - Lower density in the Bundelkhand region (Lalitpur, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Banda) in the south — rocky, uneven terrain, less fertile soil, scarcity of water — and in the Terai forest areas in the north (Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Shravasti have relatively lower densities). - Urbanisation: about 22% urban; major cities — Lucknow, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Agra, Varanasi, Meerut, Prayagraj. - Conclusion: distribution is uneven, determined mainly by physical factors (soils, water, relief) and economic factors (cities, industries).

Sample — Uttar Pradesh: about 19.98 crore people (2011) with a density of 829 per sq km; dense in the fertile Ganga–Yamuna doab and eastern plains and urban districts like Ghaziabad, Varanasi and Lucknow, and sparse in rocky, dry Bundelkhand and the Terai forests — showing the influence of soils, water, relief and urbanisation.

Topic checklist

• ☒ Distribution and density; factors (Q 1 (ii), 2 (i), 2 (ii), 4 (i))
• ☒ Population change and growth (Q 1 (i), 1 (iv), 2 (iii), 3 (i), 4 (ii), map)
• ☒ Migration — push and pull (Q 1 (iii), 3 (ii), project (i))
• ☒ State population report (project (ii))

Total questions answered: 14 of 14