How do the ‘landforms’ and ‘urbanisation’ influence the distribution of world population ? Explain with examples.
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Urbanization is a self-reinforcing cycle: services attract people, and a larger population demands more services.
Solution and Explanation
• Population distribution is uneven across the world due to a combination of physical and socio-economic factors.
• Landforms (physical) and Urbanisation (socio-economic) are primary determinants of where people choose to live.
Step 1: Influence of Landforms
Gently sloping lands and plains are preferred for human settlement because they are suitable for agriculture, industrial development, and transport networks.
In contrast, mountainous and rugged terrains restrict mobility and have limited agricultural potential, leading to sparse populations.
Example: The Ganga Plains in India are among the most densely populated regions in the world, whereas the Himalayas have a very low population density.
Step 2: Influence of Urbanisation
Urban areas act as "pull" factors due to the availability of better employment opportunities, educational facilities, healthcare, and superior infrastructure.
This leads to rural-to-urban migration, causing high population concentration in cities.
Example: Cities like Tokyo (Japan) and Mumbai (India) have massive population densities because they serve as global hubs for economy and services.
Top CBSE CLASS XII Geography Questions
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Hunting and Food Gathering
The earliest human beings depended on their immediate environment for their sustenance. They subsisted on: (a) animals which they hunted; and (b) the edible plants which they gathered from forests in the vicinity. Primitive societies depended on wild animals. People located in very cold and extremely hot climates survived on hunting. The people in the coastal areas still catch fish though fishing has experienced modernisation due to technological development. Many species, now have become extinct or endangered due to illegal hunting (poaching). The early hunters used primitive tools made of stones, twigs or arrows so the number of animals killed was limited. Gathering and hunting are the oldest economic activity known. These are carried out at different levels with different orientations. Gathering is practised in regions with harsh climatic conditions. It often involves primitive societies, who extract both plants and animals to satisfy their needs for food, shelter and clothing. This type of activity requires a small amount of capital investment and operates at very low levels of technology. The yield per person is very low and little or no surplus is produced.- Examine the role of climate, water availability, and soil fertility on the distribution of world population.
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- Study the following table carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Year Number of Towns/UAs Urban Population (in Thousands) % of Total Population Decennial Growth (%) 1931 2,072 33,456.0 11.99 19.12 1941 2,250 44,153.3 13.86 31.97 1951 2,843 62,443.7 17.29 41.42 1961 2,365 78,936.6 17.97 26.41 1971 2,590 1,09,114 19.91 38.23 1981 3,378 1,59,463 23.34 46.14 1991 4,689 2,17,611 25.71 36.47 2001 5,161 2,85,355 27.78 31.13 Study the following table carefully and answer the questions that follow:
India - Trends of Urbanisation
Year Number of Towns/UAs Urban Population (in Thousands) % of Total Population Decennial Growth (%) 1931 2,072 33,456.0 11.99 19.12 1941 2,250 44,153.3 13.86 31.97 1951 2,843 62,443.7 17.29 41.42 1961 2,365 78,936.6 17.97 26.41 1971 2,590 1,09,114 19.91 38.23 1981 3,378 1,59,463 23.34 46.14 1991 4,689 2,17,611 25.71 36.47 2001 5,161 2,85,355 27.78 31.13 - Examine the importance of 'productivity' as a pillar of 'human development'.
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Assertion (A) : In recent decades, the urban population of India has grown rapidly.
Reason (R) : In India, the workforce is shifting from farm-based to non-farm-based occupations.
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