Factors Affecting Population Distribution

In any study of population distribution, it is necessary identify factors which determine the way in which it is distribution within an area of a country, or in a country as well as in continent in which that country lies, or in a region, or in the world considered as a whole.

These factors provide the necessary explanation for particular patterns of population distribution are generally grouped into three categories: (1) Geographical factor (2) Economic and social factors; and (3) Demographic factors. The categories, however, are in no way like water-tight compartment.

Geographic Factors of Population Distribution

Physical conditions, such as climate (temperature and rainfall), landforms in terms of altitudes, the quality of the soil and the availability of energy and mine resources are the important geographical determinants of population distribution. Another important factor is the relationship between the location of one place and other places of importance.

Climate is one of the most important natural conditions which have historically played a vital role in the development of hum life, for it is the main factor determining the formation of botany environment and of vegetable and animal associations. Geography therefore, usually considers the main climatic belts of the earth as the framework within which human activity takes place.

Temperature is an important factor to be considered in climate conditions. It is obvious that wherever there are extremes of temperature, human life is difficult to sustain, and consequently such areas are sparsely inhabited. It has been estimated that 6.4 million square miles of the earth are too cold for cropping. When temperatures are very high and are combined with humidity, such conditions may not be too attractive for those who may wish to migrate to these places for other reasons, thus affecting population growth due to immigration.

As water is essential for human survival, population distribution is largely determined by rainfall and other sources of water supply like rivers, wells, etc. The nature of the terrain is also an important geographic feature determining population distribution. Wherever the terrain is difficult, the area is sparsely populated. For instance, in a mountainous region, population density is low because the area of arable land is limited, and it is difficult to maintain even the existing arable land. In addition, the cost of transportation and of constructing, maintaining and operating agricultural equipment, is high; and the high altitude also adversely affects human activity. It has been estimated that high mountains, which generally tend to discourage human settlements, occupy more than one million square miles of the earth's land surface. Low-lying plains are the most favourable to population settlements. For instance, the plains of North America and Europe are densely populated areas, so is the Ganges Valley in India.

The quality of the soil is yet another geographic determinant of population distribution. There are two kinds of soil, the superficial matter which covers the solid rock below. Though the quality of the soil was an important determinant of population distribution in the past, modern times, and its role may become less important because mod scientific agricultural technology has devised ways to modify that physiochemical structure of the soil and to make it more fertile, it is sterile or exhausted following over-use and/or wrong use.

Social and Economic Factors of Population Distribution

Geographers are not unanimous in their opinion that the distribution of population is determined mainly by physical factors. Some are of the view that social and economic factors are more important than physical factors, and that, as society becomes more complex, these physical factors become less important in determining population distribution.

The social and economic factors affecting population distribution are: (1) the type of economic activity; (2) the type of technology employed; and (3) social policy.

Type of Economic Activity

In rural areas, most people make direct use of the surrounding land to support themselves through agriculture, hunting and mining; if land cannot support its population, the surplus moves out.

On the other hand, in urban areas, people do not depend on land for sustenance and, therefore, can live in one area, though they depend on products from other areas. The concentration of population in urban areas is a result of diverse economic activities which can be carried out in these areas.

When a great variety of economic activity is concentrated in a single area, the result is high population density. These economic activities include wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, finance and business, and even Government and medical services as well as communication. Because of the diverse types of economic activities undertaken in urban areas, small land areas can be inhabited by large populations.

Type of Technology

Various economic activities are interrelated with the types of technology that are used, and jointly they influence population distribution.

It has, however, been pointed out that technology, "has an important influence, for changes in the techniques employed in any type of economic activity may open new areas which formerly held little possibility of human habitation, or render unattractive the sites which formerly were advantageous."

Social Policy

Most countries have strict laws governing immigration, and can, therefore, control the size as well as the internal distribution of their populations.

On the other hand, population distribution within a country is not as easily controlled because, in most countries, citizens have the constitutional right to decide the place of residence within a country. Government however, may and often do and indirectly influence decisions individuals in this matter.