World population, distribution, density, human races

- this is the process of distribution of the population over the territory and the formation of a network of settlements. Its character is influenced by four groups of factors:

• socio-economic (general level of economic development, regional differences in the location of sectors of the economy, incomes of the population, volumes of investment, etc.);
• natural (climate, relief, soil, availability, etc.);
• demographic (intensity of mechanical and natural movement of the population);
• historical factor (influence on the resettlement of historical conditions).

The main features of the population distribution

The distribution of the population reflects the result of the process of population resettlement for a specific period of time.

The people on the planet are extremely unevenly settled.

More than two-thirds of humanity is concentrated on about 8% of the land area, and about 10% of it is still uninhabited (, almost all, etc.).

Other features of the distribution of the population on Earth are as follows: 72% of the population lives in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe origin and formation of man, 60% of the population lives in temperate zone northern hemisphere; more than half of the people are concentrated in the lowlands (up to 200 m above sea level), although the latter make up less than 30% of the land. The population is, as it were, "shifted" to the sea - almost 1/3 of the people live at a distance of no more than 50 km from the sea (this strip occupies 12% of the land).

The distribution of population across regions of the world is uneven. 3/5 of it falls on , 13.5% - , another 12% - on , and the rest of the regions in total - less than 15% Over the past decades, the share of Asia, Africa and the entire population of the world has constantly increased, Oceania has been stable , and Europe and - has been steadily declining.

Now only 1/5 of the population the globe lives in economically highly developed countries, including 11.4% in the top 7 (, Germany, and), and 4/5 in developing countries.

60% of humanity is concentrated in ten largest states with a population of more than 100 million in each, and almost 15% in eleven countries with a population of 50 to 100 million people. Thus, there is a very high territorial concentration of the population. However, the vast majority of countries have less than 10 million inhabitants, and many have less than 1 million. The proportion of sparsely populated countries is highest in Africa, Oceania and Central America. Examples of states with very small population can serve (1 thousand inhabitants) and Pitcairn Island (a British colony in Polynesia), where the population is less than 100 people.

The degree of population and economic development of the territory is often determined by the indicator - the number of inhabitants per 1 km2. Its average value in the world is 45 people per 1 km2. However, at the same time, according to available estimates, for half of the land population density is less than 1 person per 1 km2, and for 1/4 - it ranges from 1 to 10 people per 1 km2.

There are 6 regions on the globe with the highest population density (over 100 people per 1 km2):

1. East Asian (East China, Japan, Republic of Korea).
2. South Asian (Indo-Gangetic lowland, South India.
3. Southeast Asian ( , Vietnam, ).
4. European (Europe without its northern part).
5. Northeastern region of the USA.
6. West African region (Nile valley and lower reaches - countries: Nigeria,).

In addition, there are areas with high population density in - some coastal areas in and.

The most densely populated countries in the world include (930 people per 1 km2), and - 330 - 395 people per 1 km2.

High population density is most often associated with the development of industry and cities, in which it often reaches several thousand and even tens of thousands of people per 1 km2. However, among densely populated countries there are both industrial, highly urbanized countries (Great Britain, Belgium, Germany), and agrarian countries with a sharp preponderance rural population(India, Indonesia, Bangladesh). The situation is similar among sparsely populated states, which include both highly developed countries -

Throughout almost the entire history of mankind, the population of the Earth has grown very slowly. The acceleration came in the period of modern history, and especially in the 20th century. The world population is about 6.1 billion people. The annual increase is approximately 85 million people or 1.4%. Almost 90% of it occurs at the expense of developing countries. The population of Africa and the Muslim countries of Asia is growing at a particularly high rate. According to forecast estimates, the world population in 2050 will reach 9.3 billion people, of which 58% will live in Asia, 22 in Africa, and only 7% in Europe, including Russia. By the number of inhabitants, the largest will be (million people): India - 1535, China - 1523, Pakistan - 380, USA - 350 and Nigeria - 340.

The world's population is distributed extremely unevenly: about 70% of all people live on 7% of the earth's land area. Along with this, about half of all inhabited land has an average population density of less than 5 people per 1 km 2. Areas completely undeveloped by people occupy 15% of the land. There are 4 areas of high population density on the globe: Southern and East Asia, Western Europe And East End North America. The distribution of the population is strongly influenced by the natural conditions of the territory, employment in agriculture, attraction to transport and trade routes. For example, more than half of the population is concentrated in a 200-kilometer strip along the coasts of the seas and oceans, and almost 30% in a 50-kilometer strip. The average population density of the Earth is 40 people per I km 2. This average hides very large differences between hotel regions and countries.

At present, the population is distributed very unevenly across countries and parts of the world: Asia - 3786 million people, Africa - 822, America - 829, Europe - 700, Australia and Oceania - 30. The largest (more than 100 million people) countries of the world in 2000 were: China - 1285, India - 1027, USA - 281, Indonesia - 228, Brazil - 175, Pakistan - 156, Russia - 145, Bangladesh - 131, Japan - 128, Nigeria - 127, Mexico - 104. 50 million people) were allocated to the Philippines - 83, Germany - 82, Vietnam - 80, Egypt - 69, Iran - 68, Turkey - 67, Ethiopia - 66, Thailand - 62, Great Britain - 59, France - 59, Italy - 58.

People are not the same appearance, according to the color of the skin, hair, eyes, the shape of the skull, face. These outward signs, by which one group of people differs from another, are called racial characteristics. Groups of people with similar racial characteristics are called human races. There are three main human races: Caucasoid, Mongoloid and Equatorial. Most of the peoples of Eurasia belong to the Caucasoid race. Many Europeans moved to other continents centuries ago. Caucasoids inhabit most of North America and South America, Australia. Many peoples of Asia belong to the Mongoloid race, as well as Indians - the indigenous inhabitants of America. The main areas of settlement of the peoples of the equatorial race Africa, Australia, islands New Guinea and Madagascar. Negroes belonging to this race - the descendants of slaves taken out of Africa - live in North and South America.

As a result of communication between peoples of different races, mixed races appeared. There are 3-4 thousand peoples or ethnic groups in the world. Ethnic groups are called established stable communities of people. The classification of peoples (ethnic groups) is usually carried out according to their number. The vast majority of peoples are small. There are 310 nations in the world with more than 1 million people, but they make up 96% of the total population of the Earth. Among all peoples, 18 largest stand out, numbering more than 50 million each, which account for about 60% of the world's population. More than 100 million people number only 7 peoples: Chinese (over 1 billion), Hindustanis, US Americans, Bengalis, Russians, Brazilians and Japanese.

Nowadays, the location of the population is increasingly determined by the geography of cities. When assessing the urban population, it should be taken into account that there is no single concept of “city” for all countries. For example, in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, a city is considered a settlement with more than 200 inhabitants, in Canada, Australia - over 1000, in Germany, France - over 2000, in the USA - over 2500, in India - over 5000, in Switzerland - over 10,000, and in Japan over 30,000.

Urbanization (from Latin city) refers to the growth of cities and the increase in the proportion of the urban population, as well as the emergence of increasingly complex networks and systems of cities. Modern urbanization has three common features characteristic of most countries in the world. The first feature is the rapid growth of the urban population. The second feature is the concentration of population and economy mainly in big cities. Among the large hearths, it is customary to highlight the cities-"millionaires" (with a population of more than 1 million inhabitants). The third feature is the "spread" of cities, the expansion of their territory, the formation of urban agglomerations - territorial groupings of urban and rural settlements. The largest urban agglomerations of the world have developed around Mexico City, Tokyo, Sao Paulo and New York; 16-20 million people live in each of them. In Russia, the largest agglomeration is Moscow (13.5 million people). According to the level of urbanization, all countries of the world can be divided into three large groups: highly urbanized (Kuwait, Great Britain, Sweden, Australia, Japan, USA, Russia, etc.), that is, with a share of the urban population of more than 50%, medium urbanized (20–50%) and slightly urbanized (less than 20%). The pace of urbanization largely depends on its level. In most economically developed countries that have reached a high level of urbanization, the proportion of the urban population in Lately grows relatively slowly or even decreases. In the developing countries of Asia and Africa, where the level of urbanization is much lower, it continues to grow in breadth and the urban population is growing rapidly. This phenomenon, known in science as an urban explosion, has become one of the most important factors in the socio-economic development of the entire developing world.

Rural settlement is characterized by two main forms: group (village) and scattered (farm). The rural form prevails in Russia, foreign Europe, China, Japan, in the vast majority of developing countries. The farm form of settlement is most common in the USA, Canada, and Australia.

Population growth depends on the nature of its reproduction. Reproduction (natural movement) of the population, a set of processes of fertility, mortality and natural increase, which ensure the continuous renewal and change of human generations. In the most simplified form, we can talk about two types of population reproduction

The first type of population reproduction is characterized by relatively low rates of fertility, mortality and natural increase. It is widespread in economic developed countries North America, Europe, Russia, Australia. However, in some countries foreign Europe(Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Hungary, etc.) natural population growth is so low that there is even a natural population decline.

The second type of population reproduction is characterized by high and very high birth rates and natural increase. It is typical for developing countries, where, after gaining independence, the death rate dropped rather sharply and the birth rate remained at the same very high level. Such a phenomenon of rapid population growth in countries of the second type of reproduction since the middle of the 20th century. received inliterature the figurative name of the population explosion.

Population migration, which is divided into external and internal, has a great impact on the distribution of the population, as well as on its size and composition. External migrations of the population arose in ancient times, continued in the Middle Ages, during the periods of the new and recent history. Until the middle of the XX century. The main center of emigration was Europe, the second - Asia. The centers of immigration were primarily the United States, Canada, Latin America, Australia. Geography after World War II external migrations changed noticeably. Intercontinental migration has decreased and intracontinental migration has increased, especially in Europe, which now employs 12–13 million foreign workers. In the second half of the XX century. spread new form external migrations, known as the brain drain. Its essence lies in poaching foreign scientists, engineers, doctors and other highly qualified specialists. The "brain drain" has a particularly negative effect on developing countries, where the stratum of intelligentsia is small. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, due to the economic and political crisis, the “brain drain” from Russia and other CIS countries intensified. There are several types of internal (intrastate) migrations of the population. This is the movement of the population from the countryside to the city, the colonization and development of new lands, etc.

Population placement- Distribution of the population on the territory of the Earth. To a large extent, it depends on natural conditions. And since such conditions are not the same on the planet, the population is distributed extremely unevenly. In addition, the history of the settlements of the territory and the level of development of the economy, etc., are of great importance.

In view of this, not all areas of the globe are favorable for human life. So, only 7% of the land area is home to 70% of the world's population, and 37% of the territory is not inhabited at all.

Population density- the number of people living on 1 km2. This is the main indicator of the distribution of people on the planet. The most densely populated territories of ancient agriculture are the Nile Valley, the Great Chinese Plain, the Indo-Gangetic Lowland, etc. There are favorable natural conditions, so the population density exceeds 300 people per 1 km2. At the same time, in polar and tropical deserts, where the climate is extremely variable and conditions for farming are limited, the population density is less than 1 person per 1 km2. Europe is the largest part of the world, the smallest is Australia.

human races- groups of people who have certain common external features. External signs The ways in which one group of people differs from another are called racial traits. These include different skin color, hair, eyes, head shape, etc.

Racial signs are not accidental and were formed a very long time ago as a result of human settlement of various geographical zones of the Earth. So, the inhabitants of the hot regions of the globe eventually developed adaptations that protected the body from overheating by the sun's rays. They have dark skin, thick and curly hair, thick lips and wide open nostrils. All these are signs of representatives of the Negroid (equatorial) race.

The inhabitants of cold countries belong to the Caucasoid race. They have light skin, soft hair of different colors. The narrow nose limits the inhalation of cold air. These devices gave more chances survive and settle in Europe, in a large area of ​​which the climate is characterized by significant cloudiness and relatively less heat.

The representatives of the Mongoloid race have a yellowish skin color, black straight hair. They have a narrow section of the eyes, since they have long lived on open spaces With strong winds and dust storms.

With the growth of the population of the Earth, peoples of different races communicated more and more closely with each other. Therefore, mixed races appeared.

Man's homeland modern look considered to be eastern and southern regions Africa. From here began the migration movement, as a result of which the spaces of Africa, Asia and Europe were settled. About 40 thousand years ago, individual tribes penetrated into the territory of America, and 20 thousand years ago - into Australia.

Population density

Depending on natural and socio-economic factors, the age of territory development, the population density on the globe changes. On average, it is 45 people. per km 2. At the same time, about 70% of the population lives in 7% of the world, a little more than 86% - within the Eastern Hemisphere. Approximately one tenth of the earth's surface remains uninhabited. Mostly people settle in the plains, less often in the mountains, although there are permanent settlements even at an altitude of about 5000 m (Andes, Tibet). But this is rather an exception to the general rule; the predominant part of the population lives in areas no higher than 500 m above sea level.

The population density on the continents varies greatly: in America - 20.5 people. per km 2, in Asia (without Russia) - 114.6, Africa - 25.1, Europe (without Russia) - 98.6, in Oceania and Australia - 3.4. In Russia, the population density has recently decreased to 8.7 people. per km 2.

The centers of ancient agricultural culture, where the first civilizations arose, have a high density. A significant concentration of the population (up to 1200 people and more per 1 km 2) is observed in the Nile Valley, in the lower reaches of the Ganges and Brahmaputra, the Irrawaddy, Huang He, at the mouth of the Yangtze and the Chujiang, in the interfluve of the Tigris and Euphrates, and in the lower reaches of the Hongha and Mekong rivers it reaches 1300-1500 people. per km 2.

Highly urbanized areas with developed forms of urban settlement and enormous economic, social and cultural potential are densely populated. In Western Europe, these are the megalopolis formed on the basis of the London agglomeration, the Rhine-Ruhr in Germany, the "circular city" Randstad in the Netherlands, Paris and its zone of influence in France, etc. In North America, large clusters of urban settlements formed along the Atlantic coast USA, from Boston to Washington, between Chicago and Pittsburgh, within California from San Francisco to Los Angeles and San Diego, along the southern border of Canada. The largest megalopolis was formed surrounded by the Tokyo agglomeration (Tokaido). Bombay, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Calcutta, Karachi, Jakarta and others are dynamically developing on the Asian continent. Sydney et al. Population density in such urbanized areas is over 1000 people. per km 2. But the demographic load is especially great in the central quarters (cores) of agglomerations, where the average population density increases from several thousand to 30 thousand or more per km2. With such an excessive accumulation of people in a limited area, problems inevitably arise: transport, planning, and socio-environmental.

Among the countries of the world, Singapore (5675), Bangladesh (939), Taiwan (595), South Korea (464), and the Netherlands (460) have the highest population density (persons per km 2). Two features are noteworthy. Firstly, these countries are distinguished by their small size and, secondly, they occupy an advantageous coastal economic and geographical position. High population density is also in Lebanon (377), Japan (335), Belgium (333), Israel (283), the Philippines (246), the UK (244), Germany (235) and Vietnam (231). Some of them have retained a fairly high natural population growth (Bangladesh, Vietnam) or continue to attract migrants from other countries of the world (Israel, Germany, etc.). At the same time, Mongolia, located in the center of a vast continent, is characterized by a very low density (1.5 people per km2). In recent decades, there has been a tendency for the population to move to coastal areas. At medium density population in India 326 people. per km 2, and in China - 133 more than 1000 people live on the sea coast of these countries. per km 2.

The main patterns of population distribution.
About 70% of the population is concentrated on 7% of the territory, and 15% of the land is completely uninhabited.

90% of the population lives in the northern hemisphere.

Over 50% of the population - up to 200 m above sea level, and up to 45% - up to 500 m above sea level (only in Bolivia, Peru and China (Tibet) does the boundary of human habitation exceed 5000 m)

about 30% - at a distance of no more than 50 km from the sea, and 53% - in a 200-km coastal strip.

80% of the population is concentrated in the Eastern Hemisphere average density: 45 people / km 2 per 1/2 land population density less than 5 people / km 2 maximum population density: Bangladesh - 1002 people / km 2

World population density

The people on the planet are extremely unevenly settled. Approximately 1/10 of the land is still uninhabited (Antarctica, almost all of Greenland, and so on).

According to other estimates, about half of the land has a density of less than 1 person. square kilometer, at 1/4 the density ranges from 1 to 10 people per 1 sq. km. km and only the rest of the land has a density of more than 10 people per 1 square kilometer. On the inhabited part of the Earth (oecumene), the average population density is 32 people per square meter. km.

80% live in the eastern hemisphere, 90% live in the northern hemisphere, and 60% of the world's population lives in Asia.

Obviously, a group of countries with a very high population density stands out - over 200 people per square kilometer. It includes such countries as Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Israel, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Republic of Korea, Rwanda, El Salvador, etc.

In a number of countries, the density indicator is close to the world average - in Ireland, Iraq, Colombia, Malaysia, Morocco, Tunisia, Mexico, etc.

Some countries are distinguished by lower density indicators than the world average - in them it is no more than 2 people per 1 km 2. This group includes Mongolia, Libya, Mauritania, Namibia, Guyana, Australia, Greenland, etc.

Causes of uneven settlement

The uneven distribution of the population on the planet is explained by a number of factors.
First, this natural environment. For example, it is known that 1/2 of the world's population is concentrated in the lowlands, although they make up less than 30% of the land; 1/3 of people live at a distance of no more than 50 kilometers from the sea (the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthis strip is 12% of the land) - the population is, as it were, shifted to the sea. This factor has probably been leading throughout human history, but its influence is weakening as socio-economic development progresses. And although vast areas with extreme and unfavorable natural conditions(deserts, tundras, highlands, rainforests etc.) are still sparsely populated, yet alone natural factors one cannot explain the expansion of the ecumene and the huge shifts in the distribution of people that have occurred over the past century.
Secondly, the historical factor has a rather strong influence. This is due to the duration of the process of human settlement on Earth (about 30 - 40 thousand years).
Thirdly, the current demographic situation affects the distribution of the population. Thus, in some countries, the population is increasing very rapidly due to high natural increase.

In addition, within any country or region, no matter how small, the population density is different and varies greatly depending on the level of development of the productive forces. It follows that the indicators of the average population density give only an approximate idea of ​​the population and economic potential of the country.

This uneven distribution of the population is caused by a number of interrelated factors: natural, historical, demographic and socio-economic.

The population is distributed very unevenly across the globe. It is related to the influence a large number factors that can be divided into three groups.

· Natural. They were decisive in the resettlement of people before the transition of mankind to agriculture and animal husbandry. Among the most important here are absolute altitude, relief, climate, presence of water bodies, natural zonality as a complex factor.

· Socio-economic. These factors are directly related to the development of human civilization and their influence on the distribution of the population increased with the development of productive forces. Despite the fact that human society will never fully acquire independence from nature, at present, it is the factors belonging to this group that are decisive in shaping the system of the Earth's settlement. These include the development of new territories, the development natural resources, construction of various economic facilities, population migration, etc.

· Environmental factors. In fact, they also belong to the socio-economic. However, starting from the last quarter of the 20th century, their influence increased sharply, which became the basis for their separation into a separate group. The influence of these factors is already determined not only by individual local events (the Chernobyl accident, the problem Aral Sea etc.), and increasingly acquires a global character (problems of pollution of the oceans, the greenhouse effect, ozone holes, etc.).

Historically, it has been most of population lives in Asia. Currently, in this part of the world there are more than 3.8 billion people (2003), which is over 60.6% of the population of our planet. Almost equal in population America and Africa (approximately 860 million people, or 13.7%), Australia and Oceania are significantly behind the rest (32 million people, 0.5% of the world population.

Asia hosts most of the countries with the largest populations. Among them, according to this indicator, China has long been the leader (1289 million people, 2003), followed by India (1069 million people), the USA (291.5 million people), Indonesia (220.5 million people). pers.). Seven more states have a population of over 100 million people: Brazil (176.5 million people), Pakistan (149.1 million people), Bangladesh (146.7 million people), Russia (144.5 million . people), Nigeria (133.8 million people), Japan (127.5 million people) and Mexico (104.9 million people). At the same time, the population of Grenada, Dominica, Tonga, Kiribati, Marshall Islands is only 0.1 million people.

The main indicator of population distribution is its density. This figure is growing with the increase in population and is currently on average in the world it is 47 people/km. However, it is significantly differentiated by regions of the world, countries and, in most cases, by different regions of countries, which is determined by the previously named groups of factors. Among parts of the world, the highest population density is in Asia - 109 people / km and Europe - 87 people / km, America - 64 people / km. Africa and Australia with Oceania are significantly behind them - respectively, 28 people / km and 2.05 people / km. Differences in population density in the context of selected countries. Small states are usually more densely populated. Monaco (11,583 people/km, 2003) and Singapore (6,785 people/km) stand out among them. From others: Malta - 1245 people / km, Bahrain - 1016 people / km, Republic of Maldives– 999 people/km. More than in the group major countries Bangladesh is in the lead (1019 people/km), significant density in Taiwan - 625 people/km, Republic of Korea - 483 people/km, Belgium - 341 people/km, Japan - 337 people/km, India - 325 people/km. At the same time, in Western Sahara the density does not exceed 1 person/km, in Suriname, Namibia and Mongolia - 2 person/km, in Canada, Iceland, Australia, Libya, Mauritania and a number of other states - 3 person/km. In the Republic of Belarus, the density indicator is close to the world average and amounts to 48 persons/km.

Demographic factor

Big influence demographic factors influence the rational distribution of productive forces. When locating individual enterprises and sectors of the economy, it is necessary to take into account both the existing this place demographic situation, and the future situation, as well as the future growth of the production itself. When locating the construction of new economic facilities, it should be borne in mind that the working-age population is declining. Therefore, the task is to save labor resources, use them more rationally, release labor as a result of comprehensive mechanization and automation of production, and better organization of labor.

The current demographic situation is characterized by a large uneven distribution. Most densely populated areas of the European part of the country: Central, North-Western, North Caucasus. However, regions of Siberia and Far East The North have a very low population density.

Therefore, when building new large-scale industries in the east and north of the country, it is necessary to attract labor resources from the populous European regions of the country to these areas, create a favorable social infrastructure for them in order to secure these personnel in newly developed areas with extreme conditions.

In connection with the growth of production in the eastern regions of the country and the acute shortage of labor resources in them, especially highly qualified personnel, the tasks are set of all-round intensification of production, accelerating the training of qualified personnel and attracting labor resources from the European regions of the country to new construction sites.

Great importance has a labor factor in the future development of agriculture, where there is a significant shortage of labor resources. Only the solution of the most important social problems in the countryside, private ownership of land, the convergence of living standards between town and countryside, the comprehensive development of housing construction and other infrastructure sectors will make it possible to secure personnel, especially young people, in the countryside.

An important aspect of personnel policy that affects the development and location of production is the factor of wages, especially for the regions of the North, eastern regions, i.e., labor-deficient areas with extreme conditions, sparsely populated.