1.

4 Population density and

distribution
Key terms
Population density: the average number of people per square kilometre in a
country or region.
Population distribution: the way that the population is spread out over a given
area, from a small region to the Earth as a whole.
Densely populated: areas with a high population density.
Sparsely populated: areas with a low population density.
Megalopolis: the term used to describe an area where many conurbations exist in
relatively close proximity.

Topic summary
● There are considerable variations in population density and distribution in all
world regions.
● Areas with a high population density are said to be densely populated, while
regions with a low population density are said to be sparsely populated.
● The world region with the highest population density is Asia, while the lowest
population density is in Oceania.
● The average density figure for each region masks considerable variations.
● The most uniform distributions of population occur where there is little variation
in the physical and human environments.
● The more advanced a country is, the more important the elements of human
infrastructure become in influencing population density and distribution.
● The Canadian northlands is the most sparsely populated area in North America.
● The north-east of the USA is the most densely populated region in North
America.

Learn your case studies

Sparsely and densely populated areas in North America
State:
 1 Population densities in the USA and Canada.
 2 The location of the Canadian Northlands.
 3 The mean January temperature for most of the Northlands.
 4 The ground condition affecting much of the Northlands.
 5 The settlement at the northern limit of the Mackenzie Highway.
 6 The only form of transport linking many communities to the outside world.
 7 The most densely populated area of the USA.
 8 The cities bordering this region.
 9 The term used to describe an area where many conurbations exist in close
proximity.
10 The city classed as a ‘global city’.
11 Two physical factors contributing to high population density.
12 The population density of much of the region.

Cambridge IGCSE Geography 2nd edition © Hodder & Stoughton Ltd 2014