Alll in One Science

Revision Notes
Class 8 Social Science - Geography

Chapter 06 – Human Resources
Introduction
1. Any nation's greatest resource is its people. The skills and abilities of people
turn nature into resources.
2. People are the building block of a country's development.
3. Human resources are unequally distributed across the globe.
4. Increased population indicates rich human resources.
Distribution of population
1. The distribution of population refers to the pattern in which people are
spread across the world.
2. Population distribution is extremely uneven all over the globe. This is
evident from the fact that ninety per cent of the total population of the world
resides in only thirty per cent of the land.
3. Uneven population distribution makes regions of Asia, Europe, North
America very crowded while areas like tropical deserts, high mountains,
equatorial forests have sparse populations.
4. China, India, the USA, Indonesia, and Brazil are the top five most
populated countries in the world. In fact, sixty per cent of the entire world's
population lives in just ten countries.
5. Most of the population lives in the north of the equator rather than the
south.
6. Three fourths of the world's population resides in Africa and Asia.
Density of population
1. It is a measure of the number of people residing in one unit area of the
earth's surface.
2. It is usually expressible in the unit per sq. km.
3. The average density of the world's population is 51 people per sq km.
4. South-Central Asia has the highest population density and Indonesia is the
most population-dense country on Earth.
5. In our country, the density of India's population is 382 people per sq km.
Factors affecting the distribution of population

1. The geographical factors affecting the distribution of population are as
follows—
a) Topography: Plains like the Ganga plains of India are more suitable for
human settlements as they provide facilities for farming and other
manufacturing activities. Hence, plains have more population than mountainous
regions.
b) Water: As water is a necessity for survival, people prefer settling in areas
with easy availability of freshwater like the river valley regions.
c) Climate: Extreme hot or cold climates like that of the Sahara desert or polar
regions are not favourable for human settlements. They prefer staying in
regions with climatic conditions neither too hot nor too cold.
d) Soil: Fertile soils promote agriculture and hence attract humans. This is the
reason why Ganga and Brahmaputra plains, Hwang-Ho plains, plains formed by
the Nile river are densely populated.
e) Minerals: Areas having mineral deposits attract the human population as
such areas are good sources of employment. For instance, with the discovery of
oil in the middle-east vast populations have settled there.
2. The social, cultural, and economic factors affecting the distribution of
population are as follows—
a) Social factors: Areas with better education, housing, health establishments,
and other such facilities attract more population. For instance, the city of Pune.
b) Cultural factors: Areas with high cultural and religious significance also
attract the population. For example, every year several Hindus visit Haridwar
and often settle there because of the place’s religious importance for them.
c) Economic factors: Industrial areas tend to attract the population because of
high employment opportunities.
Population change
1. It is referred to as the change in the number of people during a period.
2. It is caused due to changes in three factors, viz., birth, death, migration.
a) Birth rate: It refers to the number of live births per thousand people.
b) Death rate: It refers to the number of deaths per thousand people.
c) Migration: It is the movement of people in and out of an area.
3. Natural growth rate refers to the discrepancy between the birth and death
rates of a country. For instance, after 1800 , better medical facilities, increased
food supplies led to a decline in death rates and an increase in birth rates. This
resulted in the rising of the world population.
4. On the other hand, in the case of migrations, either emigrants leave a country
or immigrants arrive in a country. This results in a change in the population
size of both countries. For instance, the USA gains a huge population by in-
migration while Sudan loses a massive part of its population by out-migration.
Patterns of population change

1. Rates of population growth aren’t the same across the world.
2. Despite the rising population, some countries are not witnessing this growth.
3. Countries like Kenya have high growth rates while countries like the UK
are experiencing a decline in population growth.
4. There is no relation between the economic stature and population of a
nation.
5. Birth rates and death rates are important factors causing population
change.
Population Composition
1. It refers to the population structure concerning aspects like age, sex, health
conditions, income level, occupation, and literacy.
2. The population composition of a nation can be diagrammatically represented
in the form of a pyramid-like structure called a population pyramid which
is also known as the age-sex pyramid.
3. In population – pyramids, the total population is divided into various age
groups which are further divided into subcategories like females and males.
4. The number of children below 15 years represents the birth levels and is at
the bottom of the pyramid. And the number of aged people above 65 years
represents the death rates and is at the top of the pyramid.
5. Different countries have different types of population pyramids—
a) The first type includes the pyramids that narrow at the base because of low
birth rates. Due to decreasing death rates it broadens in the higher age groups.
For instance, the population pyramid of Japan.
Figure 6.1: Population pyramid of Japan

b) The second type of population pyramids includes those that broaden at the
base because of the high birth rates and decreasing death rates in the younger
age group. It happens because not only many children are born but also more of
them survive till adulthood. For instance, India’s population pyramid.
Figure: Population pyramid of India
c) The third type includes the population pyramids of the least developing
countries. They widen at the base due to high birth rates and tapper offs in the
middle and which indicate increased death rates. For instance, the population
pyramids of Kenya and Nigeria.
Figure: Population pyramid of Nigeria

Important Questions and Answers
1. How do climate and water affect the distribution of the population?
Ans: Climate and water affect the distribution of the population in the following
ways—
I. Climate: Extreme hot or cold climates like that of the Sahara desert or polar
regions are not favourable for human settlements. They prefer staying in
regions with climatic conditions neither too hot nor too cold.
II. Water: As water is a necessity for survival, people prefer settling in areas
with easy availability of freshwater like the river valley regions.
2. How does migration cause changes in population size?

Ans: Migration causes changes in the population size in the following ways—
I. Emigration: People who leave their country or emigrate are known as
emigrants. Countries have experienced a reduction in population size due to
emigration. For example, Sudan lost a considerable part of its population due
to ongoing conflicts in the country.
II. Immigration: People who arrive in a new country are referred to as
immigrants. Countries have increased population size due to immigration,
for example, Australia.
3. What is the study of the population known as?

Ans: The study of population is called demography. It is essential because the
government of a nation plans sectors such as health, security, environmental
preservation, and education based on the findings of the population study.
4. List the different characteristics of the population composition.

Ans: The different characteristics of the population composition are as follows—
I. Population composition is the population structure of a nation.
II. It takes into account the age and sex composition of the country.
III. It gives an idea about the health facilities available there.
IV. Besides these, population structure also reveals income levels, occupation,
and the literacy rate of a population.
V. When population composition is diagrammatically represented, it is called
the population pyramid.
5. How does topography affect population distribution?

Ans: Topography plays a very important role in affecting population distribution.
Plains like the Ganga plains of India are more suitable for human settlements as
they provide facilities for farming and other manufacturing activities. Hence,
plains have more population than mountainous regions.
6. Population growth in the UK is slowing down. Why?

Ans: Population growth varies from country to country and from region to region.
Various aspects can affect the population growth in a country. In the UK,
population growth has slowed down because of the following reasons—
I. Low death rates
II. Low birth rates
7. Has the world population grown rapidly? If yes, then state why?
Ans: Yes, the world population has grown at an exceeding rate.
The world population has grown rapidly because of the following reasons—
I. Advancements are made in the field of medical sciences and these have
resulted in low death rates and high birth rates, thus increasing the growth of
the population.
II. Also, the food supplies have increased over time, contributing to the global
population growth.
8. What do you mean by zero growth in population?
Ans: When the birth rate is equal to the death rate, the population does not increase
or decrease. Such a circumstance is called zero growth in population.
9. Why are people considered a valuable resource to a country?

Ans: Any nation's greatest resource is its people. People develop their skills and
abilities through experience and knowledge and become an asset to the country.
This is how they become the nation’s valuable resource.
10.What happens when people are attracted to particular demography?

Ans: When people are attracted to particular demography, it becomes densely
populated. Generally, this attraction is to an area is caused by favourable climatic
conditions, an abundance of natural resources, fertile land, etc

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Revision Notes

Class 8 Social Science - Geography

Factors affecting the distribution of population

Patterns of population change

Figure 6.1: Population pyramid of Japan

Figure: Population pyramid of India

Figure: Population pyramid of Nigeria

2. How does migration cause changes in population size?

3. What is the study of the population known as?

4. List the different characteristics of the population composition.

5. How does topography affect population distribution?

6. Population growth in the UK is slowing down. Why?

9. Why are people considered a valuable resource to a country?

10.What happens when people are attracted to particular demography?

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