(a) Explain any four factors that-determine population distribution (b) Describe any two types of population movement (c) What four problems are associated ...

Answer Details

(a) Four factors that determine population distribution

1. Relief: flat and gently sloping lowlands are densely settled because they are easy to build on and farm, while rugged mountains are sparsely peopled.
2. Climate: areas with moderate temperature and reliable rainfall attract people, whereas very hot deserts, cold polar lands and very wet equatorial forests repel settlement.
3. Soil fertility: fertile soils (river valleys, deltas, volcanic soils) support farming and dense population; poor, thin soils carry few people.
4. Economic/mineral and industrial opportunities: mining areas, ports, industrial towns and good transport concentrate people, while remote areas lacking jobs are thinly settled. (Also water supply and political/historical factors.)

(b) Two types of population movement

1. Rural-urban migration: the movement of people from villages and rural areas to towns and cities in search of jobs, education and better amenities.
2. International migration: the movement of people across national boundaries from one country to another (emigration and immigration), which may be permanent or temporary. (Others: seasonal migration and rural-rural migration.)

(c) Four problems associated with rural-urban migration

1. Overcrowding and pressure on housing in the towns, producing slums and shanty settlements.
2. Unemployment and under-employment as job-seekers exceed available jobs, leading to poverty and crime.
3. Strain on urban services and facilities: water, electricity, transport, schools and hospitals become overstretched, and pollution and traffic congestion increase.
4. Depopulation of the rural areas: loss of the able-bodied young leaves a shortage of farm labour, falling food production and neglect of the villages.