Geography (UACE 250/2) paper 2 Revision question of Population distribution, growth, characteristics and problems in selected region in the world

1. Describe the influence of climate on population distribution in Africa. (25 marks)

(Candidates are expected to describe the distribution of the population in Africa i.e. there area with high population, moderate and low population; the influence of climate; then evaluate the question by stating other factors.)

Solution

• High population areas include West Africa, along the coastal region (south of the Sahel), Ethiopian high lands, the highlands of Rwanda and Burundi. the Lake Victoria basin, the South African coastal areas, the Nile valley of Egypt, the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in North Africa, urban areas g. Cairo, Alexandria, Lagos, Nairobi, Kinshasa, Johannesburg etc.
• The moderate population areas include; Savannah region of Africa, the Mediterranean coast lands in North and South Africa etc.
• The low population areas include; the Sahel region, the Sahara, the Namibia and Kalahari deserts, the horn of Africa, Northern Kenya, and the Nyika plateau, Central Tanzania etc.

The influence of climate on population distribution in Africa include

• Areas of highly rain fall of over 1500m have high population densities g. the coastal regions of west Africa the lake Victoria basin, the high lands of Rwanda and Burundi.
• Areas receiving moderate/ seasonal rainfall 750 – 1000mm have moderate populations e.g. the savannah regions of Africa
• Areas with low rainfall and high temperatures e .g. the desert and semi – desert areas have low population distribution because it does not favor crop farming therefore discourage settlements.

 

Other factors that influence population distribution

Physical factors

Vegetation cover:

• the dense tropical rainfall regions discourages settlement;
• the savannah grassland areas encourage moderate settlement because it is suitable for  animal grazing and it is easy to clear and cultivate crops;
• arid area with no vegetation cover discourage settlement because they do not support growth of plants either..

Altitude / relief

• very high altitude areas of over 3000mabove sea level discourages settlement due to steep slopes / rugged terrain with very low temperatures, low oxygen e.g. the tops of the mountains e.g. Kenya , Kilimanjaro, Rwenzori, Drakensberg;
• areas with moderate altitude receive high rainfall which favors crop farming e.g. the slopes of Mount Kenya, Kilimanjaro, Ethiopian high lands and gently sloping areas e.g. the Nile valley of Egypt, the Jos plateau or Nigeria etc.
• Very low altitude areas e.g. the rift valley floor receive low rainfall and low population distribution

Soils

• Areas of high soil production or fertility have large population e.g. the shores of lake Victoria., the volcanic highlands of Adamawa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi,
• Low fertility soils e.g. sandy desert soils, the sandy soils in the Sahel etc. support low populations.

Drainage: well drained areas e.g. along the Nile valley of Egypt have large population compared to poorly drained areas e.g. around the Nigeria delta have low population

Pests/ diseases and wild animals have special control on population distribution e.g. tsetse flies in the Miombo wood lands in western Tanzanian has led to low population compared to areas with less pests e.g. South East Nigeria, the Nile valley of Egypt

The effect of natural hazards e.g. landslides along the steep slopes of major highlands, Volcanic eruptions, earth quakes, flooding discourages settlements compared to areas -with less natural disasters.

Human factors

• Historical factors e.g. the effect of slave trade depopulated some areas in central Africa border areas conflicting ethnic groups left no man’s lands. The effect of civilization in Egypt helped to increase settlement around the Nile valley of Egypt
• Presence of employment opportunities
• Industries leading large population of the copper beet in Zambia, the Sahara desert, the Witwatersrand in the Republic of South Africa etc. compare to areas without minerals.
• The effort of urbanization / development towns has led to rural urban migration to the major cities e g. Cairo, Lagos, Nairobi, Kinshasa, and Johannesburg e.t c.as compared to rural areas without towns.
• The government policy can encourage or discourage through allocation of administrative centers, irrigation schemes e.g. in the Kano plains of Kenya ,the Gezira irrigation scheme in Sudan etc. it can discourage by gazette some areas ; national parks e.g. Tzepo in Kenya, Serengeti national park in Tanzania., national forest reserves ·
• The effect of transport and communication facilities. Areas with sound transport facilities e.g. the wit waters and in South Africa. The TANZAM railway line etc. have attract large populations compared to areas with poor transport network. .
• Strategic locations e.g. along the coastal areas promotes trade, and have attracted large population densities compared to the interior counter parts.
• Political climate i e. Stability and instability. Politically stable areas have attracted large populations e.g. South East Nigeria as opposed the Northern areas of Nigeria, Somalis etc. which arc unstable.
• Cultural factors help to gravitate settlements around the tribal groups. ,
• The effort of trade and commerce. Areas with better opportunities for trade have attracted large populations as opposed to areas with limited trade opportunities.

 

2. Examine the causes and effects of population explosion in  either India or (25 marks)

(Candidate should define population explosion and identify causes and effects in the selected country.)

Solution

Population explosion is sudden increase in the number of  people  in  a  given area  Its characterized by Sudden fall in the resources available per individual within the population. It  increases competition for resources within a country

Nigeria currently has a population of about 180 million. Majority of the population below 40years

India currently has a total population above I .3 billion people

Causes of population explosion

• Polygamy practices by Muslims in Nigeria who are religiously accepted to marry up to four wives has led to an increase in the population in Nigeria since each woman or wife produces usually on a competition basis of who will give birth to mote children hence the number of children has drastically increased.
• Reduced infant mortality rate rates due to improved medical services such as immunization against killer diseases like measles, diphtheria, polio; tetanus which used to kill many of the infants has led to increase in population Nigeria.
• High fertility rate among Nigerian women and men leading to more births have led to increase in population
• Low levels of education with a high illiteracy rate results into an increase in population because the less educated people tend to produce more children at an early age, have limited knowledge about family
• planning all of which raise the chances of having many children.
• Limited family planning education and facilities both countries has resulted into increase in population rates. The limited use of contraceptives, condoms and other family control procedures has resulted into many pregnancies whenever intercourse is done.
• Reduced maternal mortality rate due to better health care such as antenatal care.
• Government policy that encourages high population growth to develop a strong market base for agricultural and industrial goods.
• Increased life expectancy due to improved medical facilities
• Immigration especially in Nigeria
• Poverty among the rural people because they lack ambitions, ideal and have enough time at their spouse doing nothing
• Political stability

Effects of high population are both positive and negative

Positive effects/contribution of high population

• High population provides local market to agriculture and industrial output.
• The big population is a source of cheap labour necessary development of the agricultural and industrial sectors.
• High population is a source of government revenue through taxes on their labour.
• High population provides security such as in army, police, prison officers
• High population lead to exploitation of resources in agriculture, fishery, industries etc.

 

• Negative
• Dependency burdens due to a high number of young people and the elderly who are not productive.
• High populations have strained social facilities like schools, Hospitals in Mumbai, leading to compromised standard of living.
• It has resulted into high cost of living in terms of accommodation, education, health care, feedings in
• It has resulted into poor sanitation in the congested cities such as Mumbai, New Delhi and Calcutta due to abundant domestic waste.
• It has resulted into an increase in the crime rate such as human organ trafficking, drug abuse, theft, etc.
• High population causes unemployment due to many people chasing the few existing jobs.
• High population leads insecurity and unrest due to competition for limited resources.
• High population results into food scarcity and malnutrition.
• High population promotes spreading diseases
• High population has led to land shortage, and environmental degradation.
• Increased government expenditure on social service
• High population in India has led to dependence on foreign aid from the developed countries such as U.S.A. and loans from the World Bank for infrastructural development and sustenance of the government thus slowing down development

 

3. Examine the factors that have influenced the distribution of population in either Egypt or China. (25 marks)

(The candidate is expected to give a clear explanation of the factors that have  influenced the distribution of population in either Egypt or china. A candidate should select one country.)

 

1. A single factor can be used to show how it encourages population distribution and how it discourages population distribution so as to bring out the influence.

Egypt.

Population is concentrated in the following areas:

Along the Nile valley.

Along the Nile Delta.

Urban centres along the Mediterranean coast.

Some areas on the shores of the red sea

The Sahara desert Oases.

These areas have population density which is between 200 -500 persons per km² and even over for some areas.

The rest of the areas are sparsely populated as they are covered by the Sahara desert.

China.

The highest concentration of people is in Eastern China with a density which is over 200 persons per km².

Moderate population is in the Southern areas and Central regions with a population density of 50- 100 persons per km².

Sparse population is found in Northern and Western parts of the Country where the density is below 20 persons per km²

 

Factors that have influenced the distribution of population in either Egypt or China are similar

Physical factors

Altitude / relief

• very high altitude areas of over 3000mabove sea level discourages settlement due to steep slopes / rugged terrain with very low temperatures, low oxygen e.g. the tops of the mountains
• areas with moderate altitude receive high rainfall which favors crop farming the Nile valley of Egypt.
• Very low altitude areas e.g. the rift valley floor receive low rainfall and low population distribution

Soils

• Soil fertility g. fertile alluvial soils along the Nile basin promote agriculture and high population density
• Favorable climate for instance the Mediterranean coast of Egypt is cool leading to high population density while the hot and dry tropical Sahara Desert is sparsely populated.
• Well drained places like Nile basin attract high population.

Drainage: well drained areas e.g. along the Nile valley of Egypt have large population compared to poorly drained areas.

Pests/ diseases and wild animals have special control on population distribution e.g. tsetse flies in the Miombo wood lands in western Tanzanian has led to low population compared to areas with less pests e.g. South East Nigeria, the Nile valley of Egypt

Vegetation cover:

• the dense tropical rainfall regions discourages settlement;
• the savannah grassland areas encourage moderate settlement because it is suitable for  animal grazing and it is easy to clear and cultivate crops;
• arid area with no vegetation cover discourage settlement because they do not support growth of plants either..
• The effect of natural hazardsg. landslides along the steep slopes of major highlands, Volcanic eruptions, earth quakes, flooding discourages settlements compared to areas -with less natural disasters.

Human factors

• Historical factors the effect of civilization in Egypt helped to increase settlement around the Nile valley of Egypt
• Presence of employment opportunities
• Presence of minerals attract high population to the mining activities
• Urban centres such as Cairo, Beijing have high population due to rural-urban migration.
• The government policy can encourage or discourage through allocation of irrigation schemes, administration centers encourage high population while allocation of forest reserves and game parks discourage accumulation of population.
• Accessibility of areas encourage high population while remoteness discourages high population
• Presence of social services encourages growth of high population.
• The effort of trade and commerce. Areas with better opportunities for trade such as urban centres have attracted large populations as opposed to areas with limited trade opportunities.
• In-migration lead to increased population while out-migration reduces population growth.

4. (a) Differentiate between in-migration and out- migration (5marks)

In-migration is the temporary/permanent movement of people to an area

Out-migration is the temporary/permanent movement of people out an area

(b) Describe the steps being taken to solve the problems of rural-urban migration in tropical Africa. (20marks)

• Provision of social services to the village such as schools and healthy facilities
• Rural electrification to encourage development of industries and employment in the rural area.
• Improvement of water supply in rural area
• Improvement of security to the rural areas
• Political stability
• Extension of affordable credit facilities into rural areas
• Population control
• Decentralization of government department in order to create employment in the rural areas.

5. To what extent have physical factors influenced the distribution of population in either Nigeria or China. (25marks)

(A candidate should select one country and then describe the physical factors that influence population distribution, and then evaluate the question by describing other factors

 

Factors that have influenced the distribution of population in either Egypt or China are similar

Physical factors

Altitude / relief

• very high altitude areas of over 3000mabove sea level discourages settlement due to steep slopes / rugged terrain with very low temperatures, low oxygen e.g. the tops of the mountains
• areas with moderate altitude receive high rainfall which favors crop farming the Nile valley of Egypt.
• Very low altitude areas e.g. the rift valley floor receive low rainfall and low population distribution

Soils

• Soil fertility g. fertile alluvial soils along the Nile basin promote agriculture and high population density
• Favorable climate for instance the Mediterranean coast of Egypt is cool leading to high population density while the hot and dry tropical Sahara Desert is sparsely populated.
• Well drained places like Nile basin attract high population.

Drainage: well drained areas e.g. along the Nile valley of Egypt have large population compared to poorly drained areas.

Pests/ diseases and wild animals have special control on population distribution e.g. tsetse flies in the Miombo wood lands in western Tanzanian has led to low population compared to areas with less pests e.g. South East Nigeria, the Nile valley of Egypt

Vegetation cover:

• the dense tropical rainfall regions discourages settlement;
• the savannah grassland areas encourage moderate settlement because it is suitable for  animal grazing and it is easy to clear and cultivate crops;
• arid area with no vegetation cover discourage settlement because they do not support growth of plants either..
• The effect of natural hazardsg. landslides along the steep slopes of major highlands, Volcanic eruptions, earth quakes, flooding discourages settlements compared to areas -with less natural disasters.

Human factors

• Historical factors the effect of civilization in Egypt helped to increase settlement around the Nile valley of Egypt
• Presence of employment opportunities
• Presence of minerals attract high population to the mining activities
• Urban centres such as Cairo, Beijing have high population due to rural-urban migration.
• The government policy can encourage or discourage through allocation of irrigation schemes, administration centers encourage high population while allocation of forest reserves and game parks discourage accumulation of population.
• Accessibility of areas encourage high population while remoteness discourages high population
• Presence of social services encourages growth of high population.
• The effort of trade and commerce. Areas with better opportunities for trade such as urban centres have attracted large populations as opposed to areas with limited trade opportunities.
• In-migration lead to increased population while out-migration reduces population growth.

Thank you

Dr. Bbosa Science