Physical Geography:
Where Do People Live and Why

One very useful way to learn the world's physical geography is to study the physical conditions of the world's most densely populated areas and of the least populated areas. WE WILL DO THIS FOR EVERY REALM TO HELP US LEARN THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY and to help us see the interaction between the physical and cultural landscapes.

Look at the map of the world's ecumene [Where] (the habitable or settled portions of the earth's surface). Each red dot on this map represents approximately 100,000 people.

Do the following activities:

1. Locate the world's 3 largest populations concentrations. (Study the map and write down in your notes the 3 areas that you believe are most populated. Then click here to see if you agree with our textbook [world's 3 largest populations concentrations]
   
2. Study the map carefully and describe the physical features which tend to coincide with where people live. Use the maps below to help you. (Go back and forth between the maps and write in your notes the physical features that best describe where population is most concentrated AND the physical features where few people live.) You should be able to do this with each realm that we will study.

   [wwrivers]
   [wrldphys]
   [wwclimat]

Answers:

The world's three largest population clusters include:
(total world population: almost 6 billion)

1. East Asia (approx. 1.7 billion people or 28% of the world's population)
2. South Asia (approx. 1.4 billion, 23 % )
3. Europe (approx. 700 million 12%)

These three areas contain about 63%, or almost two thirds, of the world's population.

As we discussed in an earlier lecture, a useful set of physical criteria which describe where people live [Where] would include the following:

1. near coasts
2. along rivers / near fresh water
3. flat terrain
4. temperate (C) climates (55% of pop.)
5. fertile soil (river valleys, volcanic soils, other)

You may want to review each map and compare each with the map of where people live. I repeat, with each realm that we will study this semester you should see if these five criteria help explain where most people live or if there are exceptions to these criteria and why.

Finally, many students say that most people tend to live in cities. Even if this were true, we would still have to then explain the physical features of WHERE the cities are located. I think you will find that the five criteria listed above are quite useful, especially for the less developed areas of the world.