Question
- Leaving Cert. Geography (Higher) 2014: Part Two Q4 A-C
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Answer
In this answer I will account for the growth and distribution of population in India.
India has a population of almost 1.2 billion people and the population continues to grow by 1.5% annually. The growth of population in India is mainly as a result of high birth rates. The birth rate in India exceeds the death rate and this results in a natural increase in the population. India has a birth rate of 22 per thousand. In India a large family is culturally important as it is regarded as a sign of virility. Also poor families need children to work on the land and take care of their parents in their old age. In recent years the government has attempted to reduce birth rates in the country by setting up state sponsored family planning clinics and providing birth control education for women. In the 1970s the government offered a transistor radio to men who had a vasectomy. Over the years the death rate in India has declined gradually and is now 6 per thousand. Improvements in health care in India is the main factor that has contributed to a lowering of the death rate. Improvements in health care and sanitation have increased life expectancy, especially among young children.
The population of India is very unevenly distributed. High population densities can be found along major river valleys such as the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. These are the most fertile regions in India and are suitable for intensive subsistence agriculture; therefore, they are densely populated. In some regions along the Ganges river the population density is more than 1,000 people per square kilometre. Coastal regions along the Eastern and Western Ghats are also densely populated. They have a population density of between 500 and 1,000 per square kilometre. These flat coastal plains are also suitable for agriculture. The major cities in India also have high population densities. These include Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. Population densities in cities exceed more than 1,000 people per square kilometre. The high population densities in Indian cities is mainly as a result of rural to urban migration. People migrate from rural to urban areas in search of a better lifestyle and employment. High birth rates among these young migrants also contribute to the high population densities in these cities.
Mountainous areas such as the Himalayas and the Eastern and Western Ghats experience low population densities. The high altitudes and infertile soils are not suitable for agriculture. The climate of these upland areas is not suitable for humans. The Thar desert in North West India also has a low population density. Low rainfall hinders agriculture in this region and makes it unsuitable for humans. Some rural areas in India have a population density of less than 500 per square kilometre. Many young people are forced to migrate from these areas in search of a better standard of living in urban areas.
India has a population of almost 1.2 billion people and the population continues to grow by 1.5% annually. The growth of population in India is mainly as a result of high birth rates. The birth rate in India exceeds the death rate and this results in a natural increase in the population. India has a birth rate of 22 per thousand. In India a large family is culturally important as it is regarded as a sign of virility. Also poor families need children to work on the land and take care of their parents in their old age. In recent years the government has attempted to reduce birth rates in the country by setting up state sponsored family planning clinics and providing birth control education for women. In the 1970s the government offered a transistor radio to men who had a vasectomy. Over the years the death rate in India has declined gradually and is now 6 per thousand. Improvements in health care in India is the main factor that has contributed to a lowering of the death rate. Improvements in health care and sanitation have increased life expectancy, especially among young children.
The population of India is very unevenly distributed. High population densities can be found along major river valleys such as the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. These are the most fertile regions in India and are suitable for intensive subsistence agriculture; therefore, they are densely populated. In some regions along the Ganges river the population density is more than 1,000 people per square kilometre. Coastal regions along the Eastern and Western Ghats are also densely populated. They have a population density of between 500 and 1,000 per square kilometre. These flat coastal plains are also suitable for agriculture. The major cities in India also have high population densities. These include Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. Population densities in cities exceed more than 1,000 people per square kilometre. The high population densities in Indian cities is mainly as a result of rural to urban migration. People migrate from rural to urban areas in search of a better lifestyle and employment. High birth rates among these young migrants also contribute to the high population densities in these cities.
Mountainous areas such as the Himalayas and the Eastern and Western Ghats experience low population densities. The high altitudes and infertile soils are not suitable for agriculture. The climate of these upland areas is not suitable for humans. The Thar desert in North West India also has a low population density. Low rainfall hinders agriculture in this region and makes it unsuitable for humans. Some rural areas in India have a population density of less than 500 per square kilometre. Many young people are forced to migrate from these areas in search of a better standard of living in urban areas.