Reasons for High Density

Reasons for Low Density

• Relief - Lowland areas which are flat are easier to farm and build settlements and transport links

• Climates - Moderate climates with enough rain and warm temperatures to allow crops to grow and ripen e.g. W. Europe & Japan.

• Soil - Thick fertile such as loams and alluvium promote agricultural production such as S.E. England.

• Vegetation - Areas of open woodland and grassland are easy to settle in. e.g. The Pampas in Argentina.

• Accessibility - Coastal areas with easy access to transport and trade

• Resources - Plenty of water, timber, minerals such as coal, oil and copper enable countries to develop. e.g. Western Europe & Eastern America

• Relief - Mountainous areas are too steep to farm easily and are difficult to build on and get around easily.

• Climates - Very cold, very hot and too dry affect the growing season and make cultivation impossible - also unpleasant to live in such areas. e.g. The Arctic, Sahara Desert, etc.

• Soil - Thin, rocky and acidic soils all result in low agricultural production such as hot deserts and mountainous areas.

• Vegetation - Very dense jungle and swamps make it difficult to penetrate and use productively. e.g. Amazon Rainforest.

• Accessibility - Interior areas of large continents such as Africa and Asia struggle to develop

• Resources - Few economic resources make it difficult for a country to trade with other countries.

Reasons for High Density

Reasons for Low Density

• Economic - Large rich markets for trade, good infrastructure such as roads, railways etc as well as a skilled and varied labour force

• Social - Some groups of people prefer to live together for security and friendship such as Europeans, Japanese etc

• Political - Stable and fair government - usually democracies such as W. Europe, Singapore etc

• Economic - Poor trading links and markets, poor infrastructure with few roads and services such as Central Africa, Amazon Basin and limited job opportunities for the inhabitants

• Social - Some groups of people prefer to be more isolated such as Scandinavians

• Political - Unstable governments and civil wars - in such areas as Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and the Sudan

The Amazon Rainforest
(low population density)

• Equatorial climate - hot and wet

• Density of jungle - difficult to penetrate - communications poor

• Soils are infertile and easily leached

• Diseases spread quickly

• Shifting agriculture can only support low population densities

The South East Coast
(high population density)

• Fertile agricultural land supports a variety of farming

• Large industrial cities such Sao Paulo

• Excellent communications and large variety of employment and services

• Many people migrate to area from all over Brazil

• High birth rates especially in city areas