Distribution of population across the Earth's territory. Factors influencing population distribution. The most densely populated areas. Urban and rural population. Urbanization. Population distribution on planet earth Population density in the world

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Video tutorial 2: Population placement and migration

Lecture:

Geographical features of population distribution. Uneven distribution of the world's population: main features and factors Population distribution The population of the Earth in 2017 is 7.5 billion people. The total population density is 45 people. per 1 sq. km. The main feature of population distribution is its unevenness. 70% of the population occupies only 7% of the territory. There are densely populated areas and places where there is no population. The bulk of the planet's inhabitants are located in the equatorial, subequatorial, tropical, subtropical and temperate zones. Even in these zones, there are countries with a population density of about 16,400 people per 1 sq. km. (Monaco). Northern Canada has a population of 1 person per 25 km. Greenland and the South Pole are not inhabited; mountainous regions, deserts, tundras, and equatorial forests remain uninhabited. Of every 100 people, 80 live on flat land, which makes up 28% of the land. The population is concentrated in developed countries, in places of developed industrial production with developed infrastructure. Here the population density is up to 1,500 people per 1 sq. km. In places with the most favorable climate for development

Agriculture

and human life is high density. The islands, the coastal zone of the equatorial and tropical zones, are densely populated due to good climatic conditions and water transport routes. 30% of the world's population is concentrated here. The uneven distribution of the population are historical factors. Ancient human settlements are still the most densely populated areas today. First of all, people developed lands along the banks of rivers and lakes; water played a primary role in people’s lives. River water was used for drinking and household needs; fish were caught in rivers and lakes; water bodies served as transport routes and protection from external enemies.

The second reason– these are climatic conditions. For a long time, the basis of the people's economy was agriculture: crop production and livestock raising. Favorable climatic conditions contributed to the prosperity of agriculture. Therefore, areas where it was possible to grow crops and raise livestock were developed and settled.

Third reason is the population size for individual countries. Today, there are countries where there is a large increase in population.

Fourth reason– socio-economic. Areas with fairly well-developed industrial production “attract” people. Large urban agglomerations are the most populated areas. In addition to manufacturing jobs, infrastructure is being developed to provide additional jobs.

Population is a quantitative characteristic of the totality of all people living in a certain territory, the most general and popular indicator of the demographic situation.

The specificity of this indicator is that the population is:

• the initial indicator of the socio-demographic and economic development of the country;
• a basic indicator, as it serves as the basis for calculating many macroeconomic indicators, such as GDP per capita. It is also necessary when calculating relative indicators characterizing the intensity and dynamics of demographic processes.

The world population has been steadily increasing throughout history. According to estimates in 4000 BC. Only 4 million people lived on Earth in 1000 BC. - 50 million. At the beginning of our era there were already 300 million people on Earth, by the end of the 1st millennium AD. - 400 million, in 1500 - 500 million, 1820 - 1 billion, 1900 - 1.6 billion, 1960 - 3 billion, 1993 - 5.65 billion, October 31, 1999 population There were 6 billion people on Earth, and on November 1, 2011 - 7.0 billion people.

At the beginning of 2014, at the 47th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development, the report of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated that the world population had reached 7.2 billion people.

There have been periods in the history of mankind when the population, although temporarily, declined significantly: in the 14th century. the plague claimed the lives of about 15 million people; in the 19th century in India and China, 25 million people each died of hunger; at the beginning of the 20th century from the Spanish flu ("Spanish flu") in Europe and Russia - approximately 20 million people. ; but the greatest losses occurred during the Second World War - about 60 million people.

According to the UN forecast (2014), by 2025 the world's population will reach 8.1 billion, and by 2050 - 9.6 billion people. (Table 3.1).

Table 3.1

Periods of world population increase

The number of inhabitants is an absolute momentary value that indicates the size of the society as of a certain date (usually the beginning or end of the year). To avoid undercounting the population and achieve comparability of data, in demography they resort to calculating the average population.

The average population is a conditional calculated value that reflects the size of society over a period of time as a whole. To find it, several calculation methods are used.

1. If data is available for the beginning and end of the year, the simple arithmetic average formula is used to calculate the average population:

Where S- average population; S H - population at the beginning of the period; S k - population at the end of the period.

Advantage this method lies in the availability of data and ease of calculation. The disadvantage of calculating the average population using formula (3.1) is that its changes within the period under consideration are not taken into account. Thus, for any resort city, the average population, calculated based on data for the beginning and end of the year, will be significantly less without taking into account the seasonal stay of vacationers who use transport services, public catering, etc.

2. If there is data for equal periods of time (at the beginning of each month or year), then the average chronological formula is applied:

where S 1 S n - the first and last levels of the population dynamics series, respectively.

The advantage of this method is that it is more accurate than the first calculation of the average population, but the disadvantage is that the number of days varies by month, and in addition to ordinary days, there are also leap days.

3. If population data is available for unequal time intervals (for example, on January 1, March 1, July 1, etc.), then the chronological weighted average formula is applied:

Where t- the time interval between each two adjacent levels in the series of population dynamics.

Such a calculation takes into account the length of time intervals between available information on population size, but does not capture the qualitative features of a particular time period.

4. If there is data on the population for a relatively long period of time, for example at the beginning of 2004 and 2012, then the average logarithmic formula is used:

The use of this formula when calculating the average population may be justified by the impossibility of obtaining detailed data.

The average population is an absolute indicator that allows one to judge the demographic “weight” of a particular country, territory, etc. (Table 3.2).

Table 3.2

10 countries with the largest population			10 countries with the smallest population
	Population,			Population, people	Share of world population, %
			Dominica
			Saint Kitts and Nevis
			Marshall's
			Liechtenstein
			San Marino

Source: Chinese Official Population Clock. URL: data.stats.gov.cn/english.

From a management point of view, a change in the quantitative size of society over a certain period of time can lead to:

• to an increase in population;
• population stabilization;
• population reduction.

The last option is called depopulation, i.e. a process associated with a decrease in the number of inhabitants of a country or territorial unit. Depopulation as a result of the demographic development of society has occurred more than once in history, for example in the second half of the 20th century, when it manifested itself in France, Germany and some other countries, including the Russian Federation since the early 1990s.

To classify types of depopulation, the following criteria are used.

• 1. Depending on forms manifestations: a) one-time; b) repeated; c) complete depopulation.
• 2. Depending on character: a) stable; b) intermittent depopulation.
• 3. Depending on duration: a) short-term; b) medium-term; c) long-term depopulation.

To assess the development of the depopulation process, the following indicators are used:

Where D- size of depopulation; S K.P. , S N.P, - population at the end and beginning of the period, respectively;

where K d is the depopulation coefficient; S i S 0 , S- actual, base and average annual population, respectively.

From the position of the state, ignoring any issues related to depopulation as an unfavorable scenario for population change can lead to problems in the development of society.

Great importance in studies of the development of countries and regions has the distribution of population.

Population distribution - the distribution of residents across countries, regions, urban and rural areas.

It is characterized by the following conditions:

• natural and climatic. The population is more concentrated in areas better adapted to life. Places with extreme natural conditions, such as deserts, glaciers, highlands, do not create favorable conditions for human life;
• historical. According to the research of many scientists, the formation of human society took place 40-50 thousand years ago, initially in South-West Asia, North-East Africa and Southern Europe, then people spread throughout the Old World, by the 10th millennium BC. settled North and South America, and at the end of this period Australia;
• socio-economic. As society developed, the quality of life became one of the determining elements of population distribution.

To characterize the distribution of the population, the following groups of indicators are used.

• 1. The share of the population of a country, region in the total population of the world, continent, etc. Currently, the largest part of the world's population lives in Asia (more than 60%).
• 2. Physical population density, calculated as the ratio of the total population to the area in square kilometers. Its value allows you to estimate how many people there are per square kilometer and shows the degree of population of regions or countries.

Depending on the level of population density (Table 3.3), three groups can be distinguished:

• very high - over 200 people/sq. km;
• average - 40-200 people/sq. km;
• low - 2-40 people/sq. km.

Table 3.3

Population density of some countries

Rank by density		Area, sq. km	Population, people	І Occupancy, people/sq. km
	Singapore
	Maldives
	Iceland
	Australia
	Mongolia

Source: Chinese Official Population Clock. URL: data.stats.gov.cn/english.

The average world population density as of 2013 is 52 people/sq. km, or 48 people/sq. km including Antarctica. As the population grows, physical density also increases (in 1890, the average world population density was only 12 people/sq. km).

The economic density of the population can be calculated separately, i.e. only in relation to economically developed territory. It may differ markedly from the physical density of the population. For example,

for Russia, a large discrepancy will be observed for the regions of Siberia and Far East.

The population density in Russia as of 2014 was 8.4 people/sq. km. Lowest population density in Russian Federation in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug - 0.07 people/sq. km. The highest population density in the Russian Federation is in the Moscow region (including Moscow) - 409 people/sq. km; in the Moscow region excluding Moscow 160 people/sq. km, in Moscow itself - 4822 people/sq. km. ( Source: gks.ru - Federal State Statistics Service.)

Information about population density or degree of population is of great importance when resolving issues about the socio-economic development of a particular territory, the development of transport and trade networks, and the construction of social institutions.

• 3. Distribution of residents between city and village. This is one of the most important characteristics of population distribution. The main indicators here include:
  • size of urban and rural population;
  • proportion of urban and rural population;
  • number of urban residents per 1000 rural;
  • number of cities by category;
  • distribution of settlements according to the number of inhabitants.

These indicators reflect the distribution of residents between urban and rural areas and are used as characteristics of the socio-economic development of society. This is due to the fact that the accessibility of transport, trade facilities, educational institutions, healthcare, etc. much wider in cities than in rural areas. At the same time, information about the distribution of the population depending on place of residence allows government authorities at various levels to build more effective socio-economic policies.

To assess the degree of uniformity of population distribution in demography, an indicator such as the territorial concentration index is used:

Where S i - the share of the area of ​​the i-th region in the total area of ​​the entire country; P i - the share of the population of the i-th region in the total population of the entire country.

It allows you to identify crowded centers both in a regional aspect and in relation to placement in urban or rural areas.

A populated area is a place inhabited by people, or the primary unit of human settlement within one built-up area. land plot(city, urban settlement, village, etc.).

A mandatory feature of a settlement is the constancy of its use as a habitat from year to year. In Russia there are the following settlements: arban, aul, settlement, city, holiday village, village,

zaimka, kishlak, town, graveyard, settlement, urban settlement, settlement at the station, repair, workers' settlement, village, settlement, village, ulus, estate, farmstead. Despite the varieties of settlements, as a rule, there are two main types - urban and rural settlements.

A city is a large populated area that performs production, management, organizational, and cultural functions. As cities grow, they form urban agglomerations. Modern cities are divided into small (up to 50 thousand inhabitants), medium (50-100 thousand), large (100-250 thousand), large (250-500 thousand), largest (500 thousand-1 million) and cities- millionaires (over 1 million inhabitants).

In international practice, the urban population includes people living in urban settlements, and the rural population includes people living in rural areas. At the same time, classification as an urban or rural settlement may have several criteria:

• economic- employment of the population in non-agricultural labor;
• quantitative- achieving a certain number of residents;
• legislative- assigning the status of a special city to a settlement legislative act;
• historical- assigning the status of a city to a settlement historically.

However, these criteria requirements are not strict; in practice, they are often linked to each other. Failure of a settlement to meet any of the criteria (primarily formal ones, especially in terms of the number of residents) does not automatically result in the loss of city status, since this requires the adoption of an appropriate normative legal act(regional law), and minor fluctuations in population are quite natural.

In Russia, since 1939, the unity of the first three criteria has been used, and the status of the city is determined by the legislation of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. In Russia, a city can be a settlement with a population of more than 12 thousand people, of which 85% are workers, employees, as well as members of their families, and who should not be employed in agriculture. In this case, two types of cities are distinguished: regional (regional, territorial, republican, etc.) and district. However, in Russia there are quite a lot (208 out of 1092) cities with a population of less than 12 thousand people. Their city status is related to historical factors and population changes.

In the 19th century the growth of industrial cities became massive, and the 20th century. considered the century of urbanization. Urbanization (lat. urbanus- urban) - the process of increasing the urban population, urban growth, increasing the role of cities in the development of society. The consequences of urbanization are often not only positive, but also negative: on the one hand, accessibility and comfort, on the other, overpopulation, poor ecology, and transport problems. This is evidenced by the following data: in 1900, 13% of the world's population lived in cities, and by 2000 - already 47%. Currently, more than half of the planet's inhabitants live in cities. In Russia at the beginning of 2014 urban population amounted to 106.6 million people, or 74% of the total population.

In the practice of international statistics, the concept of “agglomerated territory” has become widespread. Urban agglomeration is the territorial and economic unification of several settlements, usually urban, on the basis of a large one into a complex multi-component system with developed production, transport and cultural connections.

Since the middle of the last century, as a type of agglomeration, such a phenomenon as suburbanization began to appear - the process of growth and development of the suburban zone of large cities. The growing standard of living allows people to build “rural type” houses in the suburbs, cottage villages, escaping from the disadvantages of city life - air pollution, noise, etc. In such a situation, the load on both public transport, and on road capacity due to the use of personal cars. In Russia, the first manifestations of suburbanization were observed in the Moscow region, where this process acquired one distinctive feature: not daring to give up a city apartment, many metropolitan residents spend most of their time at country houses, as a result of which transport problems have increased significantly. In small countries with high population densities, such as Belgium and the Netherlands, suburbs take up almost all available space, displacing natural landscapes. In the USA, South Africa, and Britain, suburbanization is accompanied by the so-called white flight. white flight): the central areas of cities are populated by representatives of the Negroid race, while the white population moves to the suburbs.

Close to the concept of suburbanization is the concept of urbanization (from the English. rural - rural) - the spread of urban forms and living conditions to rural settlements. This process involves migration of the urban population to rural settlements, movement to rural areas economic activity inherent in the city. In Russia since the beginning of the 21st century. This phenomenon is observed mainly in the Moscow region - in many rural settlements industrial enterprises and warehouses are being built, moving out of Moscow, the vast majority of the population leads an urban lifestyle.

The decrease in the rural population and the increase in the urban population is largely due to the development of agricultural production, the introduction of equipment and technologies, as a result of which the labor force is released. This is very clearly seen in the example of the economies of developed and developing countries. Thus, in developed countries, agricultural production employs from 3% (Great Britain) to 15% (Italy, Portugal) of the total number of employees. At the same time, in the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, more than half of the active population is employed in agriculture.

Another reason for the increase in the urban population is the legislative decision to transfer a settlement from one type to another (from rural to urban). Such a process took place in Russia in the middle

last century due to the ongoing industrialization policy. An example in recent history is the annexation of new territories (mostly rural) to Moscow and the formation of the so-called New Moscow.

• This paragraph uses data from the United Nations Population Information Network, United Nations Population Division Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN Population Information Network, UN Population Division - Department of Economic and Social Affairs) from the site un.org/popin/.
• The most massive influenza pandemic in the entire history of mankind in absolute numbers, both in terms of the number of people infected and deaths.

>>Russian population distribution

§ 42. Distribution of the population of Russia

As you already know, about 142 million people live in Russia on an area of ​​17.1 million km2. Thus, on average there are 8.3 people per 1 km2.

The number of inhabitants per unit area (persons/km 2) is called density Yu population.

Population density characterizes the level of population of a territory. In terms of population density, Russia ranks one of the last in the world. It is 5 times lower than the world average and 12 times lower than in foreign Europe. Many countries in the world have much higher population densities. In Bangladesh it is more than 900 people/km 2 . However, in some countries, for example in Australia, it is even lower than in Russia (4 people/km 2).

In Russia, internal differences in population density are very large. In the European part it is slightly less than the world average - 30 people per 1 km 2, and in the Asian part it is 10 times lower.

In some territories, the population density reaches almost 150 people/km2 (Moscow region), and in the central part of the Krasnoyarsk Territory it is 15,000 times (!) less. main reason Similar differences are the uneven distribution of the population across the country. Of all the vast Russian spaces, only 45% are inhabited. Moreover, if the European part of the country is populated by 87%, then the Asian part is only 30%. There are even greater differences in the population of individual regions of Russia. In the Central region, the share of populated territory is 100%, and in Far East it is only 1/5 of the total area.

Why is the population so unevenly distributed throughout Russia? Differences in the population of Russia were formed under the influence of interrelated factors: natural, historical, socio-economic. Natural conditions determine the favorableness of a particular territory for permanent residence and certain types of economic activities of people.

Rice. 66. Population density of Russia

In Russia, only 10% of the territory has conditions favorable for human life. But 30% of the total population of rice is concentrated on them. 39, 66). In pre-revolutionary Russia, the strong influence of natural conditions on the distribution of the population was due to the fact that the bulk of its population was engaged in agriculture.

Questions and tasks

1. What are the reasons for the uneven distribution of the population across the territory of Russia?
2. Name two settlement zones in Russia. How are they different?
3. Remember what problems arise when developing the Northern zone.

Geography of Russia: Nature. Population. Farming. 8th grade : textbook for 8th grade. general education institutions / V. P. Dronov, I. I. Barinova, V. Ya. Rom, A. A. Lobzhanidze; edited by V. P. Dronova. - 10th ed., stereotype. - M.: Bustard, 2009. - 271 p. : ill., map.

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Analysis of population distribution is an important task in population geography. Most often it is determined by the number of inhabitants per 1 square kilometer.

Topic: Man on planet Earth

Lesson: Population Distribution on Planet Earth

How people are located on the earth's surface.

What reasons influence the distribution of people on the planet? .

People are distributed extremely unevenly on the planet (see Fig. 1). About 1/10 of the land is still uninhabited (Antarctica, almost all of Greenland, and so on).

The main indicator characterizing the distribution of the population is population density. The average population density of the Earth is 40 people/km 2 . However, the uneven distribution of population in different regions and countries of the world is enormous. The population density indicator ranges from tenths to 2000 people/km 2 .

Population density is the number of inhabitants per 1 km² of territory.

Population density Foreign Europe and Asia is more than 100 people/km 2, in Northern and South America- about 20 people/km 2 , and in Australia and Oceania - no more than 4 people/km 2 .

According to other estimates, about half of the land has a density of less than 1 person per square kilometer; for 1/4 the density ranges from 1 to 10 people per 1 square kilometer. km, and only the rest of the land has a density of more than 10 people per 1 square kilometer. On the populated part of the Earth (ecumene), the average population density is 32 people per square meter. km.

80% live in the eastern hemisphere, 90% live in the northern hemisphere, and 60% of the total population of the Earth lives in Asia.

Rice. 1. Countries that hold the record for population density

Obviously, there is a group of countries with a very high population density - over 200 people per square kilometer. It includes countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Israel, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Republic of Korea, Rwanda, El Salvador, etc.

In a number of countries, the density indicator is close to the world average - in Ireland, Iraq, Colombia, Malaysia, Morocco, Tunisia, Mexico, etc.

Some countries have lower density rates than the world average - in them it is no more than 2 people per 1 km 2. This group includes Mongolia, Libya, Mauritania, Namibia, Guiana, Australia, Greenland, etc.

People are unevenly distributed across the planet's hemispheres. Most of them live in the northern (90%) and eastern (85%) hemispheres. The distribution of the population varies among individual continents, their parts, and especially among countries of the world.

The uneven distribution of population on the planet is explained by a number of factors.

Warmth and moisture, topography and soil fertility, and sufficient air are of great importance for human life. Therefore, cold and dry areas, as well as high mountains, are sparsely populated.

Rice. 2. City on the plain

Firstly, this is the natural environment. For example, it is known that 1/2 of the world's population is concentrated in lowlands (see Fig. 3).

Since ancient times, humanity has gravitated towards the sea (see Fig. 2). The proximity to it made it possible to obtain food and conduct economic activities related to marine fishing. Sea routes opened up the possibility of communication with other regions of the Earth. Although they make up less than 30% of the landmass; 1/3 of the people live at a distance of no more than 50 kilometers from the sea (the area of ​​this strip is 12% of the land), - the population seems to be shifted towards the sea. This factor has probably been the leading one throughout human history, but its influence weakens with socio-economic development. And although vast areas with extreme and unfavorable natural conditions (deserts, tundras, highlands, tropical forests, etc.) are still poorly populated, natural factors alone cannot explain the expansion of ecumene areas and those huge shifts in the distribution of people who have occurred over the last century.

Rice. 3. City by the ocean

Secondly, the historical factor has a fairly strong influence. This is due to the duration of the process of human settlement on Earth (about 30-40 thousand years).

Thirdly, the distribution of the population is affected by the current demographic situation. Thus, in some countries the population is growing very quickly due to high natural growth.

In addition, within any country or region, no matter how small, the population density is different and varies greatly depending on the level of development of the productive forces. It follows that average population density indicators provide only an approximate idea of ​​the population and economic potential of the country.

Homework

Read § 12. Answer the questions:

Why is the average population density of the Earth constantly increasing?

What reasons influence the placement of people?

Bibliography

MainI

1. Geography. Land and people. 7th grade: Textbook for general education. uch. / A.P. Kuznetsov, L.E. Savelyeva, V.P. Dronov, “Spheres” series. - M.: Education, 2011.

2. Geography. Land and people. 7th grade: atlas, “Spheres” series.

Additional

1. N.A. Maksimov. Behind the pages of a geography textbook. - M.: Enlightenment.

Literature for preparing for the State Exam and the Unified State Exam

1. Tests. Geography. 6-10 grades: Educational and methodological manual / A. A. Letyagin. - M.: LLC "Agency "KRPA "Olympus": Astrel, AST, 2007. - 284 p.

2. Tutorial by geography. Tests and practical tasks in Geography / I. A. Rodionova. - M.: Moscow Lyceum, 1996. - 48 p.

3. Geography. Answers on questions. Oral examination, theory and practice / V. P. Bondarev. - M.: Publishing house "Exam", 2009. - 160 p.

4. Thematic tests to prepare for the final certification and the Unified State Exam. Geography. - M.: Balass, ed. House of RAO, 2011. - 160 p.

2. Russian Geographical Society ().

4. Textbook on geography ().

5. Gazetteer ().

Basic patterns of population distribution.
About 70% of the population is concentrated on 7% of the territory, and 15% of the land is completely uninhabited territory.

90% of the population lives in the northern hemisphere.

Over 50% of the population is up to 200 m above sea level, and up to 45% is up to 500 m above sea level (only in Bolivia, Peru and China (Tibet) the human habitat limit exceeds 5000 m)

about 30% - at a distance of no more than 50 km from the seashore, and 53% - in a 200-km coastal strip.

80% of the population is concentrated in the eastern hemisphere; average density: 45 people/km2 on 1/2 of the land population density less than 5 people/km2; maximum population density: Bangladesh – 1002 people/km2

World population density

People are distributed extremely unevenly on the planet. About 1/10 of the land is still uninhabited (Antarctica, almost all of Greenland, and so on).

According to other estimates, about half of the land has a density of less than 1 person per square kilometer; for 1/4 the density ranges from 1 to 10 people per 1 square kilometer.

km and only the rest of the land has a density of more than 10 people per 1 square kilometer. On the populated part of the Earth (ecumene), the average population density is 32 people per square meter. km.

80% live in the eastern hemisphere, 90% live in the northern hemisphere, and 60% of the total population of the Earth lives in Asia.

In a number of countries, the density indicator is close to the world average - in Ireland, Iraq, Colombia, Malaysia, Morocco, Tunisia, Mexico, etc.

Some countries have lower density rates than the world average - in them it is no more than 2 people per 1 km 2.

This group includes Mongolia, Libya, Mauritania, Namibia, Guiana, Australia, Greenland, etc.

Reasons for uneven population
The uneven distribution of population on the planet is explained by a number of factors.
Firstly, it is the natural environment. For example, it is known that 1/2 of the world's population is concentrated in the lowlands, although they make up less than 30% of the landmass; 1/3 of the people live at a distance of no more than 50 kilometers from the sea (the area of ​​this strip is 12% of the land) - the population seems to be shifted towards the sea. This factor has probably been the leading one throughout human history, but its influence weakens with socio-economic development. And although vast areas with extreme and unfavorable natural conditions (deserts, tundras, highlands, tropical forests, etc.) are still poorly populated, natural factors alone cannot explain the expansion of ecumene areas and those huge shifts in the distribution of people who have occurred over the last century.
Secondly, the historical factor has a fairly strong influence. This is due to the duration of the process of human settlement on Earth (about 30 - 40 thousand years).

Thirdly, the distribution of the population is affected by the current demographic situation. Thus, in some countries the population is growing very quickly due to high natural growth.

In addition, within any country or region, no matter how small, the population density is different and varies greatly depending on the level of development of the productive forces. It follows that average population density indicators provide only an approximate idea of ​​the population and economic potential of the country.

This uneven distribution of the population is caused by a number of interrelated factors: natural, historical, demographic and socio-economic. The population is distributed very unevenly across the globe. This is due to the influence large quantity

factors that can be divided into three groups.

· Socio-economic. These factors are directly related to the development of human civilization and their influence on the distribution of the population increased with the development of productive forces. Despite the fact that human society will never fully acquire independence from nature, at present it is the factors belonging to this group that are decisive in the formation of the Earth's settlement system. These include the development of new territories, the development of natural resources, the construction of various economic facilities, population migration, etc.

· Environmental factors. In fact, they also relate to socio-economic ones. However, starting from the last quarter of the 20th century, their influence increased sharply, which became the basis for their separation into a separate group.

The influence of these factors is no longer determined only by individual local events (the Chernobyl accident, the Aral Sea problem, etc.), but is increasingly becoming global in nature (problems of pollution of the World Ocean, the greenhouse effect, ozone holes, etc.).

Historically, most of the population has lived in Asia. Currently, there are more than 3.8 billion people in this part of the world (2003), which is over 60.6% of the population of our planet. America and Africa are almost equal in population (approximately 860 million people, or 13.7% each), Australia and Oceania are significantly behind the rest (32 million people, 0.5% of the world population.

The main indicator of population distribution is its density. This figure is growing as the population increases and currently the world average is 47 people/km. However, it is significantly differentiated by regions of the world, countries and, in most cases, by different regions of countries, which is determined by the previously mentioned groups of factors. Among the parts of the world, the highest population density is in Asia - 109 people/km, Europe - 87 people/km, America - 64 people/km. Africa and Australia and Oceania are significantly behind them - 28 people/km and 2.05 people/km, respectively. Differences in population density across individual countries are even more pronounced. Smaller states are usually more densely populated. Among them, Monaco (11,583 people/km, 2003) and Singapore (6,785 people/km) stand out. Among others: Malta – 1245 people/km, Bahrain – 1016 people/km, Republic of Maldives – 999 people/km. In the group of larger countries, Bangladesh leads (1019 people/km), significant density in Taiwan - 625 people/km, the Republic of Korea - 483 people/km, Belgium - 341 people/km, Japan - 337 people/km, India - 325 people /km. At the same time, in Western Sahara the density does not exceed 1 person/km, in Suriname, Namibia and Mongolia - 2 people/km, in Canada, Iceland, Australia, Libya, Mauritania and a number of other countries - 3 people/km.

In the Republic of Belarus, the density indicator is close to the world average and is 48 people/km.

Demographic factor Demographic factors have a great influence on the rational distribution of productive forces. When placing individual enterprises

and sectors of the economy, it is necessary to take into account both the demographic situation already existing in a given place and the future situation, as well as the future growth of production itself. When locating the construction of new economic facilities, it should be borne in mind that the working age population is declining. Therefore, the task is to save labor resources, use them more rationally, free up labor as a result of comprehensive mechanization and automation of production, and better organization of labor.

Therefore, when constructing new large production facilities in the east and north of the country, it is necessary to attract labor resources from the populous European regions of the country to these areas, create a favorable social infrastructure for them in order to secure these personnel in the newly developed areas with extreme conditions.

In connection with the growth of production in the eastern regions of the country and the acute shortage of labor resources in them, especially highly qualified personnel, the tasks of all-round intensification of production, accelerating the training of qualified personnel and attracting labor resources from the European regions of the country to new construction projects are being set.

The labor factor is also of great importance in the future development of agriculture, where there is a significant shortage of labor resources. Only the solution of the most important social problems in the countryside, private ownership of land, bringing the living standards of the city and countryside closer together, and the comprehensive development of housing construction and other infrastructure sectors will make it possible to retain personnel, especially young people, in the countryside.

An important aspect of personnel policy influencing the development and location of production is the factor wages, especially for the regions of the North, eastern regions, i.e., labor-scarce regions with extreme conditions, sparsely populated.