Geographical factors (i) Relief of Land.

The presence of high mountains, limit the settlement of people. Such rugged places present various obstacles such as cold climate, difficulties in the construction of railroads and highways, unsuitable conditions for agricultural crops because of short growing season, lack of cultivable land and snowy winters. Industrial possibilities are rare due to difficult access. On the other hand, plain areas of world are most favorable places for human habitation because of favorable conditions for plant, human and animal life. Road and railway transportation can be provided without hurdles and rivers are navigable. In the fertile lowlands of the Ganges and Brahmaputra in India, Hwang Ho in China in plains of North-western Europe and the U.S.A. a large concentration of population is found. However, plains are the centres of great agriculture and industrial activity in the world and important cities of the world have been built on plains. (ii) Accessibility.

People must have proper and easy access to the area through various means of transportation. If means of transportation have not developed in certain areas, then those areas will remain uninhabited. In earlier times, in the absence of water transport, all islands remained virtually uninhabited. But after the development of river and water transport, they became places of settlement depending upon the presence of economic activities in them. One of the reasons why mountains are not inhabited by people is that the means of transportation are lacking in them. (iii) Climate.

Most of the areas of the earth having less than even two persons per sq. km. are those, which have climate unfavorable for human settlement. Climate is one of the most important factors affecting the distribution of population in any area. Extremely cold lands and hot desert lands are not favorable for human habitation on account of their adverse climatic conditions. Polar areas including northern Siberia, northern part of Canada and Alaska, and Antarctica have extremely cold climate throughout the year, and as such density is extremely low. Alaska has density of one person per 3 sq. km. and Greenland one person per 50 sq. km. The Great Australian Desert has a density of 2.5 persons per sq. km. only. Low density of population is recorded in a large number of tropical regions. Here, two climate characteristics are heavy rainfall and high temperatures throughout the year. Amazon basin in South America has a population density of less than two persons per sq. km. Climate in all areas, which are near the equator is enervating. Men and animals are generally affected by diseases in such areas. Soils are extremely poor us fertility because of excessive humidity. Forests are difficult to clear because of luxuriant growth. However, it

can be said that careful planing and use of modem science and technology can raise the scope of productive occupations in this area and this raises population density also. In general, population is dense in all low-laying plains, which have a fertile and favorable climate throughout the year. Huge population of China lives in about one and half million sq. km. of area on coastal and lower river valleys on account of favorable climate and fertile soil. Similarly Ganges valley in India is densely populated because of fertile soil and favorable climate. In Southeast Asia, farmers are able to grow two or even three crops in a year on account of favorable climate and, as such, population is quite dense there.

(iv)

Adequate Water supply.

Population distribution or density is affected very much by the presence or absence of water in any region. Everything-man, plant or animal life-lives on water and , as' such, adequate supplies of water are necessary for different occupations. If water is available in deserts, then deserts soils can support a higher density of population. In the Nile Valley of Egypt, a large number of people are found who are engaged in the cultivation of superior quality cotton and many other crops. In India, the Rajasthan Canal Project is being developed to supply water to dry areas of Rajasthan. But unfortunately, water resources are very much limited in deserts and they are easily exhausted due to scarcity of water. Besides, due to relief features, all deserts lands are not suitable for irrigation purposes. (v) Soils.

Fertile alluvial soils of river valleys throughout the world have encouraged dense settlement of population because they favor the growth of agricultural activities. The high density of population in parts of Eastern and Southeast Asia is dependent mainly on fertile soil . Besides, in these areas, other natural or geography conditions like suitable climate for agricultural production, plain land suitable for irrigation purposes and efficient means of transportation have made agriculture a basic occupation of a large number of people. On account of these factors, dense population is found in the Ganges Valley in India, in Indus Valley in Pakistan, and in Hwang Ho Valley of China. Java in Indonesia has fertile soil of young volcanic material. The area supports a large population because the people are engaged in various agricultural pursuits such as cultivation of rice, sugarcane, plantation of rubber etc. No doubt man 'has been able to increase soil fertility by the application of chemical fertilizers and scientific crop rotation, but the presence of natural fertility in soil determines the population concentration in agricultural areas. (vi) Mineral Deposits.

Mineral deposits play a dominant role in population distribution. The presence of coal and iron-ore in different parts of the world has attracted huge population in these areas because these are the key minerals required for iron and steel industry. The industry has become a basic industry in modern times. Coal is used both as a raw material as well as a source of

power in a number of manufacturing industries. Coalfields in the whole world have become densely populated centres because they offer scope for industrial development. For example, Appalachian coalfields in eastern U.S.A., Ruhr basin in West Germany, Pennines in the U.K., Bihar in India, Donetz basin in Soviet Union have thick concentration of population. The existence of coal, iron-ore and other important minerals and the role of manufacturing industries are mainly responsible for high density of population in North-West Europe and North-east U.S.A. Here, although climatic and soil conditions are favorable for cultivation in certain areas, yet exploitation of mineral resources, manufacturing and trade have resulted in high densities of population in sharp contrast to Southeast Asian countries, where high densities are found in farming areas. Some areas, though not favorable for human habitation, become centres of human settlement due to discoveries of important minerals there. For example, the discovery of gold in the deserts of Australia and Western U.S.A. and of copper in Andes mountain region of South America has made the respective area places of human settlement.