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# 5.2: Populations and areas

Difficulty Level: At Grade Created by: CK-12

Population densities

Figure J.1 shows the areas of various regions versus their populations. Diagonal lines on this diagram are lines of constant population density. Bangladesh, on the rightmost-but-one diagonal, has a population density of 1000 per square kilometre; India, England, the Netherlands, and Japan have population densities one third that: about $350 \ \text{per} \ km^2$. Many European countries have about $100 \ \text{per} \ km^2$. At the other extreme, Canada, Australia, and Libya have population densities of about $3 \ \text{people per} \ km^2$. The central diagonal line marks the population density of the world: 43 people per square kilometre. America is an average country from this point of view: the 48 contiguous states of the USA have the same population density as the world. Regions that are notably rich in area, and whose population density is below the average, include Russia, Canada, Latin America, Sudan, Algeria, and Saudi Arabia.

Of these large, area-rich countries, some that are close to Britain, and with whom Britain might therefore wish to be friendly, are Kazakhstan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Sudan.

Figure J.1: Populations and areas of countries and regions of the world. Both scales are logarithmic. Each sloping line identifies a population density; countries with highest population density are towards the lower right, and lower population densities are towards the upper left. These data are provided in tabular form on.

Figure J.2: Populations and areas of countries and regions of the world. Both scales are logarithmic. Sloping lines are lines of constant population density. This figure shows detail from figure J.1. These data are provided in tabular form.

Region Population Land area $(km^2)$ People per $km^2$ Area each $(m^2)$
World 6440000000 148000000 43 23100
Asia 3670000000 44500000 82 12100
Africa 778000000 30000000 26 38600
Europe 732000000 9930000 74 13500
North America 483000000 24200000 20 50200
Latin America 342000000 17800000 19 52100
Oceania 31000000 7680000 4 247000
Antarctica 4000 13200000

Population densities of the continents. These data are displayed graphically in figures J.1 and J.2. Data are from 2005.

Figure J.4: Populations and areas of the States of America and regions around Europe.

Region Population Area $(km^2)$ People per $km^2$ Area per person $(m^2)$
Afghanistan 29900000 647000 46 21600
Africa 778000000 30000000 26 38600
Albania 3560000 28700 123 8060
Algeria 32500000 2380000 14 73200
Angola 11100000 1240000 9 111000
Antarctica 4000 13200000
Argentina 39500000 2760000 14 69900
Asia 3670000000 44500000 82 12100
Australia 20000000 7680000 2.6 382000
Austria 8180000 83800 98 10200
Belarus 10300000 207000 50 20100
Belgium 10000000 31000 340 2945
Bolivia 8850000 1090000 8 124000
Bosnia & Herzegovina 4020000 51100 79 12700
Botswana 1640000 600000 2.7 366000
Brazil 186000000 8510000 22 45700
Bulgaria 7450000 110000 67 14800
CAR 3790000 622000 6 163000
Chile 16100000 756000 21 46900
China 1300000000 9590000 136 7340
Colombia 42900000 1130000 38 26500
Croatia 4490000 56500 80 12500
Czech Republic 10200000 78800 129 7700
DRC 60000000 2340000 26 39000
Denmark 5430000 43000 126 7930
Egypt 77500000 1000000 77 12900
England 49600000 130000 380 2630
Estonia 1330000 45200 29 33900
Ethiopia 73000000 1120000 65 15400
Europe 732000000 9930000 74 13500
European Union 496000000 4330000 115 8720
Finland 5220000 338000 15 64700
France 60600000 547000 110 9010
Gaza Strip 1370000 360 3820 261
Germany 82400000 357000 230 4330
Greece 10600000 131000 81 12300
Greenland 56300 2160000 0.026 38400000
Hong Kong 6890000 1090 6310 158
Hungary 10000000 93000 107 9290
Iceland 296000 103000 2.9 347000
India 1080000000 3280000 328 3040
Indonesia 241000000 1910000 126 7930
Iran 68000000 1640000 41 24200
Ireland 4010000 70200 57 17500
Italy 58100000 301000 192 5180
Japan 127000000 377000 337 2960
Kazakhstan 15100000 2710000 6 178000
Kenya 33800000 582000 58 17200
Latin America 342000000 17800000 19 52100
Latvia 2290000 64500 35 28200
Libya 5760000 1750000 3.3 305000
Lithuania 3590000 65200 55 18100
Mali 12200000 1240000 10100000
Malta 398000 316 1260 792
Mauritania 3080000 1030000 3333000
Mexico 106000000 1970000 54 18500
Moldova 4450000 33800 131 7590
Mongolia 2790000 1560000 1.8 560000
Mozambique 19400000 801000 24 41300
Myanmar 42900000 678000 63 15800
Namibia 2030000 825000 2.5 406000
Netherlands 16400000 41500 395 2530
New Zealand 4030000 268000 15 66500
Niger 11600000 1260000 9 108000
Nigeria 128000000 923000 139 7170
North America 483000000 24200000 20 50200
Norway 4593000 324000 14 71000
Oceania 31000000 7680000 4 247000
Pakistan 162000000 803000 202 4940
Peru 27900000 1280000 22 46000
Philippines 87800000 300000 292 3410
Poland 39000000 313000 124 8000
Portugal 10500000 92300 114 8740
Republic of Macedonia 2040000 25300 81 12300
Romania 22300000 237000 94 10600
Russia 143000000 17000000 8 119000
Saudi Arabia 26400000 1960000 13 74200
Scotland 5050000 78700 64 15500
Serbia & Montenegro 108000000 102000 105 9450
Singapore 4420000 693 6380 156
Slovakia 5430000 48800 111 8990
Slovenia 2010000 20200 99 10000
Somalia 8590000 637000 13 74200
South Africa 44300000 1210000 36 27500
South Korea 48400000 98400 491 2030
Spain 40300000 504000 80 12500
Sudan 40100000 2500000 16 62300
Suriname 438000 163000 2.7 372000
Sweden 9000000 449000 20 49900
Switzerland 7480000 41200 181 5510
Taiwan 22800000 35900 636 1570
Tanzania 36700000 945000 39 25700
Thailand 65400000 514000 127 7850
Turkey 69600000 780000 89 11200
Ukraine 47400000 603000 78 12700
United Kingdom 59500000 244000 243 4110
USA (ex. Alaska) 295000000 8150000 36 27600
Venezuela 25300000 912000 28 35900
Vietnam 83500000 329000 253 3940
Wales 2910000 20700 140 7110
Western Sahara 273000 266000 1974000
World 6440000000 148000000 43 23100
Yemen 20700000 527000 39 25400
Zambia 11200000 752000 15 66800

Regions and their population densities. Populations above 50 million and areas greater than 5 million $km^2$ are highlighted. These data are displayed graphically in figure J.1. Data are from 2005.

Feb 23, 2012

Dec 02, 2014