Human Resources
Class 8th Geography Resources And Development CBSE Solution
- Why people are considered a resource? Answer the following questions:…
- What are the causes for the uneven distribution of population in the world? Answer the…
- The world population has growing very rapidly. Why? Answer the following questions:…
- Discuss the role of any two factors influencing the population change. Answer the…
- What is meant by population composition? Answer the following questions:…
- What are population pyramids? How do they help in understanding about the population of a…
- Which does the term population distribution refer to? Tick the correct answer.A. How…
- Which are the three main factors that cause population change? Tick the correct answer.A.…
- In 1999, the world population reached Tick the correct answer.A. 1 billion B. 3 billion C.…
- What is a population pyramid? Tick the correct answer.A. A graphical presentation of the…
- Complete the sentences below using some of the following words: Sparsely, favourable,…
- Discuss the characteristics of a society with too many under 15s and one with too few…
Activity Pg-67
Question 1.Look at the figure and find out continents which has population:
(a) Only 5 percent
(b) Only 13 percent
(c) Only 1 percent
(d) Only 12 percent
Answer:
(a) North America (North America is the fourth most populous continent in the world.)
(b) Africa (Africa is second most populous continent in the world and thus, it has very high population density)
(c) Oceania (Australia) (Oceania has relatively less population density of 4.19 per square km)
(d) Europe (Europe is the third most populous continent in the world.)
Activity Pg-68
Question 1.Look at the figure below and find out of these countries how many are in Asia. Colour them on map.
Answer:
Asia is the most populous continent in the world. Two Asian countries- India and China are the most populous countries in the world. Asia has relatively high population density.
The countries in Asia are: China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Japan.
Exercise
Question 1.Answer the following questions:
Why people are considered a resource?
Answer:
People are considered resource because it is humans who bring all the natural resources into use. Without human effort, even the most precious natural resource could not become usable. Human beings are the drivers of civilization.
Question 2.
Answer the following questions:
What are the causes for the uneven distribution of population in the world?
Answer: Human population is unevenly distributed across the world. While some areas are densely populated, others have sparse human habitation. Causes for the uneven distribution of population are:
a. Topography: Topography is a crucial factor in determining population density. Human beings prefer to live on plains instead of mountains and plateau because plains are most suitable for economic activities like farming, setting up industries etc. The Ganga plains are the most densely populated areas of the world while mountains like Andes, Alps and Himalayas are sparsely populated.
b. Climate: People prefer to live in areas with the temperate climate. People usually avoid extreme climates that are very hot or very cold. This is why deserts like the Sahara desert and polar regions of Antarctica are sparsely populated.
c. Soil: Fertile soils provide suitable land for agriculture. Fertile plains such as Ganga and Brahmaputra in India, Hwang-Ho, Chang Jiang in China and the Nile in Egypt are densely populated.
d. Water: Water is a basic human necessity. Availability of water makes life easier. People prefer to live in areas where fresh water is easily available. The river valleys of the world are densely populated while deserts have a sparse population.
B. Socio-cultural and economic factors:
a. Social: Areas with better housing, education and health facilities are more densely populated since these amenities improve quality of life. E.g., Pune in Maharashtra.
b. Cultural: Places with religious or cultural significance attract people since these places are primary tourist attractions and thus a fertile ground for many business activities. Varanasi, Jerusalem and Vatican City are some examples.
c. Economic: Industrial areas provide employment opportunities. Large numbers of people are attracted to these areas. Osaka in Japan and Mumbai in India are two densely populated areas. IT hubs are also some of the most densely populated regions of the world. For eg: Bangalore, Gurgaon etc.
Question 3.
Answer the following questions:
The world population has growing very rapidly. Why?
Answer:
Population growth is influenced by two factors: birth rate and death rate. The current rise in world population is due to:
a. Decrease in death rate: Revolutionary medical advancements has made many diseases curable because of which life expectancy is on an all time high.
b. High Birth rate: While death rate is rapidly declining, birth rate is still very high because of still prevalent illiteracy on family planning, taboo on birth control and abortion and inaccessibility of safe abortion.
Question 4.
Answer the following questions:
Discuss the role of any two factors influencing the population change.
Answer:
Population change refers to change in the number of people living during a specific period of time. Main factors influencing population change are:
a. The difference between the birth rate and death rate (natural growth rate) is the main cause of population change.
b. Migration also brings about population change. Migration refers to the movement of people in and out of an area. People may move within a country or between countries in search of better employment opportunities or to escape unsafe conditions within their original territory of residence.
Question 5.
Answer the following questions:
What is meant by population composition?
Answer:
The different characteristics of population in terms of age, sex, literacy level, health condition, occupation, income level together and various social markers form the composition of the population.
Question 6.
Answer the following questions:
What are population pyramids? How do they help in understanding about the population of a country?
Answer:
The distribution of population is shown by the age structure and male-female ratio diagram. This is called population pyramid.
The shape of the population pyramid of a country reveals two major details about the distribution of population according to age-group and sex-ratio. It also tells us as to how many dependents are there in a country. Population pyramid helps the government of a country to make provisions accordingly.
Question 7.
Tick the correct answer.
Which does the term population distribution refer to?
A. How population is specified area changes over the time.
B. The number of people who die in relation to the number of people born in a specified area.
C. The way in which people are spread across a given area.
Answer:
Population distribution tells us about areas that are densely populated and areas that are sparsely populated because of climatic, geographical or socio-economic factors.
Question 8.
Tick the correct answer.
Which are the three main factors that cause population change?
A. Births, deaths and marriage
B. Births, deaths and migration
C. Births, deaths and life expectancy
Answer:
Population change within any territory is determined by birth rate, death rate and in or out migration.
Question 9.
Tick the correct answer.
In 1999, the world population reached
A. 1 billion
B. 3 billion
C. 6 billion
Answer:
Decades following 1980s has seen phenomenal rise in population because of decrease in death rate owing to major medical innovations and still high birth rate because of illiteracy and taboo around birth control
Question 10.
Tick the correct answer.
What is a population pyramid?
A. A graphical presentation of the age, sex composition of a population.
B. When the population density people live in tall buildings
C. Patterns of population distribution in large urban areas.
Answer:
Population pyramid tells us about age and sex composition of population in a particular territory.
Question 11.
Complete the sentences below using some of the following words:
Sparsely, favourable, fallow, artificial, fertile, natural, extreme, densely.
When people are attracted to an area it becomes ________populated. Factors that influence this include________ climate, good supplies of _________ resources and _______ land.
Answer:
densely, favourable, natural, fertile.
Question 12.
Discuss the characteristics of a society with “too many under 15s” and one with “too few under 15’s”.
Hint: need for schools, pension schemes, teachers, toys, wheel chairs, labour supply, hospitals.
Answer:
Age composition of a population determines the kind of facilities a government has to provide for its citizens. If a society has ‘too many under 15s’, it means that Government has to ensure adequate supply of schools, teachers, playgrounds etc. Such a population will provide more scope for toys or sports industry. It would have less labor supply.
If a society has too few under 15s, it implies it has more adult population which will require more pension schemes, hospitals, etc. Such population will provide fertile ground for pharmaceutical or medical equipment industries. It would also have high youth population which means government has to create enough employment opportunities.