Geounit 3 PPT
Geounit 3 PPT
Unit 3
vegetation or water.
Continents: Populous and Not
Populous
Populous
About 81 percent of the Earth’s people live in
Asia, Europe, and North America. Yet, these
continents account for only 53 percent of the
world’s land. Why? These continents have fertile
soil, plains, valleys, fresh water, rich natural
resources, and good climates.
Continents: Populous and Not
Populous
Not Populous
Australia’s environment is mostly desert or dry grassland,
with few rivers and little rainfall.
Africa is home to two of the world’s largest deserts, broad
bands of land that get little rain, and a vast rain forest
along the Equator.
South America is also limited by landforms and climates,
where many regions have soaring mountains, vast dry
plains, and thick rain forests.
What Is Population Density?
The average number of people who live in a
square mile is called population density.
In a country or city with a high population
density, people are crowded together. Japan has
one of the highest population densities in the
world: Almost all of its people live on only 16
percent of the land.
In a country or city with a low population
density, people are more spread apart. Canada
is bigger than the United States, but has a much
smaller population.
Studying Population Density
How do demographers measure population density?
Divide the number of people living in a place by the
Irish Vietnamese
In the 1840s, disease destroyed In 1975, North Vietnam finally
Event Ireland’s main crop—potatoes. defeated South Vietnam in a long
war.
People went hungry and starved. Also, Many South Vietnamese did not want
Push England ruled Ireland very harshly, to live under the communist
Factors leaving the Irish few opportunities. government now imposed upon them.
Pull Job opportunities in the United States The United States, their ally,
Factors welcomed them.
Other Kinds of Immigration
Sometimes, people are forced to migrate.
Colonization
Australia was colonized by the English. The English sent
convicts to serve their sentences in Australia.
War
When war broke out among three ethnic groups in Yugoslavia in
the mid-1990s, many refugees fled to escape being killed.
Helping families
Young men from Morocco and Turkey often go to Europe to find
work. For a few years, they work hard and save their money.
Then they return home.
The World Becomes More Urban
Migration also occurs within a country.
One of the biggest challenges to today’s nations is
urbanization—the movement of people to cities from
rural areas and the growth of cities.
In recent years, the population of major cities has
grown tremendously.
Example:
Recently, in the United States, the population has
shifted from the northeastern states to the southern and
southwestern states.
Why?
People may be searching for better job opportunities or
better climates. The growth of urban areas in southern
states has put a great stress on services.
Growing Cities, Growing Challenges
Examples of Growing Cities
Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, and São Paulo,
and 2000.
São Paulo is now the largest city in South America