Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term. [1]
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term. [1]
Population density is population divided by total land area, sometimes including seas and oceans, as appropriate. [1]
Low densities may cause an extinction vortex and further reduce fertility. This is called the Allee effect after the scientist who identified it. Examples of the causes of reduced fertility in low population densities are: [2]
Population density is the number of people per unit of area, usually transcribed as "per square kilometer" or square mile, and which may include or exclude, for example, areas of water or glaciers. Commonly this is calculated for a county, city, country, another territory or the entire world.
The world's population is around 8,000,000,000 [3] and the Earth's total area (including land and water) is 510,000,000 km2 (200,000,000 sq mi). [4] Therefore, the worldwide human population density is approximately 8,000,000,000 ÷ 510,000,000 = 16/km2 (41/sq mi). However, if only the Earth's land area of 150,000,000 km2 (58,000,000 sq mi) is taken into account, then human population density is 53/km2 (140/sq mi). This includes all continental and island land area, including Antarctica. However, if Antarctica is excluded, then population density rises to over 58 per square kilometre (150/sq mi). [1]
The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) has developed a suite of (open and free) data and tools named the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) to improve the science for policy support to the European Commission Directorate Generals and Services and as support to the United Nations system. [5]
Several of the most densely populated territories in the world are city-states, microstates and urban dependencies. [6] [a] In fact, 95% of the world's population is concentrated on just 10% of the world's land. [7] These territories have a relatively small area and a high urbanization level, with an economically specialized city population drawing also on rural resources outside the area, illustrating the difference between high population density and overpopulation.
Deserts have very limited potential for growing crops as there is not enough rain to support them. Thus, their population density is generally low. However, some cities in the Middle East, such as Dubai, have been increasing in population and infrastructure growth at a fast pace. [8]
Cities with high population densities are, by some, considered to be overpopulated, though this will depend on factors like quality of housing and infrastructure and access to resources. [10] Very densely populated cities are mostly in Asia (particularly Southeast Asia); Africa's Lagos, Kinshasa, and Cairo; South America's Bogotá, Lima, and São Paulo; and Mexico City and Saint Petersburg also fall into this category. [11]
City population and especially area are, however, heavily dependent on the definition of "urban area" used: densities are almost invariably higher for the center only than when suburban settlements and intervening rural areas are included, as in the agglomeration or metropolitan area (the latter sometimes including neighboring cities).
In comparison, based on a world population of 8 billion, the world's inhabitants, if conceptualized as a loose crowd occupying just under 1 m2 (10 sq ft) per person (cf. Jacobs Method), would occupy an area of 8,000 square kilometres (3,100 sq mi) a little less than the land area of Puerto Rico, 8,868 square kilometres (3,424 sq mi).
| Rank | Country or dependent territory | Land Area | Population | Density | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km2 | sq mi | per km2 | per sq mi | |||
| 1 |  Macau (China) | 30.5 | 12 | 650,834 | 21,339 | 55,268 |
| 2 |  Monaco | 2.02 | 0.78 | 37,550 | 18,589 | 48,145 |
| 3 |  Singapore | 719.9 | 278 | 5,612,300 | 7,796 | 20,192 |
| 4 |  Hong Kong (China) | 1,106.3 | 427 | 7,409,800 | 6,698 | 17,348 |
| 5 |  Gaza Strip (Palestine) [b] | 365 | 141 | 2,098,389 | 5,749 | 14,890 |
| 6 |  Gibraltar (UK) [c] | 6.8 | 2.6 | 33,140 | 4,874 | 12,624 |
| 7 |  Bahrain | 757 | 292 | 1,451,200 | 1,917 | 4,965 |
| 8 |  Vatican City | 0.44 | 0.17 | 800 | 1,818 | 4,709 |
| 9 |  Malta | 315 | 122 | 475,701 | 1,510 | 3,911 |
| 10 |  Maldives | 298 | 115 | 378,114 | 1,269 | 3,287 |
| Rank | Country/Territory | Land Area | Population | Density | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km2 | sq mi | per km2 | per sq mi | |||
| 1 |  Bangladesh | 134,208 | 51,818 | 170,329,768 | 1,269 | 3,287 |
| 2 |  Taiwan | 32,260 | 12,456 | 23,539,588 | 730 | 1,891 |
| 3 |  Rwanda | 24,668 | 9,524 | 13,246,394 | 537 | 1,391 |
| 4 |  Netherlands | 33,670 | 13,000 | 17,943,243 [12] | 533 | 1,380 |
| 5 |  South Korea | 99,909 | 38,575 | 51,439,038 | 515 | 1,334 |
| 6 |  Burundi | 25,680 | 9,915 | 12,574,571 | 490 | 1,269 |
| 7 |  India | 2,973,190 | 1,147,955 | 1,374,547,140 | 462 | 1,197 |
| 8 |  Haiti | 27,560 | 10,641 | 11,743,017 | 426 | 1,103 |
| 9 |  Belgium | 30,278 | 11,690 | 11,554,449 | 382 | 989 |
| 10 |  Philippines | 298,170 | 115,124 | 109,961,895 | 369 | 956 |
Although the arithmetic density is the most common way of measuring population density, several other methods have been developed to provide alternative measures of population density over a specific area.
Denmark is a Nordic country located in Northern Europe. It consists of the Jutland Peninsula and several islands in the Baltic Sea, referred to as the Danish Archipelago. Denmark is located southwest of Sweden and due south of Norway and is bordered by the German state Schleswig-Holstein to the south, with a 68-kilometre (42-mile) long land border.
In 45 of the 50 states of the United States, the county is used for the level of local government immediately below the state itself. Louisiana uses parishes, and Alaska uses boroughs. In Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, some or all counties within states have no governments of their own; the counties continue to exist as legal entities, however, and are used by states for some administrative functions and by the United States Census bureau for statistical analysis. There are 3,242 counties and county equivalent administrative units in total, including the District of Columbia and 100 county-equivalents in the U.S. territories.
An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. This is the core of a metropolitan statistical area in the United States, if it contains a population of more than 50,000.
Leduc County is a municipal district in Alberta, Canada, that is immediately south of the City of Edmonton. It spans 105 km (65 mi) east to west and 32 km (20 mi) north to south, and has a population of 14,416. The municipal district is home to prairie parkland and several lakes and is home to the Edmonton International Airport, the Nisku Industrial Business Park and the Genesee Generating Station.
Diamond City is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within the Lethbridge County. It is located on Highway 25, approximately 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Lethbridge. The community was so named on account of deposits of coal near the original town site, a resource also called "black diamond".
The Rural Municipality of Wreford No. 280 is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 11 and SARM Division No. 5. Located in the south-central portion of the province, it is north of the city of Regina.
The Trans-Pecos, as originally defined in 1887 by the Texas geologist Robert T. Hill, is the distinct portion of Texas that lies west of the Pecos River. The term is considered synonymous with Far West Texas, a subdivision of West Texas. The Trans-Pecos is part of the Chihuahuan Desert, the largest desert in North America. It is the most mountainous and arid portion of the state, and most of its vast area is sparsely populated. Among the nine counties in the region are the five largest counties by area in Texas and eight of the eleven largest in the state. The area is known for the natural environment of the Big Bend and the gorge of the Rio Grande, part of which has been designated a National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. With the notable exceptions of Big Bend Ranch State Park, Big Bend National Park and the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, the vast majority of the Trans-Pecos region consists of privately owned ranchland. However, most of the region's population reside in the El Paso metropolitan area. Besides El Paso and its metropolitan area, the major cities are Pecos (12,916), Fort Stockton (8,466), and Alpine (6,035). All other settlements have under 5,000 people.
Strongfield is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Loreburn No. 254 and Census Division No. 11. It lies approximately 100 km south of the city of Saskatoon on Highway 19 between its sister communities of Hawarden and Loreburn.
Lacombe County is a municipal district in Southern Alberta, Canada. It is within Census Division No. 8 north of the City of Red Deer. Its municipal office is 4 km (2.5 mi) west of Highway 2 and the City of Lacombe, and 6 km (3.7 mi) east of the Summer Village of Gull Lake, at the intersection of Highway 12 and Spruceville Road.
The Municipal District of Ranchland No. 66 is a municipal district (MD) in southwest Alberta, Canada. Containing no urban communities of any kind, its municipal office is in Chain Lakes Provincial Park, approximately 38 km (24 mi) southwest of the Town of Nanton. Ranchland's rugged foothill terrain is unsuited for the crop agriculture practised elsewhere in Alberta, and ranching remains the single livelihood of its inhabitants. With a 2016 population of 92, it is the least populated municipal district in Alberta, and its population density of 29 square kilometres for every resident is almost exactly equal to that of the Northwest Territories.
In geography, statistics and archaeology, a settlement, locality or populated place is a community of people living in a particular place. The complexity of a settlement can range from a minuscule number of dwellings grouped together to the largest of cities with surrounding urbanized areas. Settlements include hamlets, villages, towns and cities. A settlement may have known historical properties such as the date or era in which it was first settled, or first settled by particular people. The process of settlement involves human migration.
The Rural Municipality of Hudson Bay No. 394 is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 14 and SARM Division No. 4. At 12,462 km2 (4,812 sq mi) in area, it is the largest rural municipality in Saskatchewan. It is in the northeast-central portion of the province.
Killaly is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Grayson No. 184 and Census Division No. 5. The village is about 23 kilometres (14 mi) south of the city of Melville on Highway 47 at the intersection of Highway 22 and 47.
Sceptre is a special service area in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Clinworth No. 230 and Census Division No. 8. It held village status between 1913 and 2022.
Aetna is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within Cardston County, located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of Highway 2, approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) southwest of Lethbridge.
Cluny is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within Wheatland County. It is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Highway 1 on a Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway line and Highway 843, approximately 87 kilometres (54 mi) southeast of Calgary. It has an elevation of 570 metres (1,870 ft).
Pincher Station, once known as Pincher City, is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within the Municipal District of Pincher Creek No. 9. It is located on Highway 3, approximately 83 kilometres (52 mi) southwest of Lethbridge. Previously an incorporated community, Pincher City dissolved from village status on May 3, 1932.
The Rural Municipality of Redburn No. 130 is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 6 and SARM Division No. 2. It is located southeast of the city of Moose Jaw in the south-central portion region of the province.
The Rural Municipality of Weyburn No. 67 is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 2 and SARM Division No. 1. It is located in the southeast portion of the province.
exploratory map shows data from the [...] Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) produced by the European Commission JRC and the CIESIN Columbia University
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