Class 12 Geography Notes Chapter 1 (Population distribution; density; growth and composition) – India - People and Economy Book
Right, let's get straight into the crucial aspects of Chapter 1: Population - Distribution, Density, Growth, and Composition from your 'India - People and Economy' textbook. Understanding these concepts is vital not just for your board exams but also forms a core part of the syllabus for many government exams.
Chapter 1: Population - Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition
Core Data Source: The primary source of population data in India is the Census, conducted every 10 years. The last comprehensive census was conducted in 2011.
1. Distribution of Population
- Meaning: Refers to the way people are spaced over the earth's surface (in this case, India).
- Pattern in India: Highly uneven. This unevenness is a key characteristic.
- Factors Influencing Distribution:
- Physical Factors:
- Relief/Terrain: Plains (North Indian Plains, coastal plains) have high population concentration due to fertile soil, ease of transport, and agriculture. Mountainous (Himalayas), hilly (North-East, Western Ghats), and plateau regions have sparse populations.
- Climate: Areas with moderate climate (like coastal regions) tend to have higher populations than areas with extreme climates (hot deserts like Thar, cold deserts like Ladakh, areas with very heavy rainfall).
- Water Availability: River valleys and deltas are densely populated due to the availability of fresh water for agriculture, domestic use, and industry. Arid and semi-arid regions have lower population densities.
- Soil Fertility: Fertile alluvial soils (Ganga plains) and regur soils (Deccan) support intensive agriculture and dense populations. Laterite soils or sandy soils support less population.
- Socio-Economic Factors:
- Mineral Resources: Areas rich in minerals (Chotanagpur Plateau) attract industries and consequently, population for employment.
- Urbanization: Cities and towns offer better employment opportunities, education, health facilities, and amenities, leading to high population concentration (e.g., Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai).
- Industrial Development: Industrial belts create job opportunities and attract large populations (e.g., Mumbai-Pune belt, Bengaluru region, Damodar valley).
- Transport Network: Areas well-connected by road, rail, and air transport tend to have higher population density.
- Historical Factors:
- Early Settlements: River valley civilizations and coastal areas with historical trade links often have dense populations due to early settlement.
- Physical Factors:
- State-wise Distribution (Key Examples - 2011 Census):
- Highest Population: Uttar Pradesh (approx. 199 million)
- Lowest Population: Sikkim (approx. 0.6 million)
- Significant States: Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh (undivided) account for a large share of the population.
- Sparsely Populated: Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Jammu & Kashmir (undivided), Uttarakhand.
2. Density of Population
- Meaning: Number of persons living per unit area (usually per sq. km). It helps understand the concentration of population in relation to land.
- Formula: Population Density = Total Population / Total Area
- India's Density (2011 Census): 382 persons per sq. km. (This has increased significantly over decades).
- Variations in Density:
- Physiological Density: Total Population / Net Cultivated Area (Shows pressure on agricultural land).
- Agricultural Density: Total Agricultural Population (Cultivators + Agri. Labourers) / Net Cultivated Area (Shows number of people dependent on agriculture per unit of cultivated land).
- State-wise Density (Key Examples - 2011 Census):
- Highest Density: Bihar (1106), followed by West Bengal (1028), Kerala (860), Uttar Pradesh (829).
- Lowest Density: Arunachal Pradesh (17).
- Union Territories: Delhi has the highest density overall (11,320), Andaman & Nicobar Islands has the lowest among UTs (46).
- Factors Influencing Density: Largely the same as those influencing distribution (terrain, climate, soil, water, urbanization, industrialization).
3. Growth of Population
- Meaning: Change in the number of inhabitants of a territory during a specific period. Can be expressed as:
- Absolute Growth: The absolute number added each decade.
- Growth Rate: Percentage change in population over a period (usually decadal or annual).
- Components of Population Growth:
- Natural Growth: Birth Rate (BR) - Death Rate (DR).
- Induced Growth: In-migration - Out-migration.
- Actual Growth: (BR - DR) + (In-migration - Out-migration).
- Trends in India's Population Growth:
- Phase I (1901-1921): Stagnant or Stationary Phase. Very low growth rate, sometimes negative (1911-1921) due to high BR and high DR (epidemics, poor health services, famine). 1921 is known as the year of the 'Great Demographic Divide'.
- Phase II (1921-1951): Steady Growth. Gradual increase. Improvement in health and sanitation lowered DR, but BR remained high.
- Phase III (1951-1981): Population Explosion. Rapid fall in DR due to medical advancements, better living conditions, but high BR persisted. Average annual growth rate was very high (peaked around 2.2%).
- Phase IV (1981-Present): High Growth with Signs of Slowing Down. Growth rate remains high but started declining gradually after 1981. This is due to a decline in BR (increased awareness, family planning, education).
- Regional Variations in Growth: States in the South (Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh) show lower growth rates compared to states in the North (UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, MP). North-Eastern states also show varied, sometimes high, growth rates.
- Adolescent Population: India has a large share of adolescents (10-19 years). This group requires special attention regarding education, health, skill development, and addressing issues like early marriage, malnutrition etc. Constitutes the potential 'demographic dividend'.
4. Population Composition
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Meaning: Characteristics of the population, such as age, sex, residence, language, religion, occupation, literacy, etc.
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a) Rural-Urban Composition:
- Trend: India is predominantly rural, but urbanization is increasing steadily.
- 2011 Census: 68.8% Rural, 31.2% Urban.
- Variations: States like Goa, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra have higher urban populations. Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Odisha have higher rural populations.
- Definition of Urban (Census): All statutory towns + Census towns (Min population 5000; density 400 persons/sq km; 75% male main workers in non-agricultural pursuits).
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b) Linguistic Composition:
- India is linguistically diverse.
- Major Language Families:
- Indo-Aryan (Largest group, ~73%, North & Central India - Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, etc.)
- Dravidian (~20%, South India - Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam)
- Austro-Asiatic (~1.38%, Tribal areas - Santali, Munda, Ho)
- Sino-Tibetan (~0.85%, North & North-East - Bodo, Manipuri, Naga languages)
- Scheduled Languages: 22 languages listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.
- Most Spoken: Hindi is the most spoken language by population share.
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c) Religious Composition (2011 Census):
- Hindus: ~79.8% (Majority across most states, except some NE states, Punjab, J&K, Lakshadweep).
- Muslims: ~14.2% (Largest minority, concentrations in J&K, Lakshadweep, W. Bengal, Kerala, UP, Assam, Bihar).
- Christians: ~2.3% (Concentrations in Goa, Kerala, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya).
- Sikhs: ~1.7% (Concentrated mainly in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi).
- Buddhists: ~0.7% (Concentrated mainly in Maharashtra, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh).
- Jains: ~0.4% (Concentrated in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, MP, Karnataka).
- Other Religions & Persuasions (ORP): Includes tribal religions etc.
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d) Occupational Structure (Composition of Working Population):
- Categories (Census):
- Main Workers: Worked for ≥ 183 days (6 months) in a year.
- Marginal Workers: Worked for < 183 days in a year.
- Non-Workers: Did not work at all (students, homemakers, dependents, unemployed).
- Economic Sectors:
- Primary: Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining (Dominant sector in terms of workforce share, but declining). ~54.6% of total workers in 2011 (Cultivators + Agricultural Labourers + Other Primary).
- Secondary: Manufacturing (household & non-household), construction. (~3.8% household industry, ~20.5% other workers partly in secondary)
- Tertiary: Trade, commerce, transport, storage, services. (~41.1% other workers partly in tertiary)
- (Quaternary/Quinary sometimes included within Tertiary for broad classification)
- Trend: Shift from Primary towards Secondary and Tertiary sectors, but Primary still employs the largest chunk. Significant gender disparity in workforce participation rates across sectors and regions.
- Categories (Census):
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e) Age Structure:
- Children (0-14 years): ~29.5% (2011). High proportion indicates high dependency ratio and potential for future growth. Declining trend.
- Working Age (15-59 years): ~62.5% (2011). This large bulge represents India's 'Demographic Dividend' - potential for high economic growth if this population is skilled, educated, and employed.
- Aged (60+ years): ~8.0% (2011). Increasing proportion due to better life expectancy, requiring social security and healthcare focus.
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f) Sex Ratio:
- Meaning: Number of females per 1000 males.
- India (2011 Census): 943 females per 1000 males. (Slight improvement from 933 in 2001).
- Child Sex Ratio (0-6 years): 919 (2011) - A major concern, indicating female foeticide. Declined from 927 in 2001.
- State Variations (2011):
- Highest Sex Ratio: Kerala (1084).
- Lowest Sex Ratio: Haryana (879).
- Reasons for Unfavourable Sex Ratio: Gender discrimination, female foeticide, female infanticide, lower socio-economic status of women, neglect of girl child's health and nutrition.
- Government Initiatives: Beti Bachao Beti Padhao aims to address the declining child sex ratio.
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g) Literacy Rate:
- Definition (Census): Percentage of population aged 7 years and above who can read, write, and understand in any language.
- India (2011 Census): 74.04%.
- Male Literacy: 82.14%.
- Female Literacy: 65.46%. (Significant gender gap persists).
- State Variations (2011):
- Highest Literacy: Kerala (~94%).
- Lowest Literacy: Bihar (~61.8%).
- Importance: Literacy is crucial for development, awareness, accessing opportunities, and reducing inequality.
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Significance for Planning: Understanding population distribution, density, growth, and composition is essential for effective resource allocation, infrastructure development, social welfare programs, and overall national planning.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
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According to the Census of India 2011, the state with the highest population density is:
(a) West Bengal
(b) Kerala
(c) Uttar Pradesh
(d) Bihar -
Which year is known as the 'Great Demographic Divide' in India's population growth history, marking a transition from fluctuating to steady growth?
(a) 1901
(b) 1921
(c) 1951
(d) 1981 -
Which of the following language families constitutes the largest group in India in terms of speakers?
(a) Dravidian
(b) Sino-Tibetan
(c) Indo-Aryan
(d) Austro-Asiatic -
As per the Census 2011, what is the approximate percentage of India's population living in urban areas?
(a) 25.7%
(b) 31.2%
(c) 35.5%
(d) 40.1% -
The concept of 'Physiological Density' relates total population to:
(a) Total geographical area
(b) Total forest area
(c) Net cultivated area
(d) Total urban area -
Which state recorded the lowest sex ratio in India as per the 2011 Census?
(a) Punjab
(b) Rajasthan
(c) Uttar Pradesh
(d) Haryana -
The working population age group, often associated with the 'Demographic Dividend' in India, is generally considered to be:
(a) 0-14 years
(b) 15-59 years
(c) 20-65 years
(d) 60 years and above -
Which of the following factors is LEAST likely to cause a high concentration of population in an area?
(a) Availability of fertile alluvial soil
(b) Presence of extreme climatic conditions
(c) Development of industrial hubs
(d) Good transport and communication network -
According to Census 2011, which religious group constitutes the second largest population in India?
(a) Christians
(b) Sikhs
(c) Muslims
(d) Buddhists -
In the context of occupational structure (Census 2011), workers engaged primarily in agriculture, forestry, and fishing belong to which sector?
(a) Primary Sector
(b) Secondary Sector
(c) Tertiary Sector
(d) Quaternary Sector
Answer Key:
- (d) Bihar
- (b) 1921
- (c) Indo-Aryan
- (b) 31.2%
- (c) Net cultivated area
- (d) Haryana
- (b) 15-59 years
- (b) Presence of extreme climatic conditions
- (c) Muslims
- (a) Primary Sector
Make sure you revise these points thoroughly. Pay close attention to the definitions, key data points (especially from the 2011 Census), state-wise variations, and the factors influencing different population characteristics. Good luck with your preparation!