Summary

By the time a large river approaches a lake or the sea it will be carrying large amounts of material. Some of this material may be spread over the flood plain during times of flood, or it may form a delta at the river mouth.

David Waugh. Key Geography for GCSE. Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes (Publishers), 1995.

3. WHERE DO MOST PEOPLE IN BRITAIN LIVE?

Map A shows the population distribution of Britain; it shows where most people in Britain live. It is obvious that people are not distributed evenly across the country. Some places are very crowded while others have very few inhabitants. The map uses population density to show how crowded different places are. Population density is the number of people living in a given area and is usually given as the number of people per square kilometre. Population density is found by dividing the total population of an area by the size of the area where they live. For example:

Population of the UK 57 237 000

Area of the UK (sq km) 244 880 = 234 per square kilometre

Places that are crowded are described as densely populated and have a high population density. Places that have few people living there are described as sparsely populated and have a low population density.

When looking at population maps which show either distributions or densities, a geographer has to try to observe any notable patterns. Map A shows two patterns:

1. Areas with the highest densities appear to be in the south and east while those places with the lowest densities are more to the north and west.

2. The highest densities are in large urban areas and the lowest densities in rural areas.

Population density maps are simplified to show general patterns. As a result they cannot show local variations.

● In urban areas, population density tendstobe higher in older inner city areas, rather than towards the edge of cities.

● In rural areas population density tends to be higher in larger market towns rather than places with dispersed farms.

Summary

The distribution of population is not even throughout Britain. Population densities are highest in the south and east and in urban areas, and lowest in the north and west and in rural areas.

David Waugh. Key Geography for GCSE. Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes (Publishers), 1995.

4. WHAT AFFECTS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF