The Distribution of the Population
1. Distribution by geographic spaces
2. The age and sex of the population
3. the ethnic typology
The Earth's population is not evenly distributed in all parts of the globe. On the contrary, there is an excess of people in some regions and a shortage in others.
The relief, climate, vegetation and rivers influence the distribution of human groups.
The regions easily occupied by man are called ecumenes.
We call the demographic gaps anecumenous regions, that is, of difficult human occupation.
High mountains, polar regions and deserts make human occupation difficult, being good examples of anecumenous regions.
On the other hand, there are regions on Earth, in which men "huddle" for lack of space. This is the case of South, East and Southeast Asia, which comprise more than half of the world's population. For this reason, this region is considered a "human anthill".
1. Distribution by geographic spaces
Based on the population distribution on the continents, we note that:
• Asia is the most populous continent, with almost 60% of the world total;
• Asia is also the most populated continent, with almost 80 inhabitants/km2;
• Oceania is the least populated and least populated continent;
• Antarctica is the uninhabited (unpopulated) continent.
With over 160 million inhabitants, Brazil is:
• the fifth most populous country in the world;
• the second most populous country on the American continent and in the entire Western Hemisphere, surpassed only by the United States;
• the most populous country in South America and all of Latin America.
The population distribution in Brazil is also quite irregular:
• the Southeast is the most populous and most populated region;
• the Midwest is the least populated region;
• the North or Amazon is the least populated region.
In the distribution of population by States, we have to:
• Rio de Janeiro is the most populated, with almost 300 inhabitants/km2;
• São Paulo is the most populous, with about a fifth (20%) of the Brazilian population;
• Roraima is the least populated and the least populated, with less than 1 inhab/km2.
Rural and Urban Populations
Until 1960, the rural population predominated in Brazil. In the 1970 census, the predominance of the urban population was found, with 56% of the national total.
As a country develops industrially, the general trend is to move away from the countryside towards the cities. Man seeks better living conditions, comfort, wages and guarantees in urban centers. It is the phenomenon of rural exodus.
Currently, 75% of the Brazilian population is urban, that is, lives in cities. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, the urban population is 95%.
2. The age and sex of the population
As for age, the population is divided into three groups:
• Young, from 0 to 19 years old;
• Adult, from 20 to 59 years old;
• Old, or senile, aged 60 and over.
The workforce of a population is more concentrated in adulthood and constitutes the active population of a country.
In developed countries, in general, adults and the elderly predominate. In underdeveloped and developing countries, the young population predominates.
In some countries, such as France and England, there is a predominance of adults. This is due to the low birth rate and the fact that the average lifespan is longer, reaching more than 70 years.
Brazilians have an average longevity of 64 years, being 62 years for men and 66 years for women.
As for gender, the population is made up of men and women.
As for the numbers of men and women, it is common:
• there is a balance in young age;
• predominate women in adult and old age.
It's that men, for different reasons, live less time than women, that is, they usually die sooner.
In countries of immigration, due to the entry of more workers, men are almost always predominant. This is the case in Australia and some other countries.
In Brazil, in each group of 1,000 people, there are 501 women and 499 men.
The graphical representation of the age and sex of the population is made using the age pyramids. In them, women are always on the right side, young people on the bottom, adults in the middle and old people on top.
3. the ethnic typology
For a long time, and still today, it has been common to divide the population into white, black, yellow and mestizo races. This distinction by color is not correct, as between a dark Portuguese and a Russian (Slavic) there are many differences, despite both being white.
Nowadays, instead of talking about race, people talk about ethnicity. A given ethnic group has not only physiognomic but also cultural similarities.
Determining the ethnic group to which a person belongs is not an easy task and cannot be taken by color alone.
The Brazilian people are ethnically composed of whites of European origin, blacks of African origin, yellows (indigenous and Asian) and mestizos.
Original color differences have been serious problems in many countries.
In South Africa, where blacks are numerically predominant, until 1991 there was violent racial segregation, with exaggerated social and economic discrimination, called apartheid.
In Brazil, under our laws, all ethnic groups constitute a single group: the Brazilian population.
remembering is knowing
• The state with the largest absolute population is São Paulo, the one with the highest density is Rio de Janeiro.
• The urban population predominates in Brazil since 1970.
• The regions of easy human occupation are ecumenical and are, therefore, permanently inhabited.
• Areas of difficult human occupation, such as deserts, high mountains and polar regions, are anecumenes.
• Asia is the most populous and most populated continent on Earth.
• The Brazilian population is more concentrated in the Greater Southeast Region.
• Racial segregation in Africa was called Apartheid.
• In Brazil all ethnic groups are equal under the law.
• The active population is mainly composed of adults and men.
• In Australia, numerically, men predominate; in Brazil, women.
• In the age pyramid we represent the age and sex of a population.
• Blacks, whites, yellows and mestizos are ethnic groups, not races.
General geography - geography - Brazil School
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/estrutura-populacao-munidal.htm