GEOGRAPHY
CHAPTER 6 – POPULATION
STUDY MATERIAL
People are the nation’s most valuable resource.
A well-educated, healthy population provides potential power to the nation.
The people are important to develop the economy and society
They make resources and use them.
The people are themselves a resource with varying qualities.
Census:
A census is an official enumeration of population done periodically.
The first census in India was done in 1872.
While, the first complete census was done in 1881.
It is done every 10 years.
The census of India provides information regaling the population.
India’s Population Size and Distribution by number
As per 2011 Census, population of India stood at 1,210 million
17.5% of the total world population.
It is unevenly distributed over the various states
Uttar Pradesh having the highest population (199 million accounts for about 16.49 per
cent of the countries population)
Sikkim the lowest population (0.6 million accounts for about 0.05 per cent of the
country’s population).
Among Union Territories, Delhi has the highest (16.75 million) and Lakshadweep the
lowest (64,429) population.
India’s Population Distribution by Density
The number of people living per unit area (sq. km) in an area is called population
density of that area.
The uneven population distribution can be better judged by the population density in the
various states.
India is one of the most destiny populated countries in the world.
After Bangladesh and Japan, it is the third most densely populated country.
India’s population density in 2011 was 382 persons per sq
West Bengal having the highest density of 904 persons per sq km a
Arunachal Pradesh the lowest With only 13 persons per sq. km.
According to 2011 Census, Bihar has the highest population density 1,102 persons per
sq km
Arunachal Pradesh having the lowest population density of 17 persons per sq km.
Population Growth
The change in the number of people of a country or state during a specific period of
time is called growth of population.
Absolute Increase of Population means the absolute numbers added each year or in
each decade in the population.
Annual Growth Rate of Population:
The rate at which the number of individuals in a population increase in 1 year as a
fraction of the initial population; is called annual growth rate of population.
It is expressed in terms of per cent per annum.
Processes of Population Change/Growth
Population changes due to the processes of births, deaths and migrations.
The natural increase of population or the growth rate is the difference between birth
rates and death rates.
Birth Rate
The number of live births per thousand persons in a year is called birth rate.
The birth rate is a major component of population growth as in India.
It has been always higher than the death rate.
Death Rate
The number of deaths per thousand persons in a year is called death rate.
The main cause of the rate of growth of the Indian population has been the rapid
decline in death rates.
There has been a rapid decline in death rates during the last 50 years due to better
healthcare and nutrition.
Migration
It is the movement of people across regions and territories.
Internal migration: The movement of people within the country (from one place to
another) is called internal migration.
It does not change the population size but it changes the population distribution of an
area.
International migration: The movement of people from one country to other is
called international migration.
It changes population size of the country as well as population distribution.
Migration Pattern in India
In India, most of the recent migrations have been from rural areas to urban areas.
Push factors: This is due to poverty and unemployment in rural areas
Pull factors: Increased employment opportunity and better living, conditions in urban
places.
Adolescent Population
Adolescents are population aged from 10 to 19 years.
They currently comprise about 20% of India’s population
They are an important future resource for the country.
Their nutritional requirements are more than that of either adults or younger children.
But our country is inadequate for their requirements.
It leads to deficiency and stunted growth.
Many adolescent girls suffer from anaemia
They must be made aware of their requirements through better education and literacy
National Population Policy
The Government of India initiated its first Family Planning Programme in 1952.
This, promoted responsible and planned parenthood.
In the year 2000, the government formulated the National Population Policy (NPP
2000).
Objectives of National Population Policy:
Providing a policy framework for imparting free and compulsory school education
up to 14 years of age.
Reducing infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1000 live births.
Achieving universal immunisation of children against all vaccine-preventable
diseases.
Promoting delayed marriage for girls.
Making family welfare a people-centred programme.
