What factors affect population density?

There are a range of human and natural factors that affect population density. The tables below illustrate this.

Physical Factors	High Density	Low Density
Relief (shape and height of land)	Low land which is flat e.g. Ganges Valley in India	High land that is mountainous e.g. Himalayas
Resources	Areas rich in resources (e.g. coal, oil, wood, fishing etc.) tend to densely populated e.g. Western Europe	Areas with few resources tend to be sparsely populated e.g. The Sahel
Climate	Areas with temperate climates tend to be densely populated as there is enough rain and heat to grow crops e.g. UK	Areas with extreme climates of hot and cold tend to be sparsely populated e.g. the Sahara Desert

Human Factors	High Density	Low Density
Political	Countries with stable governments tend to have a high population density e.g. Singapore	Unstable countries tend to have lower population densities as people migrate e.g. Afghanistan.
Social	Groups of people want to live close to each other for security e.g. USA	Other groups of people prefer to be isolated e.g. Scandinavians
Economic	Good job opportunities encourage high population densities, particularly in large cities in MEDCs and LEDCs around the world.	Limited job opportunities cause some areas to be sparsely populated e.g. Amazon Rainforest

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