NCERT Notes Class 9 Geography: Class 9 Geography notes for Chapter 6 on Population are important for CBSE board exams. These notes cover important topics like where people live, how old they are, and why they move from place to place.
By reading these notes, students can learn about things like why cities grow, how families plan how many children to have, and why some areas have more people than others. The notes explain everything clearly and are a great help for students who want to understand more about how people live in different places.
The Population notes cover all the necessary topics that are extremely important for the examination 2024. It can save you time and will positively affect your results. All the important topics have been compiled in CBSE Notes Class 9 Geography Notes Chapter 6 Population.
Introduction
People are really important for making a country’s economy and society better. They make and use resources, and they themselves are valuable resources too. Think about coal – it’s just a rock until people figure out how to get it and use it. Natural events like floods or tsunamis only become big problems when they affect a lot of people in villages or towns.
So, when we study society, we pay a lot of attention to the population – that’s the number of people. It’s like a starting point for understanding everything else. Things like resources, disasters, and all that stuff only matter because of people.
Humans both make and use the Earth’s resources. That’s why it’s important to know how many people are in a country, where they live, why their numbers are growing, and what they’re like. In India, we learn a lot about our population from the census. There are three questions we usually ask about population:
- How many people are there and where are they?
- How has the population grown and changed over time?
- What are people like in terms of age, gender, education, jobs, and health?
Population Size and distribution
India has a lot of people! In March 2001, the population was 1,028 million, which is about 16.7% of the world’s population. But these people aren’t spread out evenly across India’s big area of 3.28 million square kilometers, which is about 2.4% of the world’s total area.
According to the 2001 Census, Uttar Pradesh is the most crowded state in India, with a whopping 166 million people, making up about 16% of the country’s total population. In contrast, Sikkim, up in the Himalayas, only has around 0.5 million people, and Lakshadweep has just 60 thousand.
Here is something interesting: almost half of all Indians live in just five states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh. Even though Rajasthan is the biggest state in terms of land area, it only has about 5.5% of India’s total population.
India’s Population Distribution by Density
Population density helps us understand how crowded or sparse an area is. If you look at states with a population density below 250 persons per square kilometer, you’ll notice that they usually have rugged terrain and not-so-great weather, which makes it hard for people to live there. Can you figure out which states have a density below 100 persons per square kilometer?
States like Assam and most of the Peninsular states have medium population densities. This is because their land is hilly, rocky, and often doesn’t get a lot of rain. The soil isn’t always great for farming.
But the Northern Plains and Kerala down south have a different story. They have really high population densities because the land is flat, the soil is fertile, and they get plenty of rain.
Population Growth
Population is always changing. This happens because of three main things: births, deaths, and migrations.
Population Growth:
Population growth means how much the population of a place changes over a certain time, like the last ten years. We can talk about this change in two ways:
Absolute numbers: This is just the difference between the old population and the new one.
Percentage change per year: This tells us how much the population grew as a percentage of the original population.
India’s population has been going up steadily since 1951, when it was 361 million, to 2001, when it reached 1028 million. But since 1981, the growth rate has been slowing down. Even then, in the 1990s alone, 182 million people were added, which is a lot.
India has a huge population, so even if the growth rate is low, the number of people being added is still big. Right now, India adds about 15.5 million people every year, which is enough to cancel out efforts to protect the environment and resources.
The good news is that the growth rate is going down, thanks to birth control efforts. But even with this, the total number of people keeps going up, and India might become the most populous country in the world, surpassing China, by 2045.
Processes of Population Change/Growth
There are three main things that change a population: birth rates, death rates, and migration.
Natural Increase:
The natural increase of a population is the difference between birth rates and death rates. Birth rate is the number of live births per thousand people in a year. In India, birth rates have always been higher than death rates, so this contributes a lot to population growth.
Death rate is the number of deaths per thousand people in a year. In India, the main reason the population keeps growing is because the death rate has been going down fast.
Migration:
Migration is when people move from one place to another, either within a country or between countries. Internal migration doesn’t change the total population size, but it does change where people live within the country. Migration is a big deal because it affects the makeup of the population – like age and gender.
Most migrations in India have been from rural to urban areas because rural areas often have poverty and unemployment, while cities offer better job opportunities and living conditions.
Effects of Migration:
Migration not only changes how many people live in different places but also changes the makeup of urban and rural populations. In India, more and more people are moving to cities and towns. For example, the urban population went from 17.29% of the total population in 1951 to 27.78% in 2001. And in just one decade from 1991 to 2001, the number of big cities increased from 23 to 35.
Age Composition
The age composition of a population refers to how many people are in different age groups in a country.
The number and percentage of people in different age groups – children, working-age adults, and the elderly – are important for understanding the social and economic structure of a population.
The population of a country can be divided into three main categories:
Children (below 15 years old): They are not working yet and need support for their basic needs like food, clothing, education, and healthcare. This group makes up 34.4% of India’s total population.
Working Age (15-59 years old): These are the people who are usually working and are considered as the working population. They make up 6.9% of India’s total population.
Aged (Above 59 years old): Some may still work, but many are retired. Even if they’re not working, they’re not available for employment through regular recruitment. This group makes up 58.7% of India’s total population.
Sex Ratio
Sex ratio is the number of females per 1000 males in a population. It’s an important way to see if there’s equality between males and females in a society. Unfortunately, in India, the sex ratio has always been biased towards males. It’s around 13 to 20 percent more males than females.
Health
Health is a important aspect of a population’s makeup and has a significant impact on the development process. Sustained efforts by government programs, there have been notable improvements in the health conditions of the Indian population. For instance, death rates have dropped from 25 per 1000 people in 1951 to 8.1 per 1000 in 2001, and life expectancy at birth has risen from 36.7 years in 1951 to 64.6 years in 2001.
These improvements can be attributed to various factors, including advancements in public health, effective prevention of infectious diseases, and the application of modern medical practices in diagnosing and treating illnesses.
However, despite these achievements, India’s health situation remains a significant concern. Many people in the country suffer from malnutrition, and per capita calorie consumption is often below recommended levels. A large portion of the rural population lacks access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation facilities.
Addressing these challenges requires the implementation of appropriate population policies aimed at improving healthcare infrastructure, ensuring adequate nutrition, and enhancing access to clean water and sanitation services for all segments of the population.
Adolescent Population
The age group of 10 to 19 years is considered the Adolescent Population, making up one-fifth of India’s total population.
These adolescents are crucial resources for the future of any country. Their nutritional needs are higher compared to children or adults.
In India, the diet available to adolescents lacks essential nutrients. Many adolescent girls suffer from anaemia, which is a deficiency of red blood cells or haemoglobin.
Improving awareness among adolescent girls can help address these issues. Literacy and education initiatives can play a significant role in spreading awareness about the importance of nutrition and healthcare during adolescence.National Population Policy
The government has been trying to help families plan their size since 1952. The National Population Policy 2000 focuses on making sure kids get free education, reducing infant deaths, and making sure everyone gets vaccinated. It also focuses on helping teenagers with things like delayed marriage and making sure they know about safe sex.
The policy aims to make family planning more about people’s needs.
People are a country’s most important resource. A healthy, educated population makes a country stronger.
National Population Policy
The Government of India launched the comprehensive Family Planning Programme in 1952 to enhance individual health and welfare.
It aimed to encourage responsible and planned parenthood on a voluntary basis.
The National Population Policy (NPP) 2000 represents the culmination of years of planned efforts.
NPP aims to:
- Provide a policy framework for free and compulsory school education up to 14 years of age.
- Reduce infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1000 live births.
- Achieve universal immunization of children against all vaccine-preventable diseases.
- Promote delayed marriage for girls.
- Make family welfare a people-centered program.
Relation between NPP 2000 and Adolescents:
- NPP 2000 recognizes adolescents as a significant section of the population requiring greater attention.
- Besides addressing their nutritional needs, the policy places emphasis on protecting adolescents from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
- The programs initiated under NPP 2000 for adolescents aim to:
- Encourage delayed marriage and childbearing.
- Educate adolescents about the risks of unprotected sex.
- Make contraceptive services accessible and affordable.
- Provide food supplements and nutritional services.
- Strengthen legal measures to prevent child marriage.
Related Links
Chapter 6: Population- FAQs
What is population geography?
Population geography is a branch of geography that focuses on the spatial distribution, composition, and dynamics of human populations. It examines patterns of population growth, migration, urbanization, and demographic characteristics across different regions and scales.
Why is it important to study population geography?
Studying population geography helps us understand how human populations are distributed across the Earth’s surface and the factors that influence these patterns.
What are the major factors affecting population distribution?
The major factors affecting population distribution include physical geography (such as climate, topography, and water availability), economic opportunities (such as employment opportunities, industrialization, and agricultural productivity), social factors (such as culture, language, and migration patterns), and government policies (such as urban planning, immigration policies, and resettlement programs).
How does population growth impact the environment?
Population growth can strain natural resources, lead to environmental degradation, and contribute to pollution and habitat loss. It can also increase pressure on ecosystems, exacerbate climate change, and threaten biodiversity. Sustainable population management is essential for mitigating these impacts and promoting environmental conservation.
What are some strategies for managing population growth?
Strategies for managing population growth include promoting family planning and reproductive health services, improving access to education and healthcare, empowering women and girls, implementing policies to address poverty and inequality, promoting sustainable development practices, and raising awareness about the importance of population stabilization. These efforts aim to achieve a balance between population growth and environmental sustainability.
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