population distribution

The location of people within an area. Areas may be compared by looking at variations in population density. Population is unevenly distributed for a number of reasons. Pull factors (which attract people) include mineral resources, temperate climate, the availability of water, and fertile, flat land. Push factors (which repel people) include dense vegetation, limited accessibility, and political or religious oppression.

Over 90% of the world's population is found in the northern hemisphere, where there is most land. Some 60% of the world's land surface is unpopulated. At the other extreme, urban areas such as Mong Kok in Hong Kong may have as many as 160,000 people living in one square kilometre and Calcutta slums up to 80,000 per square kilometre.