NCERT CLASS 8 GEOGRAPHY CH 6

 

               Human Resources

1. Answer the following questions.

(i) Why are people considered a resource?

Ans: People are the greatest resource of a nation. All other resources of nature become significant only when people extract their usefulness. It is people with their demands and abilities that turn them into resources. Hence, human resource is the ultimate resource.

(ii) What are the causes for the uneven distribution of population in the world?

Ans: Population distribution in the world is uneven because of two factors, Geographical and Social.

Geographical factors include

1. Topography: People prefer living on plains rather than mountains and plateaus because these areas are suitable for farming, manufacturing and service activities. The Ganga Plains are the most densely populated area in the world, while mountains like the Andes, Alps and Himalayas are sparsely populated.
2. Water: People prefer living in areas where fresh water is easily available. The river valleys of the world are the densely populated regions, while deserts have a less population.

Social factors include

1. Social: Areas of better housing, education and health facilities are more densely populated. (For example, Pune)
2. Economic: Industrial areas provide employment opportunities. A large number of people are attracted to these areas. Osaka in Japan and Mumbai in India are two densely populated areas.

(iii) The world population has grown very rapidly. Why?

Ans: The world population has not been stable and has increased manifold due to advancements in science and technology. Science and technology have increased food production, and development in healthcare facilities has helped in reducing the death rate.

(iv) Discuss the role of any two factors influencing population change.

Ans: Two factors influencing the change in population are the birth rate and death rate. The birth rate is the number of births per 1,000 people, and the death rate is the number of deaths per 1,000 people. Birth and death are the natural causes of population change. When the birth rate is more than the death rate, it means that the population is increasing and vice-versa. The difference between the birth rate and the death rate of a country is called the natural growth rate.

(v) What is meant by population composition?

Ans: Population composition refers to the structure of the population. The composition of the population helps us know how many are males or females, which age group they belong to, how educated they are, what type of occupations they are employed in and what their income levels and health conditions are. An interesting way of studying the population composition of a country is by looking at the population pyramid, also called an age-sex pyramid.

(vi) What are population pyramids? How do they help in understanding the population of a country?

Ans The graphical representation used to study the composition of a country’s population is called the population pyramid. It shows the total population divided into various age groups, the percentage of the total population subdivided into males and females and the number of dependents in a country. When the population of a country has high birth and death rates, the population pyramid is broad at the base and narrow towards the top.

2. Tick the correct answer.

(i) What does the term ‘population distribution’ refer to?

1. How the population in a specified area changes over time.
2. The number of people who die in relation to the number of people born in a specified area.
3. The way in which people are spread across a given area.

Ans (c) The way in which people are spread across a given area

(ii) Which are the three main factors that cause population change?

(a) Births, deaths and marriage

(b) Births, deaths and migration

(c) Births, deaths and life expectancy

Ans (b) Births, deaths and migration.

(iii) In 1999, the world population reached

(a) 1 billion

(b) 3 billion

(c) 6 billion

Ans (c) 6 billion

(iv) What is a population pyramid?

(a) A graphical presentation of the age-sex composition of a population.

(b) When the population density of an area is so high that people live in tall buildings.

(c) Pattern of population distribution in large urban areas.

Ans (a) A graphical presentation of the age-sex composition of a population

Question 3.
Complete the sentences below using some of the following words. sparsely, favorably, fallow, artificial, fertile, natural, extreme, densely When people are attracted’ to an area it becomes populated. Factors that influence this include climate; good supplies of resources and land.
Ans:
When people are attracted to an area it becomes densely populated. Factors that influence this include favorable climate; good supplies of natural resources and fertile land.

Question 4.
Activity:
Discuss the characteristics of a society with “too many under 15s” and one with “too few under 15s”.
Ans:
The society with too many under 15s need more schools to be able to educate them. There should be efficient and laborious teachers. There should be provisions for items necessary for a child’s amusement, like toys. Children are prone to diseases; facilities for hospitals should be improved in such a society.
In a society with too few under 15s will have more and more mature people. Pension schemes will work there fruitfully. There may be the need for wheelchairs. Labor supply will be easier. These people will also need hospitals.