Population and urbanisation, Year 7: more practice

It is too hot and dry for farming, with little water

HintPeople need drinking supplies and crops to survive.

The whyDeserts have very little rainfall, so water and crops are scarce. People live mostly beside oases and rivers, such as the Nile.

Asia

HintTwo of the world's most populous countries are here.

The whyAsia is home to well over half of the world's people, including those of China and India.

Flat land, water and good soil make farming easy

HintThink about what farmers need.

The whyRivers supply water and carry fertile silt onto the flat land. Easy farming supports many people.

Square kilometre

HintIt is a unit for large areas of land.

The whyDensity is the number of people divided by the area they live in. It lets crowded and empty places be compared fairly.

40

HintDivide the number of people by the area.

The why2 000 ÷ 50 = 40 people per square kilometre.

Defence

HintThe aim was safety.

The whyHill tops, river loops and islands were easy to defend. Many old towns began as defended sites.

A dry point site

HintThe ground is kept out of the water.

The whyDry points kept homes and stores safe from flooding in marshy areas. Many fenland towns were built this way.

For drinking, cooking, washing and farming

HintThink of everything people need water for every day.

The whyWithout fresh water a settlement could not survive, so springs, rivers and wells strongly shaped where villages grew.

Site is the exact land it stands on; situation is its position in relation to the surrounding area

HintOne is local; the other is the bigger picture.

The whyA town's site might be a river bend. Its situation might be 'in the centre of a fertile plain, at the meeting of trade routes'.

It gets more sunshine, so it is warmer and better for crops

HintIn the northern hemisphere the Sun is in the south.

The whySouth-facing slopes get more sunlight and shelter from cold north winds, which helped early farming.