Population and urbanisation, Year 7: more practice

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

提示People need drinking supplies and crops to survive.

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

Asia

提示Two of the world's most populous countries are here.

为什么Asia 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

提示Think about what farmers need.

为什么Rivers supply water and carry fertile silt onto the flat land. Easy farming supports many people.

Square kilometre

提示It is a unit for large areas of land.

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

40

提示Divide the number of people by the area.

为什么2 000 ÷ 50 = 40 people per square kilometre.

Defence

提示The aim was safety.

为什么Hill tops, river loops and islands were easy to defend. Many old towns began as defended sites.

A dry point site

提示The ground is kept out of the water.

为什么Dry points kept homes and stores safe from flooding in marshy areas. Many fenland towns were built this way.

For drinking, cooking, washing and farming

提示Think of everything people need water for every day.

为什么Without 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

提示One is local; the other is the bigger picture.

为什么A 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

提示In the northern hemisphere the Sun is in the south.

为什么South-facing slopes get more sunlight and shelter from cold north winds, which helped early farming.