Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition
Class 12 Geography · India People and Economy · Chapter 1
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Summary
India is the world's second most populous country, with a population of 1,210 million in 2011, larger than North America, South America and Australia combined. Population data are collected through the Census held every ten years, first conducted in 1872 and first completed in 1881. India's population is very unevenly distributed: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal hold the largest numbers, and ten states together account for about 76 per cent of the total, shaped by physical factors (climate, terrain, water) and socio-economic factors (agriculture, transport, industrialisation, urbanisation). The density of population in 2011 was 382 persons per square kilometre, rising steadily from 117 in 1951; physiological and agricultural densities give deeper insight into pressure on cultivable land. Population growth has four phases: stagnant (1901-1921), steady (1921-1951), population explosion (1951-1981) and a gradual slowing after 1981. Composition is studied by rural-urban residence (68.8 per cent rural in 2011), language (four families: Austric, Dravidian, Sino-Tibetan and Indo-European), and religion (Hindus, Muslims and others). The working population is divided into main workers, marginal workers and non-workers, with about 39.8 per cent workers; the 2011 Census recognises four occupational categories — cultivators, agricultural labourers, household industrial workers and other workers — and the primary sector still dominates with about 54.6 per cent of workers.
Key terms
Census
The official population count, conducted in India every ten years, first completed in 1881.
Density of population
The number of persons per unit area, which was 382 per square kilometre in India in 2011.
Physiological density
Total population divided by net cultivated area, giving a measure of pressure on cultivable land.
Population explosion
The rapid growth phase of 1951-1981 caused by falling mortality with high fertility.
Main worker
A person who works for at least 183 days (six months) in a year.
Scheduled languages
The recognised languages of India, numbering about 22, belonging to four language families.
Extra questions & answers
Try one from this chapter
India's population as per the 2011 Census was: