Distribution characteristics of population distribution

The world population distribution has the following characteristics: the population is distributed horizontally, mainly in the northern hemisphere, where 90% of the population lives, while the population in the southern hemisphere is only 10%. In the northern hemisphere, the population is mostly concentrated in temperate and subtropical areas between 20 and 60 north latitude. Population distribution also tends to be concentrated in coastal areas. The population is distributed in the vertical direction, and a large number of them are concentrated at relatively low altitudes, while the population at high altitudes is relatively sparse.

Generally, the mid-latitude, low topography and coastal location have obvious attraction to the population. At present, 79.4% of the world's population is concentrated in the area of 20 ~ 60 north latitude; The population below 200 meters above sea level accounts for 56.2% of the world population, and the population above 200 ~ 1000 meters accounts for 35.6% of the world population. Although the area within 200 kilometers from the world coast accounts for less than 30% of the global land area, it has more than half of the world's total population; (or inertia)

Population distribution often lags behind the development of productive forces and the transfer of economic centers. The reason is that the change of population distribution depends on the time cumulative effect of natural growth rate and net migration rate, and the speed is relatively slow. Only in the newly developed areas with small population base can the immigration factor produce obvious results immediately. The study on the distribution characteristics and formation conditions of population (phenomenon) in the world, countries and regions almost constitutes the whole content of population geography.