'Explaining contrasts in population density'

Australia is located in the southern hemisphere and is part of the Oceania region. Its climate is predominantly arid to semi arid with exceptions along the eastern and south eastern coastline and parts of Tasmania, which experience greater rainfall. The population density for the nation is 5 people per square kilometre. The nation unlike China does not exhibit high population density with rare areas of population densities above 100 hundred people per square kilometre distributed in the major cities.

This low population density can be attributed to the historical factor that no formal territory was made on the land until 1770. Therefore the population was relatively small initially comprising only of indigenous tribes and European settlers, thus over time the population of 21 million is still small in comparison to the world. In addition to this environmentally central Australia is undesirable to live in as it is characterized by climatic conditions of higher temperatures, unfertile soil and deserts. Due to this environmental factor there is a higher population density along the coastline of Australia with 89% of the population living in an urban environment as the area is more suited to human living needs and is now the location of all major cities. The historic factor of the coastline being the original site of colonisation for European settlers also contributes to this population density trend.

China on the other hand is located in the northern hemisphere on the south east area of Asia. The country has variance in its population density as it gradually increases to the eastern coast. The country has a greater population density along the eastern coast with 500+ people per square km in comparison to the western areas which has 100-500 people per square km. This can be attributed to the fact that all major cities are located along the eastern coastline, resulting in higher density living. The location of the major cities also attracts people due to numerous job opportunities as China is country a developing country which is experiencing a boom in growth. Despite this 57% of the population live in rural areas distributed across the country.

Australia despite being classified a developed nation has a short history which has naturally resulted in an insignificant population in comparison to the world. Due to this it has a smaller population that are distributed across the country in low densities as currently there is no great demand for space. This is projected to change in the future with a population growth rate of 1.171% and a population of 26-30 million by 2050. This growth rate and increased population will no longer than be able to be catered to in a low density environment and urban sprawl must be effectively reduced in order to create a higher density environment that is sustainable and is well serviced by infrastructure without expanding into rural areas and threatening our agriculture industry. China has the world's largest population with 1,338 070 000 people and thus must continue to increase population density in order to cater for future growth. The nation has already reached its carrying capacity for people (the number an area can support sustainably) and is now placing immense pressure on resources. The large population may contribute to China's economy as it provides cheap labour that fuels the country's growth but this also contributes to a rise in unemployment rates as there is simply too few jobs for the population , which has resulted in 38% of people living in slums.