Population

An uneven spatial distribution of the population in India suggests a close relationship between the population and physical, socio-economic and historical factors. As far as the physical fac- tors are concerned, it is clear that climate along with the terrain and the availability of water largely determine the pattern of the population distribution. Consequently, we observe that the North Indian Plains, deltas and Coastal Plains have a higher proportion of the population than the interior districts of the southern and central Indian States, the Himalayas, and some of the north-eastern and western states. However, development of irrigation (Rajasthan), availability of mineral and energy resources (Jharkhand) and development of transport network (Peninsular States) have resulted in a moderate to high concentration of population in areas which were previously very thinly populated.
Among the socio-economic and historical factors of the distribution of population, important ones are the evolution of settled agriculture and agricultural development; the pattern of hu- man settlement; development of transport networks, industrialisation and urbanisation. It is observed that the regions falling in the river plains and coastal areas of India have remained the regions of larger population concentration. Even though the use of natural resources like land and water in these regions has shown the sign of degradation, the concentration of the population remains high because of the early history of human settlement and the development of transport networks. On the other hand, the urban regions of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ben- galuru, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Jaipur have high concentrations of population due to industrial development and urbanisation, drawing large numbers of rural-urban migrants.