Population distribution and density

• Population distribution  refers to the spread of people in a given area.
• Population in India is unevenly distributed.
• India's uneven population distribution is due to physical factors such as relief and climate and human factors such as the availability of jobs and services.
• Population density is the average number of people per km2.
• India's density is 396 however this is an average figure and some areas have far higher densities and some far lower.
• ⅔ of the population still live in rural areas indicating the importance of agriculture and its influence on settlement patterns.
• The lower courses of major rivers tend to be very highly populated.
• The Ganges-Brahmaputra Valley contains more than 1,000 people per square kilometre.
• The Ganges-Brahmaputra Valley is a flat low-lying plain that contains fertile alluvial soil and enjoys plentiful and reliable water supplies during the wet monsoon.
• Wet Monsoon conditions are ideally suited to intensive subsistence agriculture that yields two crops per year and can facilitate high population densities.
• The Ganges-Brahmaputra Valley is home to more than 200 million people which is 16.5% of the total population.
• Coastal plains near the Western and Eastern Ghats have populations between 500 and 1,000 per square kilometre.
• Coastal plains near the Western and Eastern Ghats include river valleys such as the Krishna and contain fertile alluvial soils. These river valleys support dense populations. The Ghats also contain many large plantations growing cash crops such as tea, coconuts and cotton. Population density is lower on these large plantations.
• River valleys support dense populations.
• The Ghats contained many large plantations growing cash crops such as tea, coconuts and cotton. Population density is lower on these large plantations.
• The major cities of Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai have very high population densities.
• Mumbai has a population of 18 million making it the most populated city in India and one of the  most populated cities in the world.
• Mumbai is India's main port and many port related jobs attract migrants to the city.
• In Kolkata the average population density is 2,050 per square km, however some bustees are thought to have more than 25,000 per square km. This high density is due to rural to urban migration.
• Poor people move to the cities for work, education and better healthcare services.
• High birth rates among young migrants also contribute to high population densities.
• Lower population densities exist in the mountainous zones along India's northern border.
• The Himalayas are snow covered and lack soil.
• In the Himalayas road access is poor and these factors prevent settlement in the area.
• Some areas such as Sikkim have low population densities of 86 per km2 although densities are higher on the lower south facing slopes where higher temperatures have encouraged more settlement.
• The interior of the Deccan Plateau has low population densities as the upland relief and drier climate discourage settlement.
• The interior of the Deccan Plateau is inaccessible due to an absence of roads. 
• In the north west, the dry desert climate of the Thar Desert causes a low population density of below 100 people per square km.
• Low rainfall hinders agriculture and therefore the production of food in this region.
• Irrigation schemes have been introduced in recent years allowing the growth of crops such as cotton. This has slowed out migration from this region.