People do not live evenly spread through the world. For example large parts of Australia are very sparsely populated (low population density), whereas areas in the south-east and around Perth are crowded (high population density). The spread of people around a country is known its population distribution

The factors that tend to produce low population densities are

• Extreme climate - too cold, hot, wet or dry
• Extreme relief - too high and too steep
• Extreme remoteness - places that are difficult to reach
• Infertile land - need to have extensive (very large) farms

The factors that can produce a high population density are

• Moderate climate
• Fertile farming land - many, small farms able to support a large population
• Mineral resources - mines produce jobs, and provide raw materials for other industries
• Low land - with gentle slopes or flat ground
• Good water supply
• Wealthier areas - people will move to where the jobs and money are found