Europe:
Where do people live?
We have been using 5 physical criteria [phpeowhy.htm] to help us understand where people live in each geographic realm. By applying these criteria to each realm we not only learn where people live, but we also gain a better understanding of the realm's physical geography.
Student's must understand that each criterion may not apply to all realms. We learn just as much when we discover that a criterion does not apply as when it does.
Use the maps provided to apply these criteria to Europe. Which help explain the location of the realm's ecumene ("the portion of the earth's land surface that is permanently settled by human beings")? Pay close attention to which criteria HELP explain where people live and to any EXCEPTIONS to the criteria.
The 5 criteria are:
Europe is one of the world's three large population clusters [wwecum3]. With a population of 582 million, Europe comprises about 10% of the world's population. It's land area of 2,193.6 square miles constitutes less than 5% of the world's land area. This gives Europe a population density of 265.1 people per square mile [eumeasur.htm]. This is greater than the population density of all other realm except south Asia, east Asia, and southeast Asia. Luckily a large fraction of the land is arable and rich in resources and has provided the people of the realm with a high standard of living.