1.1.3 Population distribution and economic development at the national scale
Content
- Geographic inquiry and concept(s)
- How population varies between places
- Geographic knowledge and understanding
- Population distribution and economic development at the national scale, including voluntary internal migration, core-periphery patterns and megacity growth
- Case study or detailed examples
- Two detailed and contrasting examples of uneven population distribution
- Aims of this lesson
- To have knowledge of where the population is distributed in both China and the USA.
- To have knowledge of the movement of people within China and the USA.
- To have knowledge of what the core and periphery are and how this can impact megacity growth.
Base knowledge and understanding
News article
Almost no progress made on UK regional household income divide in 30 years, report finds
Despite promises of successive governments, gap between richest and poorest areas consistent since 1997
The Guardian · 8 July 2026
Key terms
- Core
- A central region in an economy, with good communications and high population density, which conduce to its prosperity.
- Core and periphery
- The concept of a developed core surrounded by an undeveloped periphery. The concept can be applied at various scales.
- Megacity
- An urban area with a population of at least ten million people.
- Periphery
- Outlying regions with poor communications and sparse population.
- Voluntary migration
- Refers to the movement of individuals or groups who choose to relocate, typically motivated by personal factors, economic opportunities, or improved quality of life.
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Review
- Outline one way in which middle-income countries differ from low-income countries. [2]
- Explain two reasons why some middle-income countries are considered emerging economies. [4]