Human Resources | Class 8 Social Science Notes
By ConceptScroll Team · Published on 17 July 2026 · 4 min read
Human Resources – this guide gives you a concise, exam-ready overview of Human Resources from Class 8 Social Science, written by ConceptScroll editors and reviewed against the latest NCERT textbook.
FACTORS AFFECTING DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION
Population distribution is influenced by a combination of geographical, social, cultural, and economic factors. Geographical factors include topography, climate, soil fertility, availability of water, and mineral resources. People prefer to live on plains rather than mountains or plateaus because plains are more suitable for farming, manufacturing, and services. For example, the Ganga plains are among the most densely populated areas globally, while mountain ranges like the Andes, Alps, and Himalayas have sparse populations. Climate plays a crucial role; extreme climates such as very hot deserts (Sahara) or very cold polar regions (Russia, Canada, Antarctica) are avoided. Fertile soils support agriculture, attracting dense populations in river plains such as the Ganga-Brahmaputra in India, Hwang-He and Chang Jiang in China, and the Nile in Egypt. Availability of fresh water is vital; river valleys are densely populated, whereas deserts are sparsely inhabited. Mineral deposits also attract people due to employment opportunities, as seen in South Africa's diamond mines and the oil-rich Middle East. Social factors include better housing, education, and health facilities, which attract people to urban areas like Pune. Cultural factors involve places of religious or cultural significance such as Varanasi, Jerusalem, and Vatican City. Economic factors include industrial areas that provide jobs, for example, Osaka in Japan and Mumbai in India, which have dense populations due to employment opportunities.
📊 Diagram: Figure 5.4 (not explicitly numbered in the text but implied) shows images contrasting crowded and sparse population areas, such as a crowded classroom versus a large hall, illustrating how area size affects perceived density.
🧪 Activity: Students are instructed to look at Figure 5.2 and identify how many of the most populous countries are in Asia and color them on a world map.
🔗 Connection: Understanding factors affecting population distribution helps explain the patterns of population change discussed in the next section.
Frequently asked questions
1. Answer the following questions. (i) Why are people considered a resource? (ii) What are the causes for the uneven distribution of population in the world? (iii) The world population has grown very rapidly. Why? (iv) Discuss the role of any two factors influencing population change. (v) What is meant by population composition? (vi) What are population pyramids? How do they help in understanding about the population of a country?
1.(i) People are considered a resource because they contribute to the development of a country through their skills, knowledge, and labor. They are not just consumers but also producers who can improve the economy and society.
(ii) Causes for uneven distribution of population include physical factors like climate, availability of water, soil fertility, and relief; economic factors such as availability of jobs and industrial development; and social factors like political stability and cultural a
2. Tick the correct answer. (i) Which does the term population distribution refer to? (a) How population in a specified area changes over time. (b) The number of people who die in relation to the number of people born in a specified area. (c) The way in which people are spread across a given area. (ii) Which are three main factors that cause population change? (a) Births, deaths and marriage (b) Births, deaths and migration (c) Births, deaths and life expectancy (iii) In 1999, the world population reached (a) 1 billion (b) 3 billion (c) 6 billion (iv) What is a population pyramid? (a) A graphical presentation of the age, sex composition of a population. (b) When the population density of an area is so high that people live in tall buildings. (c) Pattern of population distribution in large urban areas.
(i) (c) The way in which people are spread across a given area. (ii) (b) Births, deaths and migration (iii) (c) 6 billion (iv) (a) A graphical presentation of the age, sex composition of a population.
3. Complete the sentences below using some of the following words. sparsely, favourable, fallow, artificial, fertile, natural, extreme, densely When people are attracted to an area it becomes ... populated Factors that influence this include ... climate; good supplies of ... resources and ... land.
When people are attracted to an area it becomes densely populated. Factors that influence this include favourable climate; good supplies of natural resources and fertile land.
4. Activity Discuss the characteristics of a society with ‘too many under 15s’ and one with ‘too few under 15s’. Hint: need for schools; pension schemes, teachers, toys, wheel chairs, labour supply, hospitals.
A society with too many under 15s will have a high demand for schools, teachers, toys, and pediatric healthcare facilities. It will have a large future labor supply but may face challenges in providing adequate resources and employment opportunities.
A society with too few under 15s will have less demand for schools and child-related services but may face issues like an aging population, increased need for pension schemes, healthcare for elderly (wheel chairs, hospitals), and a shrinking labor
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