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102 Unit 2 Population and Migration%u00a0Patterns and%u00a0ProcessesOceania) to 0.6 percent. While these numbers indicate unevenness in population distribution, they are also misleading because continents%u2019 sizes and environmental conditions vary greatly. Within each continent and even within countries, population is also very unevenly distributed, as Figure 7.1 shows. Earth%u2019s pattern of population distribution changes constantly as a result of geographic differences in birth and death rates and human migration. The movement of human populations is as old as humanity itself. Over the course of history, human beings %u2014 who are native to the African tropics %u2014 have moved to other parts of the world and learned to adapt to challenging natural environments. We have made ourselves at home in all but the most inhospitable climates, avoiding only such places as icy Antarctica and the Arabian Peninsula%u2019s arid %u201cEmpty Quarter.%u201d Our permanent habitat extends from the edge of the ice sheets to the seashores, from desert valleys below sea level to high mountain slopes. Geographers refer to the portion of Earth%u2019s surface with permanent human settlement as the ecumene (from a Greek word meaning the inhabited world). The ecumene has expanded greatly throughout human history. every three people within 310 miles (500 km). Almost 80 percent of Brazil%u2019s 215 million people live within 200 miles (320 km) of its coasts. Certainly, beachfront properties can be very nice, but with the increasing number of people wanting to live there, housing in coastal places is usually quite expensive. If we consider the distribution of people by continents, we find that 68.7 percent of humans live in Eurasia , a huge landmass that consists of Europe, with less than 10 percent of the human population, and Asia, which is home to just under 60 percent of humanity. North America is home to 4.7 percent of all people, Africa to 17.8 percent, Middle and South America to 8.2 percent, and Australia and the Pacific Islands (or Tropic of CancerArctic CircleTropic of CapricornEquatorPACIFICOCEANPACIFICOCEANATLANTICOCEANATLANTICOCEANINDIANOCEAN20%u00b0N40%u00b0S40%u00b0N60%u00b0N80%u00b0N0%u00b020%u00b0N20%u00b0S40%u00b0S40%u00b0N60%u00b0N80%u00b0N0%u00b0160%u00b0W 100%u00b0W 80%u00b0W 60%u00b0W 40%u00b0W 20%u00b0W 0%u00b0 20%u00b0E 40%u00b0E 60%u00b0E 80%u00b0E 100%u00b0E 120%u00b0E 140%u00b0E 160%u00b0E 180%u00b0Tropic of CancerArctic CircleTropic of CapricornEquatorEAST ASIANCLUSTEREUROPEANCLUSTERSOUTHASIANCLUSTERSOUTHEASTASIANCLUSTER0 2000 4000 miles0 2000 4000 km40%u00b0S160%u00b0WPopulation densityPersq. kmPersq. mileAbove 25060%u20132503%u2013591%u20132Below 1Above 10025%u20131002%u2013241Below 1Figure 7.1 Population distribution in the world. Can you identify the major countries located in densely populated areas on the map? What areas of the world are sparsely populated? TERMS TO KNOW Eurasia: A massive piece of land on Earth that consists of Europe, with less than 10 percent of the human population, and Asia, which accounts for just under 60%u00a0percent of humanity ecumene: The portion of Earth%u2019s surface with permanent human settlement %u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.