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104 Unit 2 Population and Migration%u00a0Patterns and%u00a0Processesafter its government implemented strict birth control policies in the late 1970s. In 2022, the Chinese population actually shrank by 850,000 people, which was the first year with a net loss in more than 6 decades. As in South Asia, the river valleys and fertile plains of East Asia are particularly densely populated. A%u00a0remarkable feature of China%u2019s population distribution is that it overlaps with the distribution of its cultivated land: WuhanNanjingQuingdaoHangzhouZhengzhouChongqingZangzhouXi%u2019anBeijingTianjinChengduShanghaiGuangzhou ShenzhenMONGOLIAKAZAKHSTANKYRGYZSTANMYANMARBANGLADESHBHUTANLAOSVIETNAMTAIWANJAPANRUSSIANORTHKOREASOUTHKOREACHINA120%u00b0E130%u00b0E40%u00b0N30%u00b0N20%u00b0N90%u00b0E 110%u00b0EPACIFICOCEANEastChinaSeaSouth ChinaSeaBay ofBengalSea ofJapan(East Sea)BeijingTianjinChengduShanghaiGuangzhou ShenzhenShenyangWuhanNanjingQuingdaoHangzhouZhengzhouChongqingZangzhouXi%u2019anHong Kong FoshanSuzhouMONGOLIAKAZAKHSTANINDIAKYRGYZSTANMYANMARBANGLADESHBHUTANLAOSVIETNAMTAIWANJAPANRUSSIANORTHKOREASOUTHKOREACHINA0 250 500 miles0 250 500 kmINDIABANGLADESHMore than 12,8001000%u201312,800500%u2013999250%u2013499100%u201324925%u2013996%u201324Fewer than 6People per square kilometerWuhanNanjingQuingdaoHangzhouZhengzhouChongqingZangzhouXi%u2019anBeijingTianjinChengduShanghaiGuangzhou ShenzhenMONGOLIAKAZAKHSTANPAKISTANKYRGYZSTANMYANMARBANGLADESHBHUTANLAOSVIETNAMTAIWANJAPANRUSSIANORTHKOREASOUTHKOREACHINA120%u00b0E130%u00b0E40%u00b0N30%u00b0N20%u00b0N90%u00b0E 110%u00b0EPACIFICOCEANEastChinaSeaSouth ChinaSeaBay ofBengalSea ofJapan(East Sea)BeijingTianjinChengduShanghaiGuangzhou ShenzhenShenyangWuhanNanjingQuingdaoHangzhouZhengzhouChongqingZangzhouXi%u2019anHong Kong FoshanSuzhouMONGOLIAKAZAKHSTANINDIAPAKISTANKYRGYZSTANMYANMARBANGLADESHNEPAL BHUTANLAOSVIETNAMTAIWANJAPANRUSSIANORTHKOREASOUTHKOREACHINA0 250 500 miles0 250 500 kmINDIABANGLADESHNEPALBay ofBengalINDIABANGLADESHNEPAL NEPALCultivated land (%)30 or more10 to 290 to 9Mostly degradedsoilSelected cities over 5 millionpopulation are labeled.Figure 7.3 China%u2019s population density and farmland distribution. Can you identify the major plains and river valleys with dense population settlements on the maps? wherever there is good farmland, there is usually dense population settlement, as shown in Figure 7.3 . We may infer population settlement patterns from the Chinese farmland distribution map, which is helpful for analyzing population patterns in an ancient agriculture-based civilization such as China. Despite their rugged terrains and hence limited amount of land suitable for farming, Japan and the two Koreas are highly populated, too. Europe With its mostly moist and mild climate and fertile soils, the European Plain extends from the Pyrenees Mountains along the Spain%u2013France border, through Germany, Poland, and the European part of Russia, to the Ural Mountains. This region has long supported a large population. Other densely populated areas include the southeastern part of Britain, the Po River valley in northern Italy, and various coastal areas. European countries are highly developed and urbanized, and their populations have been mostly stable. However, the population has been shrinking in more than two dozen European countries, with the number of people dying each year exceeding the number of babies born. Countries with a declining population may face a number of challenges, including a labor shortage and a growing social burden of caring for the elderly people. Population decline is one of the major challenges facing those countries. We discuss this issue and potential policy measures in later Modules in this Unit. Southeast Asia Nearly 700 million people live in Southeast Asia, which is located between the Indian Ocean to the west and the vast Pacific Ocean to the east. More than half of this population lives in just two island %u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.