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106 Unit 2 Population and Migration%u00a0Patterns and%u00a0ProcessesDemocratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia. By the mid-twenty-first century, the United States will be the fourth most populous country in the world and likely still the only developed country in the group. Population changes in these countries can greatly affect global population growth trends and distribution patterns. Sparsely Populated Areas Though the information about population clusters may imply that our planet is crowded, sparsely populated areas are actually much more extensive than densely populated ones. There are unpopulated areas on every continent. These %u201cempty quarters%u201d reflect the human tendency to avoid places that are too cold, too dry, too wet, too rugged, or too barren. As seen in Figure 7.1 , major examples of sparsely settled areas include the northern sections of Eurasia and North America (too cold), the extensive desert belt from North Africa through the Arabian Peninsula, to the heart of Eurasia, and most of Australia (too dry), the Amazon basin (too wet), and the Tibetan Plateau (too rugged and cold). National and Local Patterns Unevenness often characterizes population distribution at national and local levels as well. Figure 7.5 shows that declined slowly due to its strict population control policies, that decrease is offset by India%u2019s relatively rapid population growth. Another feature worth noting: of the top 10 most populated countries, only the United States is a developed (or industrialized) country , meaning it is a country with an advanced economy and a high standard of living. All the others, including Russia, are developing (or industrializing) countries , or countries that are of relatively low income or economically poorer than developed countries. Although the United States is currently the third most populous country, it has only 4.2 percent of the world%u2019s population. The top 10 list will change in the near future due to different rates of population growth. China and India will switch their spots; Nigeria, currently sixth, will move up the rank to become the fourth most populous country. Russia and Mexico are expected to fall off the top 10 list and be replaced by two African countries: the 60%u00b0N60%u00b0N70%u00b0N70%u00b0N50%u00b0N40%u00b0N60%u00b0E40%u00b0E20%u00b0E0%u00b080%u00b0E120%u00b0E140%u00b0E160%u00b0E180%u00b0Black SeaCaspian SeaBarents SeaARCTIC OCEANBeringSeaSea ofOkhotskPACIFIC OCEANRUSSIA EUROPERUSSIAUKRAINEBELARUSFINLANDSWEDEN NORWAYMONGOLIACHINA KAZAKHSTAN TURKEY GEORGIAARMENIAMoscowSt. PetersburgUfaOmskKazanSamara VoronezhChelyabinskNovosibirskYekaterinburgNizhniyNovgorodRostovon-DonVolgogradKrasnoyarsk SaratovAnadyr'PetropavlovskKamchatskiyKhabarovskVladivostokVerkhoyanskYakutskNorilskSerovPermYaroslavl'ArchangelMurmanskGroznyNovokuznetsk IrkutskKaliningrad0 500 1000 miles0 500 1000 kmEUROPERUSSIABELARUS60%u00b0N20%u00b0E0%u00b0Barents SeaSWEDEN NORWAYMore than 12,8001000%u201312,800500%u2013999250%u2013499100%u201324950%u20139925%u20134910%u2013245%u20139Fewer than 5People per square kilometerMetro areas 10%u201320 millionMetro areas 5%u20139.9 millionMetro areas 1%u20134.9 millionMetro areas under 1 millionFigure 7.5 Population distribution in Russia. What factors might have contributed to Siberia%u2019s sparse population distribution? TERMS TO KNOW developed (or industrialized) country: A country with an advanced economy and a high standard of living developing (or industrializing) countries: Countries that are of relatively low income or economically poorer than developed countries %u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.