Question

Difficulty: Very hardPopulation Distribution and Density Factors

An administrative state in West Africa covers a total area of 120,000 km2120,000\text{ km}^2. Environmental surveys indicate that 65%65\% of the terrain is non-arable (comprising rocky highlands, water bodies, and urban infrastructure), while the remainder is arable land suitable for farming. The state has a total population of 16,800,00016,800,000 inhabitants, of which 75%75\% are actively engaged in rural agricultural production. What is the agricultural population density of this state in persons per square kilometer of arable land?

Answer: 300 persons/km²

Answer

The agricultural population density of the state is 300 persons/km2300\text{ persons/km}^2.
Agricultural population density measures the ratio of the agricultural population to the area of arable land. First, determine the arable land area: 100%65%=35%100\% - 65\% = 35\% of 120,000 km2120,000\text{ km}^2, which equals 42,000 km242,000\text{ km}^2. Next, determine the rural agricultural population: 75%75\% of 16,800,00016,800,000, which gives 12,600,00012,600,000 agricultural inhabitants. Finally, dividing the agricultural population by the arable land area (12,600,000/42,00012,600,000 / 42,000) yields 300 persons/km2300\text{ persons/km}^2.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Calculate Arable Land Area
Arable land area is 42,000 km242,000\text{ km}^2.
Agricultural density requires using arable land area rather than total surface area.
2
Calculate Agricultural Population
Agricultural population is 12,600,00012,600,000 inhabitants.
Agricultural density considers only the segment of the population engaged in farming rather than the total population.
3
Calculate Agricultural Density
Agricultural population density is 300 persons/km2300\text{ persons/km}^2.
Dividing the agricultural population by the arable land area yields the density of farmers per unit of cultivated land.

Key Concept

Agricultural Population Density
Estimated Time:3m 0s
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