1.1 - Over-populated Case Study: Bangladesh (Paper 1)

Question 1

Explain the problems of over-population in Bangladesh: (4)

Answer 1

• 4/5ths of the population live in rural areas, the lack of land for farming per person results in high level of rural poverty. (1)
• 40% of the population is underemployed. (1)
• Dhaka suffers from traffic congestion with an average speed on the road which is 7km. By 2035, it could be slower than walking speed at 4 km/h. As well as congestion, this could also lead to air pollution due to lots of vehicles emitting toxic gases. (1)

Question 2

Explain the causes of over-population in Bangladesh: (3)

Answer 2

• School life expectancy in Bangladesh is only 12 years, this causes a large amount of people are illiterate and are not aware about the affects of increasing the population. Mothers mean age of birth is 18.6 years. (1)
• Approximately 20% of the Bangladesh population live under the poverty line. And because they need money, food and shelter for survival. They rely on their kids to go work on agricultural land or farms to help generate income. Because they want to maximise income, they give birth to a lot of kids which continues to multiply rapidly as their kids have children of their own. (1)
• The south of Bangladesh near the bay of Bengal experience floods frequently with floods reaching up to 1 metre high which affects 15 million people living In the south. Due to this, this forces people to emigrate up to the north. (1)