Which one of the following is the low latitudes zone of subsistence gathering practiced in the world ? (A) Nor

Question

Q. Which one of the following is the low latitudes zone of subsistence gathering practiced in the world ? (A) Northern Canada (B) Northern Eurasia (C) Southeast Asia (D) Southeast Chile

CBSECBSE Class XII Board 2026MCQ· 1mImportance★★★★★

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Concept understanding — Population Distribution

Population Distribution: A First Look

Think about your own city or town for a moment. Some areas are crowded with houses, shops, and people walking everywhere. Other areas have fewer buildings, more open land, and you see fewer people. Now scale that thought up to the entire country — or the whole world. Why are some places packed with people while others are nearly empty? That is the core question behind population distribution.

The Everyday Intuition

Imagine you are planning a picnic. You would not choose a barren, rocky hillside with no shade and no water. You would look for a flat, pleasant spot near a river or lake, with trees for shade and easy access by road. Human beings, across history, have made the same kind of choice — only on a much larger scale and over centuries. We settle where life is easier: where the land is fertile, where water is available, where the climate is not extreme, where we can trade and work, and where we feel safe.

That instinct — to cluster where conditions favour us — is the seed of population distribution.

The Precise Meaning

Population distribution refers to the way people are spread out across a geographical area. It is not about how many people there are in total (that is population size) or how fast the number is growing (that is population growth). It is about where people live and why they live there.

In the NCERT textbook for Class 12 Geography (India: People and Economy), population distribution is defined as the pattern of where people live — the spatial arrangement of population over the earth's surface. The textbook emphasises that this pattern is never uniform. Some regions are densely populated (many people per unit area), others are moderately populated, and vast stretches are sparsely populated or even uninhabited.

Note

Do not confuse population distribution with population density. Density is a number — people per square kilometre. Distribution is the broader pattern: where the dense and sparse areas are located, and why.

Why It Matters

Understanding population distribution is not just an academic exercise. It has real-world consequences:

Planning and policy: Governments need to know where people live to decide where to build schools, hospitals, roads, and railways. A region with few people does not need a major airport; a densely packed city needs extensive public transport.
Resource allocation: Tax revenues, disaster relief funds, and development schemes are often distributed based on where the population is concentrated.
Environmental impact: Dense populations put pressure on local water, land, and air. Sparse populations may leave ecosystems relatively undisturbed.
Elections and representation: In a democracy, electoral constituencies are drawn based on population distribution so that each vote carries roughly equal weight.

What Shapes Population Distribution?

The NCERT textbook groups the factors into three broad categories:

1. Geographical Factors

Relief: Flat plains (like the Indo-Gangetic plain) attract dense settlement. Mountains, deserts, and rugged terrain discourage it.
Climate: Moderate climates with adequate rainfall support agriculture and comfortable living. Extreme heat, cold, or dryness push people away.
Soil: Fertile alluvial soil supports farming and therefore larger populations. Rocky or infertile soil does not.
Water: Rivers, lakes, and coastal areas have historically been magnets for settlement. Think of the great river valley civilisations — Indus, Ganga, Nile.
Mineral resources: Regions rich in coal, iron ore, or oil often see mining towns and industrial clusters develop, drawing workers.

2. Economic Factors

Agriculture: Areas with high agricultural productivity can support more people.
Industrialisation: Factories and industries create jobs, attracting migrants.
Urbanisation: Cities offer employment, education, healthcare, and entertainment — a powerful pull.
Transport and trade: Ports, railway junctions, and highway intersections become nodes of population concentration.

3. Social and Cultural Factors

Historical settlement: Some regions have been inhabited for millennia, creating a built-up environment that continues to attract people.
Religious or cultural significance: Pilgrimage centres (Varanasi, Mecca) draw both temporary visitors and permanent residents.
Political stability: People flee conflict zones and move to safer regions.
Government policies: Planned cities (like Chandigarh) or special economic zones can deliberately shift population patterns.

Important

No single factor works in isolation. Population distribution is always the result of a combination of geographical, economic, social, and historical forces interacting over time.

A Global and Indian Snapshot

Globally, population is highly uneven. More than half the world's people live in just a handful of countries — China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia, and Mexico. Vast areas like Siberia, the Sahara, the Amazon rainforest, and the Australian outback are very sparsely populated.

Within India, the NCERT textbook highlights a stark contrast. The northern plains (especially the Ganga basin) and coastal regions are densely populated. The Himalayan states, the Thar Desert, and the northeastern hill states have much lower densities. The Deccan plateau falls somewhere in between, with moderate density.

A Final Thought

Population distribution is not static. It changes over time as new resources are discovered, as climates shift, as economies transform, and as people migrate. The pattern you see on a map today is a snapshot of centuries of human decision-making — constrained by nature, driven by opportunity, and shaped by history. Understanding it helps you see why your own neighbourhood looks the way it does, and why some parts of the world are bustling while others remain quiet.

Subsistence gathering in low latitudes is primarily found in tropical regions like Southeast Asia, where abundant natural resources support communities living directly off the land.

Population distribution across the globe is significantly influenced by environmental factors, which in turn dictate the types of economic activities people can pursue. One of the oldest forms of human economic activity is subsistence gathering, where people collect wild plants and hunt wild animals directly from their natural environment to meet their basic needs for food, shelter, and clothing, rather than for commercial sale or trade. This practice is typically characterized by low levels of technology, small population densities, and often a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle.

Note

Subsistence gathering is distinct from commercial gathering, which involves collecting natural products for sale in markets. The key difference lies in the purpose: survival versus profit.

The term "low latitudes" refers to the geographical zones generally located between the Tropic of Cancer ( $23.5^\circ$ North) and the Tropic of Capricorn ( $23.5^\circ$ South). These regions are characterized by tropical climates, which typically feature high temperatures, abundant rainfall, and dense vegetation, such as tropical rainforests. Such environments are rich in biodiversity, offering a wide variety of plants and animals that can sustain human populations through gathering and hunting.

Let's examine the given options:

(A) Northern Canada: This region lies in high latitudes, characterized by Arctic and sub-Arctic climates. While indigenous communities here historically practiced and continue to practice subsistence activities like hunting and fishing, it is not a low latitudes zone. The environment is dominated by tundra and boreal forests, which are very different from tropical ecosystems.
(B) Northern Eurasia: Similar to Northern Canada, this encompasses vast areas of Siberia and Arctic Russia, which are high latitude regions. The climate is extremely cold, with extensive taiga (boreal forest) and tundra biomes. Subsistence activities here are adapted to cold environments and are not characteristic of low latitudes.
(D) Southeast Chile: This region is located in the mid to high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere, specifically in Patagonia. It experiences temperate to subpolar climates, with features like fjords, glaciers, and temperate forests. While some indigenous groups historically gathered resources, it does not fit the description of a low latitudes tropical zone.

(C) Southeast Asia: This region falls predominantly within the low latitudes, straddling the equator and extending into tropical zones. It is characterized by extensive tropical rainforests, high biodiversity, and a monsoon climate. Historically, and in some remote areas even today, various indigenous communities in Southeast Asia have relied heavily on subsistence gathering and hunting, utilizing the rich natural resources of their environment. The dense forests provide a wide array of edible plants, fruits, and animals, making it an ideal zone for this practice in low latitudes.

Important

Low latitudes, with their warm, humid climates and abundant biodiversity, have historically been prime regions for subsistence gathering due to the availability of diverse natural resources.

✓Final answer

The low latitudes zone of subsistence gathering among the given options is Southeast Asia, due to its tropical climate and rich biodiversity that supports such practices.

Same / Similar Concept — real previous-year questions on the same or a closely similar concept, not this exact question.

CBSE 2026Set 64/1/11 markMCQ
$Q. Which one of the following is the low latitudes zone of subsistence gathering practiced in the world ? (A) Northern Canada (B) Northern Eurasia (C) Southeast Asia (D) Southeast Chile$
›Reveal solutionSolution
Subsistence gathering in low latitudes is primarily found in tropical regions like Southeast Asia, where abundant natural resources support communities living directly off the land.

Population distribution across the globe is significantly influenced by environmental factors, which in turn dictate the types of economic activities people can pursue. One of the oldest forms of human economic activity is subsistence gathering, where people collect wild plants and hunt wild animals directly from their natural environment to meet their basic needs for food, shelter, and clothing, rather than for commercial sale or trade. This practice is typically characterized by low levels of technology, small population densities, and often a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle.

Note

Subsistence gathering is distinct from commercial gathering, which involves collecting natural products for sale in markets. The key difference lies in the purpose: survival versus profit.

The term "low latitudes" refers to the geographical zones generally located between the Tropic of Cancer ( $23.5^\circ$ North) and the Tropic of Capricorn ( $23.5^\circ$ South). These regions are characterized by tropical climates, which typically feature high temperatures, abundant rainfall, and dense vegetation, such as tropical rainforests. Such environments are rich in biodiversity, offering a wide variety of plants and animals that can sustain human populations through gathering and hunting.

Let's examine the given options:

(A) Northern Canada: This region lies in high latitudes, characterized by Arctic and sub-Arctic climates. While indigenous communities here historically practiced and continue to practice subsistence activities like hunting and fishing, it is not a low latitudes zone. The environment is dominated by tundra and boreal forests, which are very different from tropical ecosystems.

(B) Northern Eurasia: Similar to Northern Canada, this encompasses vast areas of Siberia and Arctic Russia, which are high latitude regions. The climate is extremely cold, with extensive taiga (boreal forest) and tundra biomes. Subsistence activities here are adapted to cold environments and are not characteristic of low latitudes.

(D) Southeast Chile: This region is located in the mid to high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere, specifically in Patagonia. It experiences temperate to subpolar climates, with features like fjords, glaciers, and temperate forests. While some indigenous groups historically gathered resources, it does not fit the description of a low latitudes tropical zone.

(C) Southeast Asia: This region falls predominantly within the low latitudes, straddling the equator and extending into tropical zones. It is characterized by extensive tropical rainforests, high biodiversity, and a monsoon climate. Historically, and in some remote areas even today, various indigenous communities in Southeast Asia have relied heavily on subsistence gathering and hunting, utilizing the rich natural resources of their environment. The dense forests provide a wide array of edible plants, fruits, and animals, making it an ideal zone for this practice in low latitudes.

Important

Low latitudes, with their warm, humid climates and abundant biodiversity, have historically been prime regions for subsistence gathering due to the availability of diverse natural resources.

✓Final answer
$The low latitudes zone of subsistence gathering among the given options is Southeast Asia, due to its tropical climate and rich biodiversity that supports such practices.$

Q.Which one of the following is the low latitudes zone of subsistence gathering practiced in the world ? (A) Northern Canada (B) Northern Eurasia (C) Southeast Asia (D) Southeast Chile

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