Population Density in Ireland

Population Density in Ireland

1. AREAS OF HIGH DENSITY

   • Ireland's highest population densities are Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway
     • The majority of the larger urban centers have developed along low lying coastlines or the banks of rivers
       • In 2019, "million people lived within 5km of the coast

2. INTRO

   • Ireland has an uneven population density.
     • The North and west are sparsely populated
       • The south and east are more densely populated

3. HISTORIC FACTORS

   • Before the famine , Ireland's population was almost 6.5 million
     • Ireland's economy was based on agriculture
       • Ireland's population density was 106.9 km2 and evenly spread prior to the famine
         • The Famine led to 1 million deaths and 1 million emmigrants
           • The majority of these deaths and emmigrants were located along the west coast
             • the mild, wet climate of the west suited the potato blight disease
               • =Death and outward migration led to a reuduced population density in the west

4. SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS

   • Rural -urban migration accelerated in the 1960s as the government implemented new policies
     • These policies attracted multinational companies (mnc's)
       • urban centers have the highest population density
         • Dublin is a primate city
           • Employment opportunities ,higher wages and better services attract people to Dublin
             • To overcome the housing crisis, the commuter zone has spread to other counties like Wicklow, Meath, Kildare and Laois
               • This is known as urban sprawl

5. PHYSICAL FACTORS

   • Wet climate, infertile soils and an upland relief make the west unattractive
     • peat soils and other marshy areas around the Shannon make the midlands unattractive
       • these areas have population densities of less that 25 per km2
         • the Aran islands are experiencing a population decline due to many of the people owning properties on the mainland
           • in fertile areas to the south(Golden Vale )and the east (Boyne Valley) large family farms have led to less dense settlement

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