In many sociological studies, as well as studies of other kinds, in order to define a country as an economic unit, it is required to know the population density. Sometimes it is calculated for smaller regions - a city, village, or any other settlement. How to calculate this, it seems, such a complex quantity?
Instructions
Step 1
Find out the area of the inhabited area. To do this, use the data you already have. This kind of data can be found in any place that contains general information about a settlement - be it a guidebook or a geography textbook, but nowadays it is most convenient to use, of course, Internet resources. If the area remains unknown to you, then find out in the governing bodies of the settlement of the boundaries of the place you need and, based on the boundaries, calculate the land area. Any organization that deals with topography can help you in this difficult matter, for example, a construction company or a company engaged in geodetic surveys for construction.
Step 2
Try the simpler route - use existing maps, such as Google maps or any other that you have no doubt about. Select the part of the territory you need, save it as an image. Then, using a building design program such as Autocad or Areas, calculate the area of the site you want, and then simply multiply the result by the scale at which the original map was built. That is, multiply by as many times as the size of the territory was reduced for building a map.
Step 3
Find out how many people live in the area you need. To do this, again use the data already available - Internet sources, textbooks, travel guides, reference books, etc. Again, the data may not be accurate, so use sources with the latest and most reliable information in your opinion.
Step 4
Use the census data for the given locality. They can also be found on the Internet, or you can find out about the results of the census with the help of the official institutions of the city or village.
Step 5
Divide the area of the settlement you received by the number of people living there. To do this, be sure to convert the area into square kilometers, because it is this unit that is generally accepted for measuring the area of the population.
Step 6
Don't be alarmed if you get a fraction in your answer. Population density is a statistical value, so just round the resulting number to the lower value and do not worry about the incorrectness of your calculations.
