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What is population density? -

Population density is essentially the number of people living per unit of area. It’s calculated by dividing the total population within a geographic area by its land area.

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Measurement -

The measurement is usually done by calculating the number of persons per square kilometer or square mile. This will tell us essentially how crowded a place is.

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What influences population density? -

There are a number of factors that affect population density, namely economic opportunities, availability of resources, infrastructure, natural barriers, as well as things such as government policies.

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The most densely populated -

Monaco is the most densely populated country in the world, and Macao (China) is the most densely populated administrative territory in the world.

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The least densely populated -

Greenland (Denmark), with just around 0.03 people per square km, is the least populated region on Earth.

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The most densely populated city -

Tokyo in Japan is the most populous city in the world, but Manila in the Philippines takes the top spot as the world’s most densely populated city.

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Antarctica has a population density of zero -

Yes, some people do live in Antarctica, but most people in the southernmost continent are there on a temporary basis (mostly scientists and researchers).

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The world’s largest country has a low population density -

Russia may be the largest country in the world when it comes to land area, but large parts of it remain unpopulated. The nation has just over eight inhabitants per square kilometer.

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The entire world’s population could fit into Scotland’s Loch Ness -

With a staggering 268 billion cubic feet of water, Scotland’s Loch Ness could fit the entire world’s population, and this could be done 10 times over! We’re just not sure Nessie would be too pleased about it...

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Kowloon Walled City was the most densely populated place in the world -

The Kowloon Walled City was located inside Hong Kong. Until it was destroyed in 1994, it was home to 33,000 people.

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Kowloon Walled City was the most densely populated place in the world -

Kowloon Walled City had a density of 1.2 million per square km (3.2 million per square mile).

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Kowloon Walled City was the most densely populated place in the world -

For the sake of comparison, New York City has a population density of just over 11,000 per square km (29,000 per square mile).

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Every resident of Whittier, Alaska, lives in the same building -

Alaska has a very low population density in general, but when it comes to the city of Whittier, everyone lives in the Begich Towers Condominium.

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Every resident of Whittier, Alaska, lives in the same building -

Whittier is one close community. The nearly 200 residents all live in the same 14-story building.

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If Manhattan had the population density of Alaska... -

With a population density of about 1.28 residents per square mile, Alaska is the least densely populated state in the US. Unlike Alaska’s 665,400 square miles of territory, Manhattan has an area of about 22.83 square miles.

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If Manhattan had the population density of Alaska -

If Manhattan had the population density of Alaska, only 29 people would live there! This goes to show how much difference there can be in population density within the same country.

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A building in Switzerland has the same population density as Manhattan -

An urban development built in the ‘60s in the town of Vernier, Switzerland, is home to over 6,000 residents. The building is called Le Lignon.

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A building in Switzerland has the same population density as Manhattan -

Le Lignon has a floor space of 930,000 square meters (10 million square feet). It is one of the world's longest residential blocks.

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The Canadian territory of Nunavut has the lowest population density of any province or state in the world -

Nunavut has a population density of 0.02 people per square kilometer (0.05 per square mile).

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The Canadian territory of Nunavut has the lowest population density of any province or state in the world -

The capital of Nunavut is Iqaluit, which has just over 7,000 residents. The territory is less densely populated than Greenland.

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New Jersey is home to the most densely populated town in the US -

According to the Census Bureau, in 2022 Guttenberg, New Jersey, was home to 11,446 people and had a population density of 59,305.7 people per square mile.

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One small village packs a lot of people -

According to a 2020 census, Friendship Heights Village in Maryland had a population of 5,360, and a whopping population density of 90,848 people per square mile.

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One Indian slum is really crowded -

Dharavi in Mumbai, India, is one of the world’s largest slums and also one of the most densely populated.

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One Indian slum is really crowded -

It’s estimated that between 800,000 to one million people live in an area of just 2.1 square kilometers (0.81 square miles).

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One Indian slum is really crowded -

Dharavi has an estimated population density of over 350,000 people per square km (over 800,000 people per square mile).

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Everyone in Finland could enjoy a sauna at the same time… -

…and do so with another person! Yes, there are enough saunas in the country that would allow people to pair up and take a nationwide sauna.

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The entire Swiss population can fit into the country’s nuclear shelters -

Switzerland has enough fallout shelters to house every single resident. There are thousands of shelters in Swiss homes. In fact, by law, each person in the country is entitled to a place of shelter underground, calculated at one square meter per person.

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The entire Swiss population can fit into the country’s nuclear shelters -

No one is left out. There are thousands of public shelters available. In total, the European nation has enough bunkers to house around 8.6 million people.

Sources: (United States Census Bureau) (World Population Review) (TopTenz) (Facts.net) (National Geographic) 

See also: Which country has the longest working hours?

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