Which one of the following densely populated areas is NOT directly dependent on agriculture?

Question

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Correct — D, North-Eastern United States of America. The Lower Nile Valley, the Eastern Plains of China and Java Island are all classic examples of dense population sustained directly by intensive agriculture (irrigated Nile floodplain farming, wet-rice cultivation on China's eastern plains, and volcanic-soil rice farming on Java). The north-eastern USA, by contrast — the Boston-to-Washington megalopolis belt — is densely populated mainly because of industry, commerce, ports and urbanisation, not farming.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) One of the world's oldest examples of dense agricultural population — irrigated floodplain farming supports it directly.  (b) Dense population here is sustained by intensive wet-rice and multi-crop agriculture on fertile alluvial plains.  (c) Volcanic soils plus heavy monsoon rainfall support intensive, multiply-cropped agriculture that sustains one of the world's highest rural population densities.

Concept: Population geography distinguishes 'agricultural' population clusters — dense rural farming populations sustained directly by intensive cultivation (Nile Valley, Ganga Plain, Java, eastern China) — from 'industrial/urban' population clusters, dense populations sustained by manufacturing, trade and services (north-western Europe, north-eastern USA, Japan's Pacific belt).

State PCS 2021 Q49 — Geography PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2021 Q49 — Geography PYQ with Answer