Why Most Humans Live Inside This Small Circle

Summary

This video explores the fascinating concept of the smallest circle on Earth's surface that contains more people inside it than outside. Centered around Monket, Burma, this circle includes parts of Asia, particularly China and India, which together house over 2.8 billion people, making it the world's most densely populated region. The circle also includes densely populated areas like Java, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, while excluding vast regions like Europe, Africa, and North America. The video discusses how historical factors, such as arable land and rice cultivation, have contributed to Asia's population dominance, with modern implications for global population dynamics.

Takeaways

• 😀 The smallest circle on Earth's surface containing more people than outside of it is centered around Monket, Burma, with a radius of 3,300 kilometers.
• 😀 The circle includes major population centers like China, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, home to billions of people.
• 😀 Despite being a small town with only 40,000 people, Monket is considered the physical center of humanity's largest population clusters.
• 😀 A similar map from 2013, centered over the South China Sea, demonstrated the same concept but with a larger radius that excluded many continents and countries.
• 😀 China and India together account for 2.8 billion people, making up more than 35% of the global population.
• 😀 The circle also includes populous areas like Java, the world’s most populated island, with 148 million people.
• 😀 The circle excludes large portions of Europe, North America, and Africa, leaving much of these continents outside of its boundaries.
• 😀 The circle has more Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims than any region outside of it, with significant Muslim populations in Southeast Asia.
• 😀 Southeast Asia is home to a significant portion of the global Muslim population, including countries like Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.
• 😀 The geographic distribution of human population in Asia is largely due to the availability of fertile land and agriculture, particularly rice farming, which produces more calories per acre than wheat.
• 😀 China and India historically had a population advantage due to their large, arable lands and the ability to farm rice year-round, providing a stable food source for billions of people.

Q & A

What is the smallest circle that contains more people inside than outside of it?

The smallest circle that contains more people inside than outside of it is centered around Monket, Burma, with a radius of 3,300 kilometers. This circle includes a significant portion of Asia, particularly China, India, and several other densely populated countries.

Why did Monket, Burma, become the center of this circle?

Monket, Burma, became the center of this circle because it is geographically located in a region that encompasses many of the world's most densely populated areas, including China, India, and Southeast Asia, all of which have vast populations.

How did the concept of this circle gain attention in 2013?

The concept of this circle gained attention in 2013 when a Reddit user named Valerie Pyrus, known as Ken Myers, posted a map showing a similar idea, which sparked widespread interest and was later verified by experts.

Which countries are included in the circle's population count?

The circle includes China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and parts of Mongolia, among others, which together account for over half of the world's population.

How does the population inside this circle compare to the population outside of it?

The population inside the circle exceeds the population outside of it, as it contains more than 50% of the world's total population within a relatively small geographic area in Asia.

Why is Asia's population so dense compared to other continents?

Asia's population density is largely due to the availability of arable land, favorable climates for year-round farming, and the historical use of rice cultivation, which supports higher population growth. China and India, in particular, have had large populations for centuries, contributing to their current dominance.

What role does rice play in Asia's population growth?

Rice plays a critical role in Asia's population growth because it produces more calories per acre than other grains like wheat. This allowed civilizations in China, India, and Southeast Asia to support larger populations with the same amount of farmland.

How does the population distribution within the circle relate to religious demographics?

The circle contains large populations of Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims, particularly in countries like India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Interestingly, it also includes more Muslims than the entire Middle East, due to the large Muslim populations in these countries.

What is the significance of China and India in global population distribution?

China and India are significant because they have the largest populations in the world, with over 2.8 billion people between them, accounting for 35% of the global population. Their historical and ongoing population growth has largely shaped global population trends.

Why did China and India have larger populations than other countries 300 years ago?

China and India had larger populations 300 years ago due to their vast arable land, favorable climates for farming, and early adoption of rice cultivation, which allowed them to sustain larger populations compared to other regions that relied on less productive crops like wheat.