🏔 Sparse areas
Upland areas are cold, wet and steep, with thin soils. Farming is hard, roads are difficult to build and there are few jobs. People have moved away or never settled in large numbers.
A UK City: Bristol » UK Population and Bristol's Importance
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
AQA spec: 3.2.1
- Where people live in the UK and where the major cities are
- Where Bristol is and why it matters in the UK and the wider world
- How migration within the UK and from other countries has changed Bristol
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Unlock This CourseWhere do people live in the UK?
Bristol is a major city in south-west England
The UK has a population of around 67 million people. They are not spread out evenly. Population distribution means where people live across an area, and in the UK it is very uneven.
Key terms:
- Population distribution: the way people are spread out across an area.
- Population density: the number of people living in each square kilometre.
Some parts of the UK are densely populated. Others are sparsely populated.
- Densely populated: south east England around London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Merseyside, Tyne and Wear, the Central Belt of Scotland (Glasgow and Edinburgh) and South Wales.
- Sparsely populated: the Scottish Highlands, mid Wales, the Pennines and the south west moors such as Dartmoor.
More than 8 out of every 10 people in the UK live in towns and cities, so the pattern of cities matters a lot.
Why is the pattern uneven?
🏙 Dense areas
Lowland areas are flat, with good farmland and easy transport. Many are near the coast, with ports for trade. Industries grew here, and jobs drew people in.
Remember, the UK's upland and lowland areas were covered in an earlier lesson. Here the key idea is that people follow jobs, transport and easy living.
The major cities of the UK
The UK's major cities are spread across all four nations:
- England: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Newcastle and Bristol.
- Scotland: Glasgow and Edinburgh.
- Wales: Cardiff.
- Northern Ireland: Belfast.
London is by far the biggest, with around 9 million people. Most of the other major cities sit in the lowland areas and on or near rivers and the coast, which is why so many people live there.
Common mistakes
Do not say that nobody lives in the north or in Scotland. Large cities such as Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle are in the north. It is the uplands that are sparsely populated, not the whole north.
Case study: Bristol
Bristol is one of the largest cities in south-west England
For the UK case study you need to know about one major UK city. Here it is Bristol.
Location
Bristol is in the south west of England, about 120 miles west of London. It sits on the River Avon, a few miles from where the river flows into the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel. It is the largest city in the south west, with a population of around 470,000 people.
It has good links. The M4 and M5 motorways meet close to the city, and trains run from Bristol Temple Meads station to London, Wales, the Midlands and the south west. Bristol also has its own airport and a port at Avonmouth.
Importance in the UK
- Economy: Bristol is a centre for aerospace, with Airbus and Rolls-Royce working at Filton, just north of the city. The famous Concorde aircraft was built at Filton. The city is also known for finance, science and creative industries.
- Education: the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England bring thousands of students and researchers.
- Culture and media: the BBC Natural History Unit makes wildlife programmes here, and Aardman Animations, creators of Wallace and Gromit, is based in the city.
- Regional centre: people from a wide area of the south west and South Wales come to Bristol for work, shopping, hospitals and events.
Importance in the wider world
- Trade history: Bristol's port grew rich on trade across the Atlantic over many centuries. This included the transatlantic slave trade, which still shapes how the city thinks about its past.
- Aerospace: aircraft parts and engines made in and around Bristol are used by airlines around the world.
- Media: wildlife programmes and animated films made in Bristol are watched globally.
- Reputation: it was named European Green Capital in 2015, and it attracts students and workers from other countries.
Exam tip on importance
Always give the level: regional (the south west), national (the UK) and international (the wider world). A fact with its level named scores better than a fact on its own.
Migration and the growth of Bristol
Key terms:
- National migration: people moving from one part of the same country to another, for example from London to Bristol.
- International migration: people moving from one country to another, for example from Poland to the UK.
Bristol has grown from roughly 380,000 people in 2001 to roughly 470,000 in 2021. Migration is a big part of this.
🏠 National migration
Young people from across the UK come to study at Bristol's universities, and many stay for jobs. People also move from London and the south east for lower house prices and a good quality of life, bringing skills and spending.
🌍 International migration
After the Second World War, people from the Caribbean came to Britain to work, many settling in Bristol. Later groups include people from South Asia, Somalia and, after Poland joined the EU in 2004, Poland.
How migration changed the character of Bristol
The character of a city is what makes it feel the way it does: its people, food, music, buildings and events.
- Population growth: new arrivals increase the number of people, creating demand for homes, schools and shops.
- A mix of cultures: around 90 languages are spoken in Bristol. Different communities have their own places of worship, shops and restaurants.
- Areas with a strong identity: St Pauls has a long-standing Caribbean community and holds a yearly carnival. Other areas have large Somali and Polish communities.
- Music and creativity: Bristol's music scene, such as the 'Bristol sound' of trip hop and drum and bass, grew out of the mixing of cultures.
Worked example
Point: international migration has changed the character of Bristol. Evidence: Caribbean communities in St Pauls. Explain: they brought food, music and a carnival that make the area distinctive, and the city's population is now much more culturally mixed.
Common mistakes
Do not describe migration as only good or only bad. Here you only need how it has changed the growth and character of the city. The opportunities and challenges are covered in the next two lessons.
Exam-style question
(a) Describe the distribution of population in the UK. [2 marks]
(b) For a UK city you have studied, explain how migration has changed the city. [4 marks]
Model answer
(a) The population is densely concentrated in south east England around London (1) and in other urban areas such as the West Midlands and the north west. Upland areas such as the Highlands are sparsely populated (1).
(b) Bristol has grown because national migration brings students and workers from other parts of the UK and from London (1), which increases its population and demand for housing (1). International migration, such as Caribbean communities arriving after the Second World War, has made Bristol more culturally mixed (1), shown by areas like St Pauls with its carnival and food and by the many languages spoken (1).
Exam tip
In (b) you are told to explain, so each fact needs a 'which means' link to growth or character. Name Bristol and a place, such as St Pauls, to show case study knowledge.