Abstract
A glance at a world map of population density reveals the presence of large expanses of very lightly populated territory (e.g., where densities are commonly below one person km-2). Such areas are here referred to as ‘sparselands’, peripheral regions of substantial expanse characterized by: (1) restrictive physical environments, (2) an emphasis on primary economic activities, (3) small populations and discontinuous settlement patterns, (4) remoteness, (5) the presence of indigenous peoples as an important element in the local population, and (6) a frequent dependence on government to subsidize many essential public services. Nations with large tracts of sparseland territory include the Soviet Union, Mongolia, China, several Arab states, Australia, the United States, Canada, Brazil, and others.
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© 1985 D.Reidel Publishing Company
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Lonsdale, R.E. (1985). The Political Burden of Sparseland Development: Some International Consistencies. In: Gradus, Y. (eds) Desert Development. The GeoJournal Library, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5396-3_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5396-3_3
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