Just how over-crowded are we?

Pictures taken from outer space suggest that man only occupies 1% of the earth's surface. Naturally much of it is inhospitable, but peoples do inhabit the oddest places so perhaps there is still room to live comfortably here. The pictures show that Asia is the most crowded place, but what of France?

Using the latest full census figures from 2012 it is calculated that half the 70 million or so inhabitants of the hexagon live in 3% of the territory. In Paris's 11th arrondissement the population is 42000 per square kilometre, the country's most densely peopled place. On the other hand the 1% who live in the least populated areas share 17% of the land. Here in Tarn and Garonne if you take out Montauban and its agglomeration up to Moissac it is no surprise that the rest of us have plenty of room.

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