I know they are relatively large countries that have been inhabited for a very long time, but so is Europe if taken as a whole. Yet Europe only has about half as many people as just one of these two countries. What historical factors lead to their massive populations?
In: Culture
A little bit of everything, suitable for farming, dictators promoting childbirth, and perhaps most important, India was many kingdoms forced together through colonial rule (and the independent kingdoms were forced together in opposition to colonialism) and eventually became one nation. If it weren’t for the issues between the Hindus and Muslims, India would grow by nearly half a billion with the populations of Pakistan and Bangladesh, which should tell you a bit more. 2 billion people don’t exist in one country, they exist in many that were forced together. As for China, it’s more just farmland and dictatorships, they’ve had a history of uniting the kingdoms and then separating. The only reason China isn’t several countries now is that the communists don’t want to lose their power, and the outside world is skeptical of separatism, even for valid reasons in the post WW2 conseus.
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