The Impact of Topographic Relief on Population and Economy in the Southern Anhui Mountainous Area, China

Abstract

Topographic relief is a key factor limiting population distribution and economic development in mountainous areas, especially in the transition zone from mountains to plains. Taking the southern Anhui mountainous area as an example, based on the digital elevation model (DEM) with a resolution of 30 m, we used ‘quadratic’ mean change-point analysis to calculate the optimal statistical unit, and then extracted the topographic relief. Taking the county as the unit of analysis, two indicators of population density and economic density were selected. Spatial statistics and correlation analysis were used to quantitatively analyze the impact of topographic relief on population and economy. Finally, the impact of slope and elevation was analyzed. The following results were obtained. (1) The topography of the study area was dominated by medium relief (200–500 m), followed by small relief (70–200 m), flat (0–30 m), and slight relief (30–70 m), and a small proportion of large relief (≥500 m). (2) The impact of topographic relief on population and economy was slightly stronger than that of slope and elevation. The impact on population distribution was stronger than that on economic development. The impact on primary industry was stronger than that on secondary and tertiary industries. (3) In the southern Anhui mountainous area, 72.35% of the population and 76.72% of GDP were distributed in the area with a topographic relief of 155 m or less, while the land area only accounted for 43.93%. The area with a topographic relief greater than 245 m accounted for 28.76%, but only 10.69% of the population, and only 8.34% of GDP. The population distribution and economic development were obviously concentrated in the low topographic relief area. However, the characteristics of high topographic relief not only hindered the agricultural mechanization and limited the development of the primary industry, but also had a significant impact on infrastructure development, investment, and industrial layout, thus weakening regional economic advantages. In the future, the economic level of these areas needs to be improved.

Comprehensive Evaluation and Analysis of Human Settlements’ Suitability in the Yangtze River Delta Based on Multi-Source Data

“…The RDLS is the difference between the highest and lowest elevations in a region [42], which can have a negative impact on the regional population and economic development [43]. Therefore, the RDLS was selected as one of the evaluation indexes of human settlements' suitability; this was calculated using the ArcGIS window analysis method.…”

Assessment of Human Settlement Quality Based on the Population Exposure Risk to PM2.5 Pollution in the Mid-Spine Belt of Beautiful China

“…In recent years, with the development of 3S technology and the deepening of research on the relationship between the regional population, resources, the environment, and development, many scholars at home and abroad have taken topographic relief as an important indicator for regional resource environment evaluation and regional resource environment carrying-capacity evaluation [34,35]. It has been widely applied in areas such as regional geological environment evaluation, ecological environment condition evaluation, natural disaster evaluation, regional sustainable development evaluation, urban land grading and grading, and human settlement environment suitability evaluation [34]. The temperature-humidity index is a biological meteorological indicator that evaluates the comfort level of the human body under different climatic conditions from a meteorological perspective, based on the principle of heat exchange between the human body and external meteorological elements [36].…”

Spatial Coupling of Population and Economic Densities and the Effect of Topography in Anhui Province, China, at a Grid Scale

“…well as the population distribution and economic development [61][62][63]. Therefor lyzing the response relationship between topographical conditions and populatio nomic development can provide information for selecting regional habitable sit proving the living environment, and formulating economic development policies.…”

“…(3) Topography affects the structure and spatial pattern of terrestrial ecosystems [58], regional accessibility, and the degree of resource development [59]. It influences the regional climate and water sources [60], as well as the population distribution and economic development [61][62][63]. Therefore, analyzing the response relationship between topographical conditions and population-economic development can provide information for selecting regional habitable sites, improving the living environment, and formulating economic development policies.…”