Question

country | population density (people per square mile)
hong kong (china) | 17,299
south korea | 1,329
india | 1,046
japan | 868
vietnam | 733
united kingdom | 702
germany | 601
italy | 521
france | 319
spain | 238
greece | 212
north korea | 211
mexico | 163
united states | 86
canada | 10
australia | 8

which statement below can accurately be made by reviewing the information in the population density table?

• the united states lacks in natural resources.
• the united states is overpopulated.
• the united states has a vast amount of land.

Explanation:

• For the first option, the table only shows population density (people per square mile), and there is no data related to natural resources, so we can't conclude the US lacks natural resources.
• For the second option, the population density of the US is 86 people per square mile, which is relatively low compared to many other countries in the table (e.g., Hong Kong (China) has 17,299, South Korea has 1,329, etc.). A low population density doesn't indicate overpopulation; in fact, it suggests the opposite in terms of population relative to land area.
• For the third option, population density is calculated as $\text{Population Density}=\frac{\text{Population}}{\text{Land Area}}$. If we rearrange it, $\text{Land Area}=\frac{\text{Population}}{\text{Population Density}}$. Given that the US has a population (even though not given in the table, we know it has a large population) and a relatively low population density (86 people per square mile), when we use the formula, a low population density with a large population would imply a large land area. So we can infer that the US has a vast amount of land from its low population density (since population density is people per square mile, lower density with a significant population means more land area to spread out).

Answer:

The United States has a vast amount of land.