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Effects of Population Density and Noise

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Effects of Population Density and Noise
Population density is a term described as the ratio of people and organisms in relation to the size of the area they inhabit. This ratio is derived by taking the number of people in the given area and diving the number by the area occupied. As of the 2010 Census, there were 308,745,538 people in the United States. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). This means the population density is on average 87.4 people per square mile in the United States. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). Some states, like California and Florida have a density of 200 people per square mile. These figures are a prime example of crowding in many places. As population density increases, the noise from the population is going to increase especially in crowded areas. As people are moving into smaller and more confined areas, the ability to maintain their privacy and a sense of territoriality will change and be forced to adapt. In order to understand how population density truly affects people, the concepts of noise, privacy, territoriality, and personal space must be acknowledged and applied to the subject of populations.
Territoriality, Privacy, and Personal Space Individuals will experience proximity or closeness with every other person in the world at one time or another. Proxemics is the actual term used when describing the person-environmental associations and covers the terms of territoriality, crowding, and personal space.
Territoriality
The term territoriality refers to the way people use space to show ownership of areas and possessions in a nonverbal method. Our personal space is our own personal bubble we do not want invaded. Territoriality has three main categories; primary, secondary, and public. The primary territories are ones that an individual owns for a permanent amount of time. The secondary territories are the areas not owned

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