Thomas Robert Malthus, in his *Essay on the Principle of Population* (1798), proposed one of the earliest systematic theories explaining the relationship between population growth and food supply. According to Malthus, population has a natural tendency to grow in a geometric progression (1, 2, 4, 8, 16...), whereas food production increases only in an arithmetic progression (1, 2, 3, 4, 5...). As a result, population growth would eventually outstrip food availability, leading to poverty, famine, disease, and social distress unless population growth was controlled. In Population and Settlement Geography, this theory is significant because it highlights the interaction between population dynamics, resource availability, and patterns of human settlement. Malthus identified two types of checks that regulate population growth. Preventive checks include delayed marriage, celibacy, and moral restraint, which reduce the birth rate. Positive checks include famine, epidemics, wars, and natural disasters, which increase the death rate. According to Malthus, these checks restore the balance between population and available resources. The theory made an important contribution by drawing attention to the finite nature of natural resources and the potential consequences of unchecked population growth. It emphasized that excessive population pressure could lead to environmental degradation, food shortages, unemployment, and poor living conditions. Many developing countries experiencing rapid population growth, inadequate infrastructure,