/'pɒpjʊleɪt; `pɑpjə,let/
v [Tn esp passive 尤用于被动语态]
(a) live in (an area) and form its population 居住于（某地区）（而构成其人口成分）
*deserts populated by nomadic tribesmen 游牧部落居住的沙漠地区
* densely/thickly/sparsely/thinly populated regions 人口密度大[稠密/密度小/稀疏]的地区.
(b) move to (an area) and fill it with people 落户于, 移居于（某地区）; 向（某地区）移民
*The islands were gradually populated by settlers from Europe. 岛上逐渐迁入很多欧洲移民.

v [T usually passive]
if an area is populated by a particular group of people, they live there
　The highlands are populated mainly by peasant farmers.
densely/heavily/highly/thickly populated
(=with a lot of people)
　one of the most densely populated areas in the world
sparsely/thinly/lightly populated
(=with very few people)