pop ‧ u ‧ late /ˈpɒpjəleɪt, ˈpɒpjʊleɪt $ ˈpɑː-/ BrE AmE verb [transitive usually passive]
[ Word Family: adjective : populated ≠ UNPOPULATED , ↑ populous ; verb : ↑ populate ; noun : ↑ population ]
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)