Factor in concerns for the massive fishing industry and the environment, and the fact that the neighboring coast is populated and consists of stretches of marshland that will be difficult to clean (as opposed to the sparsely populated rocky coasts of Alaska) and the ramifications expand dramatically.

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These failures could be played down because the events occurred in sparsely populated areas of Hokkaido and northern Honshu.

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But what about the case of women in rural North Dakota, or another sparsely populated area, where a single pharmacy might be the only option for 25 or 50 miles?

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It also generally runs well in the more sparsely populated upstate counties, though voters there tend to be anti-gun control and often socially conservative.

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It is a beautiful display of a small school basketball program and a sparsely populated city feeding off of each other in what should be a major win for both entities.

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