Write a query to find the difference between the maximum and minimum population values recorded in the 'CITY' table.

Sure, here is the SQL query to find the difference between the maximum and minimum population values recorded in the 'CITY' table:

SELECT MAX(population) - MIN(population) AS population_difference
FROM CITY;

Here's the step by step explanation:

1. SELECT: This is used to select data from a database.

2. MAX(population): This function returns the largest value of the selected column which is 'population' in this case.

3. MIN(population): This function returns the smallest value of the selected column which is 'population' in this case.

4. -: This is used to subtract the minimum population from the maximum population.

5. AS population_difference: This is used to rename the result of the subtraction as 'population_difference'.

6. FROM CITY;: This specifies the table from which to retrieve the data, which is 'CITY' in this case.