POPULATION
A GEOGRAPHIC “BIG IDEA”
WITH MANY CONSEQUENCES IN
CHINA
Population density helps us understand
many other geographic features in China,
including patterns of crop production,
dynasties, inventions, large building projects,
highways, factories, trade, pollution,
disease, and human rights.
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POPULATION
A GEOGRAPHIC “BIG IDEA”
WITH MANY CONSEQUENCES IN
CHINA
Note to Teachers:
This lesson plan and PowerPoint is one way to adapt the Big Ideas
Population in China unit to a specific focus on the geography and
population of China. Please refer to the unit on our website
(cst.cmich.edu/mga/) to find all the Big Ideas units and much more
material than is contained in this lesson.
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POPULATION
A GEOGRAPHIC “BIG IDEA”
WITH MANY CONSEQUENCES IN
CHINA
OBJECTIVES for students:
Students will:
• Compare China and the United States in size,
latitude, geography and population
• Explain climatic reasons for patterns of population
• List and explain some consequences of large,
dense populations
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POPULATION
National Standards
Standard 4. The physical and human characteristics of places.
Standard 9. The characteristics, distribution, and migration
of human populations on Earth's surface.
Michigan Content Expectations
Middle School:
6 – G1.2.3 Use data to create thematic maps and graphs showing
patterns of population, physical terrain, rainfall, and vegetation,
analyze the patterns and then propose two generalizations about
the location and density of the population.
High School: Population
CGI: Explain the causes and consequences of population changes
over the past 50 years by analyzing the distributions of
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population
Pretest
“Using Big Ideas to teach Population in China”
1. China has ___ times as many people as the US
a. 2 times
b. 4 times
c. 6 times
d. 10 times
5. The land area of China extends
a. Farther south than the US
b. Farther south and west than the US
c. Farther south, west, and north than the US
2. Land area of China compared to the US is:
a. Much less
b. About the same
c. Much more
6. One positive consequence of a large population:
3. Manchuria, China’s northlands, is
_____________ than Michigan or Ontario
a. Wetter and colder
b. Wetter and warmer
c. Drier and colder
d. Drier and warmer
7. One negative consequence of a large population:
4. The capital cities (Washington DC and Beijing)
have climates that are
a. Very similar
b. Very different
5
China has about the same area as the United States,
but it has more than four times as many people.
Both countries
cover roughly
the same latitude
and general position
on the east coast
of their continents.
As a result,
many of the
environments
in China
are similar to
places in the
United States.
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The Idea of Analogous Climates
An analogy is a statement of relationships:
e.g., Ford is to the U.S. as Toyota is to Japan.
Analogies are a powerful way
to organize knowledge about the world.
A climatic analog is a distant place
that has a situation similar to one you know,
and therefore is likely to have
weather conditions that are also similar.
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The Idea of Analogous Climates
By "similar situation" we mean:
1) roughly the same distance away from the Equator
(therefore both places get roughly the same amount of solar
energy in both winter and summer.)
2) roughly the same elevation above sea level
(therefore both places are about the same amount cooler than
expected at that latitude.)
3) roughly the same distance and direction from the ocean
(therefore both places have about the same general pattern of
precipitation (rain and snow).
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For example,
Hong Kong and Miami are both
- on the east coast,
- near the same latitude,
Not surprisingly,
and
both cities have
- close to warm ocean.
mild winters,
hot summers,
and occasional
hurricanes
in the fall.
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Which city
in China is
analogous to:
Washington DC
Pittsburgh
Reno
Savannah
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Reno
Pittsburgh
Washington, DC
Savannah
Miami
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Shanghai and
Savannah, GA,
have almost
identical climates.
12
The capital cities,
Beijing and
Washington,
also have
very similar
weather.
13
Shenyang and
Pittsburgh are
two more cities
with similar
climates.
These two cities
have even more
similarities –
both were centers
for steelmaking,
and both became
hi-tech centers
when the steel
. faded.
industry
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But Kashgar
(also called Kashi)
is a much older city
and has ten times
as many people
as Reno.
The old Silk Road city of Kashgar and Reno,
Nevada:
Kashgar Reno
Both are located about 4300 feet above sea level,
in small irrigated oases on major transcontinental routes,
between high mountains to the west and desert to the east.
15
Question
for you:
What are two
significant
geographic
differences
between US
and China?
16
China does not have a west coast.
Therefore, it has no places like California,
Oregon, Washington, or Alaska.
And remember,
California is by far
the number one
food-producing state
in the United States.
17
Another huge difference:
China does not have
anything like
the Great Lakes.
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Manchuria
Mongolia
Another huge difference:
China does not have
anything like
the Great Lakes.
As a result, China’s “northlands”
(Mongolia and Manchuria)
are much colder and drier
than Wisconsin, Michigan,
or Ontario, Canada.
19
The Great Lakes
are a big benefit
for food production
in the United States.
China does not have
any large region
of prime farmland
like the Corn Belt
in the Midwest.
20
What China does have is four giant river systems.
The Amur
on the border
with Russia.
The Huang He “He” means
muddy river.
The Yangtze Jiang –
“Jiang” means
clear blue river.
The Zhu Jiang
(also known
by an English name,
the Pearl River).
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Topography
of China
Does China
have more or
less land over
a mile high
than US?
Describe the
topography of
China from
west to east.
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Precipitation
in China
How does this
compare to
the US
pattern of
precipitation?
How can you
explain the
pattern of
precipitation
in southwest
China?
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Let’s
combine
what we
know
about the
physical
geography
of China to
see how it
affects
population
distribution
.
First, let’s review some population vocabulary
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POPULATION
area
number of _______in
people an _____
Total _______
Examples:
United States has a population of 321,267,425
Nebraska has a population of 1,881,503
Lincoln, Nebraska has a population of 268,738
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POPULATION DENSITY
number of people per _____
The _______
unit
__
_____ within a _______
_____
certain area
of space
Number of people: population
Per Unit of space:
In a certain area:
Square miles
Square kilometers
Square yards
Country
State
Classroom
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POPULATION DENSITY
The number of people per unit
of space within a certain area
This is determined by dividing the
number of people by the land area
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POPULATION DENSITY
The number of people per unit
of space within a certain area
Example:
The land area of the United States is 3,536,290
square miles. The United States has a density of 91
people per square mile.
321.267.425 divided by 3,536,290 = 91
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POPULATION DENSITY
The number of people per unit
of space within a certain area
Example:
The land area of Nebraska is 76,878 square miles.
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Nebraska has a density of ____people
per square
mile.
1,881,503 divided by 76,878
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POPULATION DENSITY
The number of people per unit
of space within a certain area
Example:
If an area of land is 500 square miles, and the
population of the area is 4000, what is the
population density?
4000 divided by 500 = 8
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POPULATION DENSITY
The number of people per unit
of space within a certain area
Example:
The state senate districts are determined by
population. Each district has a population of
between 250,000 and 350,000, but is not the same
size. Therefore, the density of districts vary from 22
persons per square mile to 1538.
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POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
population spread out
How ___________is
or ___________over
an area
arranged
Example:
While Nebraska’s population density is only 24,
Lancaster County, Nebraska has a density of 298
people per square mile.
What might be located here?
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POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
How population is spread out
or arranged over an area
Example:
Lincoln has a density of 2974 people per square
mile.
Is the population distribution
equal in Lancaster County?
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POPULATION
POPULATION
Total number of people in an area
POPULATION DENSITY
The number of people per unit of space within a certain area
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
How population is spread out or arranged over an area
LIMITS AND ATTRACTIONS
Why do people live in some areas and not others?
35
Where do you
think China’s
population is
and why?
36
Shade your
map to show
population
density and
distribution
Describe the
density and
distribution and
give geographic
reasons for the
patterns
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39
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The floodplains of three rivers have had
large populations throughout Chinese history.
The old capitals
of Luoyang
and Xi’an
are on the
Huang He.
Four great cities
are spaced along
the Yangtze.
Guangzhou (Canton)
and Hong Kong
are near the mouth
of the Pearl. 41
Today, six of these cities are
the urban cores of areas
of especially large population.
Beijing
Chongqing
Nanjing,
Shanghai
Guangzhou,
Hong Kong
42
Today, six of these cities are
the urban cores of areas
of especially large population.
and Chongqing
is like Dallas
(with rainier summers
and drier winters)
Remember,
Beijing’s climate
is like Washington
or New York City.
Shanghai
is like
Savannah
Hong Kong
is like Miami
43
Describe the
population
distribution
of China
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Write some
consequences
of a large,
dense
population
What are some ADVANTAGES?
DISADVANTAGES?
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Consequences
of a large, dense population
Advantage
Disadvantage
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Consequences
of a large, dense population
Advantage
Disadvantage
More people can produce
more products
More chance of developing
and spreading disease
More people can defend
their territory from attack
Less personal freedom
Many smart people
to invent things
More stress on resources
and environment
More people to trade with
More pollution
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Extensions
What are some limits on population?
Political
Natural Disasters
Disease
How has China dealt with the
large dense populations?
One-child policy
Relocation
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