Population Geography
 Distribution
of World Population
 Overpopulation (Malthus and NeoMalthusians
 Population Statistics
 Population Pyramids
 Demographic Transition Theory
 Population Control
World and Country Population
Totals
Distribution and Structure: 3/4 of people live on 5% of
earth's surface!
Total: 6 billion on planet as of Oct. 12, 1999
Current Population Counter
Five most populous regions and countries
REGION





POPULATION COUNTRY
East Asia 1.5 billion
South Asia1.2 billion
Europe
750 million
SE Asia 500 million
East N. Am.120 million
China
India
U.S.
Indonesia
Brazil
POPULATION
1.254 billion
986 million
274 million
206 million
168 million
Rates of Natural Increase
Birth Control Programs

One family/one child policies
– Female infanticide
– Social compensation fees
Sterilization
 Loss of status
 Termination healthcare/food coupons
 Free birth control
 Increased literacy

World Death Rates
 Infectious
diseases
– HIV/AIDS
– SARS
 Degenerative
diseases
– Obesity
– Tobacco use
 Epidemiology
 Epidemiological
transition
Doubling Times
The doubling time is the number of years
before a population will be twice as large
as it is today.
World = 50
U.S. = 34
MDC = 543
LDC = 40
Honduras = 22
Belize = 19
Denmark = 700
Russia = never?
Fertility Rates
2.1 is generally regarded as a replacement rate
(the rate at which a population neither grows nor
shrinks) in the developed world. In less developed
countries this rate should be higher (2.8?).
Iran
USA
Italy
4.7
2.0
1.2
High infant mortality tends to result in higher
fertility rates as families seek “insurance” for the
loss of children.
Infant Mortality
Adults and Children Living with AIDS, 2004
U.S. Census Bureau Population Pyramid Animations
CLICK HERE!
Demographic Transition Model
Demographic Transition Model

Stage one
– Crude birth/death rate high
– Fragile population

Stage two
– Lower death rates
– Infant mortality rate
– Natural increase high

Stage three
– Indicative of richer developed countries
– Higher standards of living/education
Problems with the
Demographic Transition Model
• based on European experience, assumes all
countries will progress to complete
industrialization
• many countries “stuck” in stage 2 or stage 3
• reflects logic of continuous economic growth,
an impossibility
Thomas Malthus
(February, 1766 – December 23, 1834)
• Malthus predicted
population would outrun
food supply, leading to a
decrease in food per
person.
Population J-Curve
Population Shift
Population and Resource
Consumption
Population and the
Environment
I=PxAxT
Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology
Population influenced environmental
problems:
•
Global Warming
• Habitat Loss / Endangered Species
• Resource Depletion
• Food Shortages? Not globally, but regionally.
Overpopulation?
 Malthusian
theory
– Pessimistic perspective
– Thomas Malthus
 Preventive
checks
 Positive checks
 Cornucopians
– Optimistic perspectiv
The End