Population
Change
NGOs
Theorists
Disease
Migration
Population
Food
Topic Overview
Specification will give details of topic
Population and the Environment Unit is
worth 58 marks out of the 120 in Human
paper
Population and the Environment
Lesson 1
Why do people live where they
live and why does population
size change?
Aim
Students will be able to distinguish between population
density and distribution and be able to describe and explain
current global patterns.
Students will be able to define the terms over-population,
under-population, optimum population.
Students will be aware of contemporary concerns regarding
population and resources, particularly food supply.
Why learn about the population and the
environment?
• Working with a partner
• What do you know about….
the world’s population?
where it is distribution?
what population density is like across the world?
which country is the most densely populated?
Current World Population
7, 523, 391, 287
(8 Aug 2017)
http://www.worldometers.info/
Population growth
https://www
.youtube.co
m/watch?v=
khFjdmp9sZk
What does this shows us about population
distribution?
Look at the map above, it is a choropleth map of
the World's population. The darker the red colour
the more people live in those regions.
Describe population
distribution.
In your own words, can you explain what has happened to world population
growth in the past, and what is predicted to happen in the future?
Manipulate
the data
Describe what you see
Give details:
use figures.
What do the projections tell us about population futures?
What environmental factors affect population
distribution?
Rich in resources
Wood / coal / fertile
Mountainous
Farming / Fertile = $
Good water supply
Healthcare Opportunities
Employment
Equal Rights
Stable Governments
Good Transport
Too Dry
Dense Vegetation
Too Cold
Unstable Govt’s
No Opportunity
No employment
Famine
War
Environmental Factors affecting distribution of population
Sparsely populated areas
• Relief
•
•
•
•
•
Climate
Vegetation
Soils
Resources
Water supplies
Rugged mountains with low temperatures – Andes, Himalayas
Active Volcanoes Iceland
Low Rainfall – Sahara, Drought – Sahel, Cold – north Canada, north Russia
Rainforests - Amazon
Frozen soils – permafrost Arctic, Thin soils of mountainous areas, Overgrazed areas
Areas lacking in fuel resources,
Areas lacking a permanent supply of fresh clean water – Ethiopia, Sudan
Densely populated areas
• Relief
Flat lowland areas – Netherlands, Bangladesh. Stable volcanic areas – Mount Etna
• Climate
Areas of sunshine
• Vegetation
Areas of grasslands – Denmark, Argentina
• Soils
Areas of highly fertile humus (soil) - Ganges
• Resources
Areas where coal are easily accessible – Rhine, Donbas, Yorkshire
• Water supplies Areas of reliable rainfall – North Western Europe
Guess the Population and Population Density
Country
1. China
2. UK
3. Sweden
4. Ghana
5. Afghanistan
6. The Gambia
7. Nigeria
8. Italy
9. Japan
10. India
11. Bangladesh
Population
1. 1.379 billion
2. 65.64 million
3. 9.903 million
4. 28.21 million
5. 34.6 million
6. 63.82
7. 186 million
8. 60.6 million
9. 127 million
10. 1.324billion
11. 163 million
Population density per km2
1. 146
2. 263
Why is population
3. 22
density an
4. 126
important statistic
5. 50
6. 176
to consider?
7. 195
8. 201
9. 336
10. 382
11. 1278
• Macao tops the list at 20,204 people per km square. Traffic
congestion, bad air quality, and Macao has many social problems.
• Monaco is second with 19,250 people per km square. Recently water
and drought problems have escalated in Monaco.
Where will populations change
Where are
future
populations
increasing?
Should we worry about where the
populations are rising?
Implications of population change
Try to come up with a definition for the following words:
Over Population
Under population
Optimum Population
Overpopulation
- when there are too many people in an area relative to the amount of
resources and the level of technology available locally to maintain a
high standard of living. Overpopulation is characterised by low per
capita income, high unemployment and outward migration.
Underpopulation
This occurs when there are too few people in an area to use the
resources efficiently for a given level of technology. An increase in
population would mean a more effective use of resources and
increased living standards.
Optimum Population
This is the theoretical population which, working with all the available
resources, will produce the highest standard of living for the people of
that area. This concept is dynamic, when technology improves, new
resources become available which means more people can be
supported.
Population theories
• The world’s population has grown much faster during the
last century than it has ever grown before
• Many geographers, economists and other academics have
tried to work out just how much the world’s population can
grow before the planet is overwhelmed
• In general the resulting models of development have been
classified into 2 groups: optimistic models and pessimistic
models
The Earth is Full:
What are
his key
arguments?
Is he
optimistic
or
pessimistic?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZT6YpCsapg
Malthus, Boserup and
Simon may not all agree
that we’re full….
Next lesson:
Population
and resource
consumption
theories