POPULATION- RESOURCE RELATIONSHIPS
The population of planet earth will always need to use resources in order to survive and live their
daily lives. In some cases, a population of a certain area can overuse resources.
Carrying capacity is the largest population that the resources of a given environment can support.
Optimum population
Optimum population is where a balance between population and resources exists.
-it occurs when the size of a population in an area is such that there is maximum exploitation of
resources in it thus giving the population a high standard of life
-an increase in the population of the area may cause overpopulation whilst a decrease may cause
under-population
Under population
Under-population occurs in a country or region where there are too few/not enough people to
make full use of the available resources.
-the area would be having fewer people than the resources available
-the resources remain not fully utilized hence there is generally a low standard of life
-it is a dynamic situation whereby an increase in the population would cause an improvement in
the standard of life
- most areas considered as underpopulated today occupy a large territory and are resource rich,
such as Australia, Canada, Kazakhstan
and Mongolia.
Causes of under-population
• Life expectancy is high due to:
– Better health care, vaccines, surgery and medicines
• Family size is smaller
• Women choosing to peruse a career and therefore having children later in life
• Children are expensive
• Low infant mortality
Problems of under population

Many areas are empty and the resources are not being fully exploited.

The country is not developing as fast as it could economically.

Not enough people to fill key skilled jobs (teachers, doctors)
Over-population
Overpopulation occurs where a country or region has too many people overusing the resources at
a given level of technology.
-occurs when the population exceeds the resources at the available level of technology
- it leads to a general deterioration in the living standards e.g. congestion, overcrowding
-it’s a dynamic situation whereby an improvement in the technology level may create a resource
base that will support the whole population
Causes of over-population
• Rapidly growing population (high birth rate) due to:
– Demand for larger families
– For children to earn money and look after parents in when elderly
– Social status (the more children you have the more important you are seen to be)
– Certain religions prohibit the use of contraception
– High infant mortality
Problems of over population:

Depletion of natural resources

Increased air and water pollution

Shortage of food and water

Lack of essential services (health, education)

Overcrowding

Inadequate sanitation

High crime rates

Traffic congestion
Key ideas to consider
Do you think world population will keep growing and every country will become overpopulated?
Do
you
think
we
will
have
enough
food
in
the
future?
Do you think our supplies of fossil fuels will run out?
PRACTICE QUESTION
1 (a) Define the terms;optimim population, under-population and over-population. [3]
(b) Name one overpopulated country and explain the problems it has experienced as a result of
over-population. [7]