Name ________________
Human Population Growth -- Web Quest
Explore the following sites to investigate the Geography of Humans on Earth.
Click here: http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/popclock
What is the exact time right now?
_______________________________
What is the U.S. population right now?
____________________________
Click Here: http://www.demographia.com/db-2000stater.htm
Where is New York ranked among state populations?
__________________
What percent of the US population live in New York? __________________
Where is Iowa ranked among state populations? ______________________
What percent of the US population live in Iowa? ______________________
How do you explain the difference between these two states?
_________ ____
________________________________________________________
Click Here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/numbers.html
Click "Launch Interactive" on the map on the left. Complete the following chart:
Year
0 A.D.
1000
1800
1927
1960
1974
1987
1999
2050
Human Population
Where People Lived
(include percentages when possible)
Look at the graph of the world's population growth (click on see graph). Which
countries are projected to level off? _________________________________________
Which countries are projected to show growth? ______________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
How do you explain the difference? __________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Answer the following questions about the information that you read:
1. In the 18th century what raised the living standards and spurred population
growth? _____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
2. In the mid 1900s, what profoundly increased human life expectancy?
____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. When did the growth rate reach its all-time peak? ________________ What
was the growth rate?_______________________________________
4. In the 1970s, where did most of the population explosion happen?
__________________________________________________________________
5. When was the 6-billionth baby born? _____________________________
6. Where will nearly all of the further human population growth take place in
the world? ______________________________________________ What is a
foreseeable problem with this? __________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Click Here: http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/infonation/index.asp
Select two countries of interest from the list and find the following data:
Country A: _____________________
a. Population ___________________
b. Surface area __________________
c. Population density ______________
 Investigate the country's economy, environment, health, and technology. What is
an interesting fact you discovered about how this country compares to the world?
______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
 Select a newspaper from Today's News. What is a news headline? __________
_______________________________________________________
Country B: _____________________
a. Population ___________________
b. Surface area __________________
c. Population density ______________
 Investigate the country's economy, environment, health, and technology. What is
an interesting fact you discovered about how this country compares to the world?
______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
 Select a newspaper from Today's News. What is a news headline? __________
_______________________________________________________
Record the following data for the United States.
a. Population ___________________
b. Surface area __________________
c. Population density ______________
 Investigate the country's economy, environment, health, and technology. What is
an interesting fact you discovered about how this country compares to the world?
______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
 Select a newspaper from Today's News. What is a news headline? __________
_______________________________________________________
What is your explanation for the differences between these countries?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Click on: http://www.ibiblio.org/lunarbin/worldpop
What is your exact birth date? _________________________
What was the world population at 12:00 am on your birth date? _____________
What was the world population at 12:00 am on your first birthday? ___________
What was the gain in world population your first
year?
___________________
What was the world population at 12:00 am on January 1, 2009?
____________
What is the projected world population on January 1, 2010? ________________
How much will the world's population will increase this year? _______________
How does that compare to your first year of life? ________________________
What do they project the world's population will be the day you graduate from high
school (approx. May 15, 2016)? ____________________________________
Go back to the US population data:
http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/popclock
What is the exact time right now?
_____________________________
How many minutes have elapsed since you answered this question at the
beginning?
_____________________________________________
What is the US population right
now?
___________________________
What was the gain in US population while you have been working on this activity?
_____________________________________________________
What has been the gain in population per minute over this activity? (Show how you set
up your problem and you may use a calculator) _____________________
What are the most important findings you have learned about Human Geography from
this investigation? What do you feel are the greatest concerns humans face based on
your findings? Now that you have investigated the issue of population growth, what
would you recommend for the future of the Earth? _________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
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