Name: _______________________________ Period: ______
Human Population Growth Web Quest
Read the information provided & follow the links to answer the questions on your own paper.
Worries about human population growth are not a new phenomena. A little over 200
years ago, Thomas Malthus published An Essay on the Principle of Population. He identified
the fact that the human population was growing faster than the supply of food.
In 1804, the human population of Earth reached 1 billion. It topped 2 billion by 1927, 3
billion by 1959, 4 billion in 1972, and 5 billion by the late 1980s. On October 12, 1999, the
human population of Earth reached 6 billion. In 2011, the population reached over 7 billion.
Prior to 1950, the death rate was high, which kept the numbers of humans from
increasing rapidly. But the 20th Century produced advances in medicine, sanitation, and
nutrition, which led to a higher life expectancy. As for food supply, in the 19th Century, the
agricultural revolution increased food production and the industrial revolution improved
methods of transporting food and other goods. So, we have more food. The question
remains, though, do we have enough food and resources to meet the needs of the growing
population?
Follow this link: http://www.census.gov/popclock/
1. What is the exact time right now?
2. What is the U.S. population right now?
Follow this link: http://www.demographia.com/db-2000stater.htm/
3. Where is Illinois ranked among state populations?
4. What percent of people in the U.S. live in Illinois?
Follow this link: http://desip.igc.org/populationmaps.html
5. Where in the world did the human population appear to start?
6. What was the world population in 1985?
7. What is the expected world population in 2020?
The rate of population growth in developed nations has slowed in recent years, while
many developing nations are still growing exponentially. One effect of the growth of
population is the growth of population density. Population density is an often reported and
commonly compared statistic for places around the world. Population density is the number
or people per unit area. It is commonly represented as people per square mile (or square
kilometer), which is derived simply by dividing the total area population by the land area in
square miles (or square kilometers).
Follow this link for a list of least developed countries: http://www.unohrlls.org/en/ldc/25/
8. Select any 3 countries from the list & find the following data:
Country 1:
Country 2:
Country 3:
Population
Surface Area
Population Density
9. If the area of the United States is 3,717,813 square miles, what is our population density? (You
will need to use the answer to question two to figure out density.)
Go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/global-trends-quiz.html and take the Global
Trends Quiz.
10. Where is a woman's life expectancy the highest in the world?
11. What percentage of people living in the U.S. were born in other nations?
12. For a baby born in India in 1881, life expectancy was a mere 25 years. What is it today?
13. How many young people between the ages of 0 and 14 are there in the developing
world?
14. North Americans consume how much more energy per person than Africans?
15. How many cars are there in China for every thousand people?
16. "Carrying capacity" is the maximum number of animals of a species that a habitat can
support indefinitely. What is Earth's carrying capacity for humans?
Go Back To: http://www.census.gov/popclock/
17. What is the exact time right now?
18. How many minutes have elapsed since you answered question #2?
19. What is the U.S. population right now?
20. What was the gain in U.S. population while you have been working on this activity?
Go to http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2011/October/Birth-of-7-Billionth-Baby-
Sparks-Population-Debate/
21. What is Bill McKibben’s position on population growth?
22. What is Steven Mosher’s opinion?
23. Who do you think is right and why?