Human Geography
Unit 2: Population
84. Population Geography
Similar to demography; EXCEPT population
geographers study patterns from a spatial
perspective--WHY patterns exist, WHERE they
exist; implications of current patterns
As global population rises, geographers worry
about how the world can provide for the growing
population
Population patterns overlap with economic
development; high fertility rates line up with
lower economic development
85. Factors Relating to Population Distribution
60% of the world’s population lives within 60
miles of the ocean
Population concentrates where there is high
soil arability/fertility, which also have mild
climates
Population is becoming more urban
Currently about 50% of global population is
urban--higher rates in highly developed
regions.
86. Population Distribution: General Patterns
World’s current population is estimated
above 6.5 billion people
China and India together include more
than 1/3 of total global population--over
one billion people each
Major population concentrations include
East Asia, Northeastern North America,
South Asia, and Western Europe
87. Population Distribution:
Current Growth Patterns
You have something taped on this one!
88. Population Density
Crude density(aka arithmetic density) is total
number of people divided by total land area.
Crude density is a “crude” number because it
doesn’t show a full picture of the relationship
between people and the land
Issues of density provide example of how
demography and development overlap: nutritional
density is the ratio between the number of people
and amount of land under cultivation in a given
unit of area
89. Population Data
includes total population counts and rates (CBR,
CDR, etc) from the United Nations Statistical
Office, World Bank, Population Reference
Bureau, and national censuses
In developing regions, census data can be
unreliable--illiteracy, suspicion of governmental
officials, accessibility issues complicate data
collection
In U.S. the census provides detailed and mostly
accurate information
90. CBR and CDR
CBR = Crude birth rate: number of live births in a
single year for every thousand people in a
population
CDR = Crude death rate: number of deaths in a
single year for every thousand people in a
population
CBR and CDR are “crude” rates because they do
not take into account the age structure of a
population
Ex: several Western European countries have
relatively high death rates because of a high
proportion of elderly
91.
Crude
Birth
Rate
Birth
rates usually
higher
in least developed regions
where number of women at or near childbirth age
and fertility rates are high
Places with high birth rates
usually have limited access to education for
women
usually have a high portion of population
engaged in agriculture--more children = more
laborers
Birth rates everywhere somewhat determined by
religion: many Roman Catholics and Muslims forbid
the use of artificial birth control methods
92. Natural Increase and Natural Decrease
The difference between CBR and CDR
indicates natural growth or decline within a
population
When births outnumber deaths = natural
increase
when deaths outnumber births = natural
decrease
93. Infant Mortality
Number of deaths during the first year of life per
thousand live births
Tends to be much higher in developing regions
as it tends to indicate a country’s access to
health care services
Overall, rates have decreased significantly over
the last 50 years
94. Life Expectancy
Average number of years an infant
newborn can expect to live
Number varies globally with highly
developed countries experiencing much
higher life expectancies than developing
countries
Varies within countries, within cities,
among ethnicities and even between
sexes
95. Demographic Rates: Population Growth
Total fertility rate (TFR) = average number of children a
woman will have during childbearing years (ages 1549)
TFR = better picture of fertility in a country than CBR
because it allows for prediction of birth rates of a
particular cohort over time
Replacement level fertility = rate a little higher than 2
(accounts for infant/child mortality, childless women)
In some countries, where mortality is high,
replacement rate is higher
Ex: sub-Saharan Africa, the replacement rate is above
3
96. Demographic Accounting Equation
you have this on a card
97. Population Growth
You have this on a card
98. Population Growth Rates
A country’s growth rate is determined by its
natural increase, (birth rate minus death rate),
expressed as a percentage.
Ex: a country’s natural increase with a CBR of
22 (per 1,000 population) and a CDR of 12
(per 1,000), translating to a growth rate of 1
percent
Currently, high growth rates are in developing
regions such as El Salvador, Mozambique,
and Oman, where growth rates are above 2%
99. Factors Determining a Population’s Rate of Natural Increase
Economic development has implications on health care,
available employment opportunities, and nutrition among
other factors
Populations with better education tend to have lower
rates of natural increase
Gender empowerment: when women have more
economic and political access, power, and education,
fertility rates drop.
Some cultural traditions prohibit women from working
outside the home and/or use of contraception
Certain public policies can encourage or discourage
couples to reproduce
100. Global Population Growth
Doubling time comes from growth rate; it is the
amount of time it will take a particular population
to double in size.
Countries with growth rates of 1% take about 70
years to double; countries with 2% take only 35
When graphed, a J-curve represents the
exponential growth; j-curve growth began in the
1950s
In the last couple of decades, growth rates have
declined and follows more of an S-curve, meaning
greater stability.
101. Doubling Time
You have a card for this one.
102. Population Pyramids
You have a card for this.
103.
Population
Pyramids:
What
They?
Population
pyramids
are also
oftenAre
called
age-sex
pyramids
In general, pyramids come in 4 shapes:
Rapid growth, distinguished by a wide base
Stability, characterized by a rectangular shape
indicating stable growth
Decline, where the base is smaller than
previous cohorts
Disrupted growth, which shows gaps in the
pyramid, usually as a result of war, strict
population policies , or other drastic events.
104. Population Pyramids: What Are They Used For?
Provide a good indication of the
dependency ratio within a country; in
addition they are often used to predict
population growth.
In general, countries in the developing
world tend to have pyramids predicting
rapid growth; highly developed countries’
pyramids are stable or even declining
105. Dependency Ratio
A measure of the economic impact of younger
and older cohorts on the economically productive
members of a population.
Younger cohorts usually under 15 (ineligible to
work); older cohorts usually over 64 (retired)
In some countries, dependency ratio includes
only males in econ productively cohort if the local
culture prohibits women’s participation in
workforce.
106. Baby Boomers
Made up of people born post WWII (19461964)
Largest population cohort in US
demographic history
AS this large generation of individuals
enters retirement, the burden will be felt
on the economically productive members
of the society.
107. Baby Bust
A period after the Baby Boom (during 1960s
and 1970s) when fertility rates in the U.S.
dropped.
Drop attributed to many women from Baby
Boom generation who wanted higher levels
of education and competitive jobs. This
made them marry later in life which meant
they had fewer children than the previous
generation.
108. Demographic Momentum
Tendency of a population to grow in spite of strict
population policies because a large number of
people are of childbearing age.
Plays a dramatic role in population growth in
developing countries where large part of
population is at or near childbearing age.
When countries encourage or enforce
replacement-level fertility rates, it takes several
generations to achieve stable growth because of
demographic momentum.
109. Carrying Capacity
Number of people an area can sustain without
critically straining its resource base.
Depends on level of technology and determining an
appropriate standard of living for the Earth’s
population.
Advanced tech can usually sustain many more
people than primitive tech.
Globally--if people in LDCs begin to consume like
those in MDCs, the Earth cannot sustain us all. If
everyone lives more modestly, the number the earth
can sustain will increase.
110. Overpopulation and Underpopulation
Overpopulation = a value judgement
reflecting an opinion that an area does not
have enough resources to support the
existing population. If it is overpopulated, it
has exceeded its carrying capacity.
Underpopulation = describes scenarios in
which areas or regions do not have enough
people to fully exploit the resource base.
111. Problems with Growth: Thomas Malthus
(1798) Malthus said carrying capacity is limited by food
availability.
Food production grows arithmetically; population grows
exponentially. This means eventually food supplies
cannot support an ever-increasing population.
Malthus is somewhat accurate--eventually population
growth does reach a carrying capacity called a
homeostatic plateau that extends with each
technological revolution.
EX: Industrial revolution allowed giant advancements
in food production, greatly expanding the globe’s
carrying capacity
112. Malthus’s Proposition
There is a graph for this one!
113. Problems with Growth: Neo-Malthusians
Following in Malthus’s footsteps, they believe
population growth is a problem and they support
antinatalist population policies.
Many advocate “zero population growth” (ZPG)
where number of births and immigrants are
balanced by the number of deaths and emigrants.
ZPG may limit environmental repercussions, but
has social and economic consequences long-term
because a young population base does not exist
to support the local economy and the increasing
elderly population.
114. “Cornucopians” or Opposers to Malthus and Neo-Malthusians
In 1980s, many wanted stricter population
controls to stimulate development, but some
economists said increasing populations stimulate
economic development.
“Cornucopians” believe increasing populations
lead to increasing opportunities for innovation.
Current global totals haven’t proven Malthus’s
dire consequences. Many people across the
globe die of starvation, but that is more a problem
with food distribution than with food availability.
115. The Cairo Plan
1994 - the United Nations endorsed a strategy to
stabilize global population at 7.27 billion no later
than 2015.
Polices focused on giving women greater social
and economic control of their lives instead of
focusing on top-down programs that limit
reproduction.
Many think global drops in fertility are a result of
women taking greater control of their economic
and reproductive lives.
116. Population and Sustainability
Sustainability = using resources in a way that
supplies existing populations while protecting
availability for future generations.
Limiting population growth relieves pressure of
future resource needs, bigger problem is global
consumption patterns, which are geographically
uneven.
1994--developing countries worried that focus on
limiting population in developing regions was unfair-should be limiting consumption in core nations.
117. Demographic Transition Model
Graph--you should have it taped on the card!
118. Demographic Transition Model
Describes population growth stabilization as a
function of economic development.
Stage 1 = (pre-industrialization) high birth and
death rates - little or no growth
Stage 2 = (country industrializes) birth rates stay
high; death rates drop, population growth is rapid
Stage 3 = (fully industrializes) birth rates start to
drop; population growth is stabilized or negative
Stages 4 and 5 = (highly developed countries
across globe) population growth is stable or
negative
119. Downfalls of the Demographic Transition Model
Model was developed to describe demographic
history of Europe; doesn’t necessarily work outside
of this region
Unlike European countries, where decreasing death
rates (Stage 2) happened gradually, developing
regions had dramatic drop in death rates in 1950s
when developed countries sent medical tech and
public health policies
Developing world did NOT see a corresponding
reduction in birth rates. Instead the population
explosion, which began in the 1950s, is attributed to
high rates of natural increase in the developing
world.
120. Pronatalist Population Policies
Usually in countries where population is declining,
providing incentives for women to have children.
In Europe, where negative pop growth is common,
countries have programs to encourage births by
subsidizing child care, offering generous maternity
leaves and other services to reproducing women.
Some other countries (like Singapore) have
pronatalist pop polices in response to dramatic
results of antinatalist policies in previous decades.
121. Antinatalist Population Policies
Encourage couples to limit the number of children
they have
Usually discourage growth by providing
contraception or abortion or disincentives (steep
penalties for couples bearing more children than
allowed)
China is famous for one-child policy of 1980s
using drastic measures to ensure decreasing
population growth (forced sterilization for couples
with one child; infanticide of female babies)
122. HIV/AIDS
Major and dramatic exception to recent
population growth trends, particularly in
developing world, where epidemic is having
dramatic effects on birth rates, death rates,
and life expectancy
Currently, fourth most common cause of
death worldwide and expected to surpass
Black Death as history’s worst-ever epidemic
123. AIDS and Sub-Saharan Africa
SS Africa has been particularly hard-hit by AIDS
epidemic with 55 million of the expected 68
million deaths predicted to occur there between
2000 and 2020
65% of the 40 million people diagnosed with HIV
in 2006 live in SS Africa
In some of most-infected countries, 1 in 4 people
are HIV positive
AIDS has dramatically altered life expectancy in
SS African; Botswana has been cut in half--from
70 to 34
124. Migration
Def = movement to a new activity space
(schools, grocery stores, and other everyday
activities change as result of move) or movement
from one administrative unit to another
International migration = moving over country
borders
Emigration is moving OUT of a place;
immigration is moving TO a specific location
Migratory movement within a country is called
internal migration
125. Voluntary Migration and Push-and Pull Factors
Voluntary = someone chooses to move; usually
based on push-pull factors
Pull factors = characteristics that draw a migrant to
the place (could be housing opportunities, climate,
educational opportunities, employment
opportunities, etc.)
Push factors = characteristics at person’s current
location that make him/her want to leave (could be
negative environmental characteristics,
unemployment, lack of good services, high cost of
living, etc.)
126. Internal Migration History of the U.S.
Most significant internal migration movements in
U.S. can be grouped in three waves:
Wave 1 = during colonization, movement
westward and from rural to urban areas as
places become increasingly industrialized
Wave 2 = from early 1940s to 1970s, a massive
movement of African Americans from rural
south to cities in South, North, and West
Wave 3 = post WWII to now, movement to sun
belt states (fifteen states from North Carolina to
Southern CA and all the states below that line)
127. Rust Belt and Sun Belt Migration Patterns
In 1960s and 70s, large numbers of white, middle
class Americans moved from colder northeastern
and midwestern cities to the South and the West
Coast.
Area they left in upper Midwest became known as
the rust belt. These previous industrial
powerhouses lost much of economic base to
other parts of the country and world.
States in the South and West Coast people went
to became known as the sun belt.
128. The Effect of Sun Belt Migration
Movement of U.S. population in last several
decades to the sun belt states has dramatically
altered the balance of political and economic
power. CA, FL, and TX (all sun belt states) are
now 3 of 4 most populous states.
They get a disproportionate number of electoral
votes, have large congressional delegations, and
are dominant in many economic areas like tech,
energy production, and agriculture.
129. Population Centroid of the U.S.
Geographic center of U.S.; essentially the
balancing point of the U.S. population if the
country is thought of as a plane.
Historically, has been on the East Coast, with
continued migration west and south, the center is
progressively moving and is currently thought to
be somewhere in mid-Missouri.
130. Guest Workers
People who migrate temporarily to take
advantage of jobs in other countries.
Send a lot of their pay (remittances) home to
support family and friends
World Bank estimates that in 2006, $260 billion in
remittances were sent home; its a larger amount
if untraceable money is included
In many developing countries, remittances make
up a significant part of the country’s national
income (up to 20%)
131. Ravenstein’s Migration Laws
Describe voluntary migration patterns; laws that
still prove true today are:
Every migration flow generates a counterflow
Majority of migrants move a short distance
Migrants who move long distances usually
choose big city destinations
Urban residents are less migratory than
inhabitants of rural areas
Families are less likely to make international
moves than young adults
132. Chain Migration
Describes migrant flows from a common origin to
the same destination. Family or friends move first
and get established in an area, paving the way
for more friends and family to follow the same
path.
As number of migrants from a similar area
congregate in one place, services specific to that
population (both cultural and social) begin to
accrue in that area.
133. Channelized Migration
With channelized migration streams, the flows
between a particular origin and destination are
larger than would normally be the case, but are
not the result of family or kinship ties as is the
case with chain migration.
Ex: channelized migration occurs between Texas
and California; in other words, a significantly
larger number of people move from TExas to
California and vice versa than migration models
predict.
134. Reluctant and Forced Migration
Def: individual migrates against his/her will
Between voluntary and forced migration is reluctant
migration--someone reluctantly chooses to move
because factors at current location keep him/her from
staying
Common example of an internal forced migration event
in the US is the Trail of Tears in 1830s (Native
Americans from numerous eastern tribes forced west
to what is now Oklahoma)
Common example of international forced migration is
migration of millions of Africans to North and South
America during slave trade beginning in the 1500s.
135. Illegal Immigration
Can be characterized as involuntary but unforced
migrants
These individuals choose to risk their lives in the
migration decision, but that decision is motivated
by dire economic situation within their own
country.
136. Refugees
Individuals who cross national boundaries to
seek safety and asylum
Usually reluctant or forced migrants who leave
their country because of war, famine,
environmental catastrophes, or religious
persecution.
In 2005, it was estimated that 13.5 million people
were international refugees.
137. Global Refugee Patterns
After Sept. 11, 2001, because of security issues,
many countries in the core countries of the world,
especially Western Europe and North America,
have tightened their borders to people seeking
asylum.
In many African countries, borders are open to
refugees so that countries where people are
fleeing from also host lots of refugee populations.
Ex: several million refugees have fled Sudan as a
result of civil war, but Sudan also hosts upwards of
75,000 thousand refugees from neighboring
countries.
138. Internally Displaced Persons
People who had to leave their home because of
conflict, human rights abuse, war, or
environmental catastrophes, but do not leave
their country to seek safety.
Total is increasing globally; U.N. estimates that
nearly 25 million people in 40 countries are
currently internally displaced (does not include
people displaced by environmental disasters)
Ex in U.S. = individuals who lost homes to
Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.