H-GAP 36-60
Where In The World Do People Live And Why?
When geographers study population, focus on variety of demographic features and factors
across space. Demography- Study of population in general perspective and population
geographer’s work w/ demographers for answers to these variations. Scale is crucial in this
research. Demographers report population density of a country as a measure of total
population relative to land size. Assumes an even distribution of the population over the land.
This density figure is also knows as a country’s arithmetic population density and can
emphasize contrasts between other countries. No country has an evenly distributed population
and arithmetic population figures do not reflect the emptiness or sparseness of areas. In other
cases, it can be misleading; majority of population can live in 1 area.
-Physiologic Population Density
A superior index of population index relates to total population of country to the area of arable
(farmable) land. Called Physiologic Population Density defined as number of ppl per
agriculturally productive land. When comparing arithmetic density to physiologic density, the
no. of ppl stay the same, and the only no. that changes is calculating the amt. of land. The
difference reveals the amt. of arable land to all land.
-Population Distribution
Countries have land where people are absent or sparsely distributed. Geographers study
population distribution, which are descriptions of locations on the planet’s surface where
individuals or groups live. Often represent these on dot maps where one dot represents certain
amt of ppl on map.
-World Population Distribution and Density
People are constantly unevenly distributed among the land. People tend to congregate in
places where food can grow. Advances in agricultural technologies and in transportation of
agricultural goods have begun to change this pattern.
*East Asia*
Darker shade means more ppl. Darkest shading is in East Asia, mainly Asia but also Korea and
Japan. High population along rivers and valleys, made for farmers which feed major cities.
*South Asia*
Second major is South Asia, mainly India and extends into Pakistan and Bangladesh and onto Sri
Lanka. Cluster along cities, coasts, and rivers. Population due to China’s declining fertility rate.
Predict by 2030 that 1 out of 6 will live in India. Himalayas and Indus River Valley are geographic
barriers to South Asia population cluster. Confined area w/ rapidly growing population.
Majority of ppl are farmers and are crowded.
*Europe*
Majority of population extends from Ireland to UK to Russia and includes large parts of
Germany, Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus. Also includes parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, parts
of France and Northern Italy. Population distribution is not closely related to environment and
terrain. More people are crowded in cities and towns.
*North America*
Population spreads along east coast and major cities. Called megalopolis when huge urban
agglomerations. Is also spread west into Canadian cities.
-Reliability of Population Data
U.S. census, were advertised for so every person could be counted. If the population of a
disadvantaged group is undercounted becomes loss of dollars for city govts that rely on fed
govt for funding to pay for social services to those disadvantaged groups. In addition to those
govts that provide services, advocates for disadvantaged groups encourage ppl to fill out census
so that they don’t suffer and have less govt representation in Congress. Several agencies collect
data on the world population such as UN, World Bank, and Population Reference Bureau also
gather and generate data and report on the population of the world and countries. If you
compare population data by these sources, will find inconsistencies in population, growth rates,
food availability, health conditions and incomes are often estimates instead of actual counts.
Why Do Populations Rise or Fall in Particular Places?
Paul Ehrlich wrote book, he and other’s warned that world population was increasing too
quickly and was outpacing food production. Alarmed many, but can be traced back to 1798 with
publication from Thomas Malthus which said same as what Ehrlich wrote. His reasoning was
that food supplies grew linearly and that population grew exponentially. Predictions Malthus
made assumed that food productions is confined spatially, and that what a country eats is
based on what’s grown there. We know that doesn’t happen, and Malthus didn’t foresee how
globalization could aid exchange of goods internationally. Mercantilism, colonialism, and
capitalism bought interaction across the world. Through these interactions agr. Methods were
created and commodities and livestock diffused. Malthus assumed food production was linear,
but its exponential as the acreage under cultivation expands, mechanization of agricultural
production diffuses, improved strains of seed are developed, and more fertilizers are used.
Malthus’s ideas still gain followers. Neo-Malthusian followers share his concerns even if they
don’t always agree w. his argument and are alarmed at world population growth rate. They
point out that human suffering is now on an unimaginable scale. Demographers say it will
stabilize later in 21st century, they say NOW.
-Population Growth at World, Regional, National, and Local Scales
Analysis of population growth requires attention to scale. Pay attention to growth on different
scales, but must be mindful of how what happens on one scale can be affected by what
happens on another scale at the same time. Four components to measure demographic change
within a country, births, deaths, immigration, and emigration.
*Population Growth at the Regional and National Scales*
World map population growth rate shows wide range of natural increases in diff geo regions.
Have existed for a long time. Countries go thru stages of expansion and decline. Map shows
high growth rate in North Africa and Southwest Asia. Demographers point to correlation of high
growth rates and low standing of women. When men are dominant over women, growth rates
are higher. South Asia is most important geo region bc has India and has high population rate
and is well above world avg. East Asia is different, China’s rate has fallen and Japan’s population
is no longer growing.SE Asia growth rate is higher, but population is less that E or S Asia. S
America is have reduction in rates. Slowest growing countries are wealthier like from U.S thru
Canada and across Europe and Japan. Wealth isn’t only factor to growth. Between 1990 and
2000 world population went from 1.6 to 6.1 and in 2011 went to 7 bil. Last century of pop
growth is due to longer life expectancies. Predictions of stabilized global pop are based on
combo of longer life expectancies coupled w/ lower fert rates. Demographers measure whether
a population can replace it’s deaths w/ births by looking at total fertility rates. Demo at UN
predict that TFR of combined world will fall to 2.1 in 2030. Predicting pop is diff bc so much
depends on decisions made by women. Demo and pop geo agree that 2 major trends are
happening and will influence how much world pop will grow. First is aging pop of Europe China
and Japan and 2nd is declining fert rate in developing countries. Both lead to predictions that
global pop will cont to grow @ lower rate. UN says proportion of older to younger ppl in a
country w/ the aging index which is no of ppl 65+ per 100 kids 0-14. In wealthier countries
women are staying in school and delay childbirth. The impact of aging pop in Europe can be
seen in no of elder ppl each person working supports thru taxes.
Aging population requires substantial social reqs. Older ppl retire, and younger ppl work in
order to pay those revenues that allow state to support retired ppl. As proportion of older ppl
in country increases, younger ppl decrease. Japan’s population has stopped increasing and is
predicted to decrease, and they discourage immigration. In developing countries, combo of
government and NGOs encourage women to have less children. Some are doing the same bc of
econ and social uncertainty of the future. TFRs are falling worldwide. Was a time when low
TFRs were wanted, but they now want higher bc of greater working pop to pay for needs of
aging pop. When govt saw pop growth decline, many took counter measures but have had
limited success in encouraging sustained population growth. Despite decline pop growth rate
global pop continues to rise. Low TFRs and pop growth rates are enumerated in this chapter
and are changed by additions to pop in countries where growth rates are high.
One way to grasp growth rate of in world pop is to compare the pop rate of growth to its
doubling time. Every rate of growth has one. Example if you invest $100 at 10 percent
compounded annually, it would take 7 years to double to 200, and another for 400, and
another for 800. When growth rate is 10% doubling time is around 7 years. 2000 years ago
world pop was estimated to be 250 mil. More than 16 countries passed this b4 total was
doubled to 500 mil, the estimated pop in 1650. Population explosion was occurring. Today
world pop is doubling in 54 years and continuing slowdown in estimated doubling rate is good
in problematic demo picture. For demographers and pop geo who study global pop growth
today the concept of doubling time isn’t as good. With pop falling in many places, fear of global
pop doubling are subsiding. Many indicators, such as slowing of doubling time suggest the
worst may be over. As a result of falling TFRs in both developing and developed world,
demographers no longer caution about doubling time. With women having less children, demo
are predicting world may reach zero population growth in the next 50 years. Some predict
globally by end of the century. No single thing can explain variations in world pop growth. Econ
prosperity and social dislocation reduce growth rates. Econ well being, associated w/
urbanization, higher lvls of edu, later marriage, family planning all lower pop growth. Higher
pops lvl of urbanization the lower its natural increase is. Cultural traditions such as religion also
have an impact on pop growth rates.
*Population Growth within Countries*
Big demo variations can occur within countries. Political geo call countries states. Different for
each country. India was first country to create a population planning program. Encouraged
states to join. Social problems arose in some states where govt pursued the population
planning campaign. Began forced sterilization which led to riots. Is now happening again in
India, involves gun license for sterilization. Today most Indian state govts are using advertising
and persuasion so ppl have fewer children. Southern part is having lower growth rates, other
areas continue to have higher growth rates.
-The Demographic Transition
Demographers used data on baptisms and funerals from churches in GB to study changes in
births and deaths rates. They expected the rate of natural increase, the diff between no of
births and deaths to vary over diff periods of time. Demo calculated the crude birth rate which
the no of live births per year per thousand ppl and the crude death rate, the no of deaths per
year per thousand ppl. Data showed that bfore industrial revolution, had high birth and death
rates w/ small differences. After, death rates began to fall. Britain began to have pop explosion.
In recent history, has finally both become low, making stabilized pop growth.Demo call shift in
pop growth the demographic transition. Model is based on what happened in GB. Initial low
growth phase has high birth and death rates, sometimes due to plagues. Famines also limited
pop growth. The beginning of the Industrial Revolution brought fast pop growth in Europe. 18 th
century marked 2nd agr revolution and farmers improved seed selection, new methods of crop
rotation, and selectively bred livestock. New tech like seed drill, expanded storage capcities,
and consolidated landholdings. No of ppl needed for in farming was decreased and food supply
increased to supp higher pop.
In the 1800s as Industrial Revolution spread thru Europe, other advances lowered death rates.
Things like sanitation facilities and modern medical practices as well as vaccinations. Birth rates
fell at a slower rate leading to pop explosion and brought waves of immigration. Ppl left to go
to other parts of the world. Migrants decimated native populations with conquest slavery and
new diseases. When a second wave of European colonization began in Africa and Asia during lat
1800s , and brought new methods of sanitation and med practices, which had opp effect from
last time. By mid 1900s, declining rates brought rapid pop increase and alarms of worldwide
overpopulation rang. Pop growth rates began to decline in first half of 1900s in Europe and NA.
Due to significant decline in birth rates. Populations continued to grow but slowly. Lower birth
rates first arrived in countries w/ greater urbanization and wealth. As more ppl moved to cities,
econ and culture of large families changed. Instead of helping on farm, children in urban areas
were seen as a drain of family finances. New opps were available w/ women, so they delayed
childbearing and marriage. Medical advances lowered mortality rates, diminishing the fact that
large no of children were needed to sustain a family. Low birth rates are along places w/ low
death rates giving it a 0 or even negative pop growth. Birth rates are lowest where women are
most educated and working.
-Future Population Growth
Agencies say that almost all pop will stop growing at some time during 21st century, called
stationary population level. Means that world pop stabilize and major problems would involve
older ppl. These predictions require lots of revising, and UN is constantly changing predictions
based on lower fert rates in multiple countries. Predictions will constantly change, and never be
the same based on so many things.