Unit 2: Population and Migration Patterns and Processes

Climate

Extreme climates limit population; temperate climates encourage movement.

Landforms

Lowlands tend to encourage population growth; highlands equal less people.

Water Accessibility

Access to water is important for population.

Economic Factors

Job opportunities, working conditions, and higher pay encourage migration.

Political Factors

Those dissatisfied with their government tend to migrate.

Cultural Factors

Housing availability, safety, and community.

Historical Factors

Historical settlements can dictate distribution today.

Arithmetic Density

Also called crude density, arithmetic density calculated by: Dividing the total population by total land area.

Physiological Density

Physiological density is intended to provide insight into if a society can sustain themselves agriculturally. It is calculated by: The total number of people per unit of arable land.

Agricultural Density

Agricultural density is used to understand more about wealth than population distribution. It is calculated as: The total number of farmers per unit of arable land.

Population Distribution

The study of population distribution directly affects the decisions that the government makes.

Carrying Capacity

Carrying capacity is defined by geographers as the maximum population size that an environment can support.

Dependency Ratio

Calculated as the number of people under 15 and over 65, divided by the people who are 15-64, then multiplied by 100.

Sex Ratio

The proportion males to females in a society.

Crude Birth Rate (CBR)

The number of births in a given year per 1,000 people in a given population.

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

The average number of children one woman will have during her childbearing years, 15-40.

Crude Death Rate (CDR)

The number of deaths of a given population per year per 1,000 people.

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)

The number of deaths of children under the age of 1 per 1,000 live births.

Life Expectancy

The average number of years that a person is expected to live.

Population Pyramids

Graphs that show the age-sex distribution of a given population at a given time.

Rate of Natural Increase (RNI)

The difference between the crude birth rate and crude death rate of a defined group of people.

Doubling Time

The number of years in which a population growing at a certain rate will double. The formula is: 70/RNI=DT.

Economic Factors for Population Growth

Strong economies encourage higher birth rates, while the inverse is also true.

Political Factors for Population Growth

Public policy can influence the population regarding peace, war, and children policies.

Environmental Factors for Population Growth

Natural disasters and disease can negatively affect population rate.

Environmental Factors

Natural disasters and disease can negatively affect population rate.

Cultural Factors

Expectations from society can drastically change population rate.

Roles of Females

The changing roles of women in societies have also had an impact on the population.

Malthusian Theory

In the late 1700s, Thomas Malthus introduced one of the most famous theories on population, believing that the world's population would grow faster than the food supply.

Critics of Malthus

Malthusian theory has limitations including not accounting for growth in technology of family planning and agricultural production.

Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

The DTM is based on population trends connected to birth and death rates and contains five stages.

Stage 1 of DTM

The long history of man before improvements in healthcare and technology.

Stage 2 of DTM

High birth rate and falling death rate connected to the industrial revolution in Western Europe and the United States.

Stages 3 and 4 of DTM

Birth rates begin to slow as a result of economic and societal changes and choices.

Stage 5 of DTM

Population begins to decrease.

Limitations of DTM

Speculation about what occurs at stage 5 and its basis solely on the history of Western Europe.

Epidemiological Transition Model (ETM)

The ETM describes changes in fertility, mortality, life expectancy, and population age distribution.

Stages of ETM

Stages include Famine, Receding Pandemic Disease, Degenerative and Human-created diseases, Delayed Degenerative Diseases, and Re-emergence of infectious diseases.

Famine Stage of ETM

Infectious and parasitic disease cause most human deaths.

Receding Pandemic Disease Stage of ETM

Improved sanitation/nutrition lower the spread of infectious diseases.

Degenerative and Human-created diseases Stage of ETM

Fewer deaths due to infectious diseases; increase in heart attacks and cancer deaths.

Delayed Degenerative Diseases Stage of ETM

Medical advances reduce or delay incidences of disease related to aging.

Re-emergence of infectious diseases Stage of ETM

Infectious diseases become resistant to antibiotics.

Limitations of ETM

ETM focuses solely on health-related factors and disease, ignoring the role of poverty.

Role of Government

One of the most important factors in population growth or decline in the 20th and 21st century are government policies.

Anti-Natalist Policies

Those created by the government to reduce population growth, enacted due to fear of disease or famine from a lack of resources.

Methods of Anti-Natalist Policies

Include contraception education, family support, and financial incentive; extreme measures may include forced sterilization and infanticide.

Consequences of Anti-Natalist Policies

1) Difficult to stop people from having as many children as they'd like unless extreme measures are taken. 2) Will eventually lead to an older population, which can have negative effects on society.

Pro-Natalist Policies

Intended to increase the population of a nation, usually due to an aging population or low birth and fertility rates.

Methods of Pro-Natalist Policies

Include financial incentives, advertising campaigns, and calls towards nationalism.

Consequences of Pro-Natalist Policies

1) Many more women are making decisions to have less children, not more. 2) Anti-natalist policies have created generalities about family decisions that do not support pronatalist policies.

Aging of a Population

A byproduct of industrialization characterized by increased life expectancy and declining fertility rates.

Social Consequences of an Aging Population

Can lead to changes in traditional family norms, such as elderly people living in retirement homes, but may also allow for the care of grandchildren.

Economic Consequences of an Aging Population

Retired individuals pay less in taxes, which can hurt a nation's finances and may lead to an increase in the cost of living.

Political Consequences of an Aging Population

The elderly often have a strong voice in politics and policies.

Role of Women in Population Trends

1) Work: Some occupations do not lend themselves to large families. 2) Education: Many women delay having children to seek higher education opportunities. 3) Healthcare: Contraceptives have limited fertility rates globally.

Push Factors

Negative causes that compel people to move from one location to another.

Pull Factors

Positive reasons for people leaving one location to go to another.

Economic Push and Pull Factors

Stable employment and wages tend to pull people towards a location, while struggling economies can push people away.

Cultural Push and Pull Factors

Discrimination or persecution can push people towards a location, while open policies can pull people towards relocating.

Demographic Push and Pull Factors

Age, education level, and location can all impact push and pull factors.

Political Push and Pull Factors

Governments can influence push and pull factors through civil wars, dictatorships, etc.

Environmental Conditions in Migration

Climate or landscape can push and pull people to different locations; natural disasters can push people to safer areas.

Voluntary Migration

Movement by choice.

Types of Voluntary Migration

A) Transnational: Immigrants retain strong ties to their native country. B) Internal: Migration within a nation's borders. C) Transhumance: Movement of nomads to higher elevations in summer and lower in winter. D) Chain: Movement to a location because others from their community have done the same. E) Step: Movement that occurs in a series instead of all at once. G) Rural-to-urban: Movement from farms to cities.

Forced Migration

Movement of people against their will.

Refugees

People forced to leave their country for fear of prosecution or death.

Asylum

Refugees have the right to seek protection in a new country.

Internally Displaced Persons

People forced from their homes but remain in their native country.

Effects of Migration

Immigrants become a source of labor, reduce the skills gap, increase the population, lead to a decline in wages, and cause relocation diffusion in destination countries; can also cause brain drain in countries of origin.