Unit 1: Changing Population - IB Geography

Terms and definitions geo unit 1

Carrying Capacity

The largest population that the resources of a given environment can support without detrimental effects.

Population Momentum

The tendency for population growth to continue beyond the time that replacement level fertility has been achieved, because of a relatively high concentration of people in the childbearing years. This situation is due to past high fertility rates, which results in a large number of young people. Population growth at the national level that would occur even if levels of childbearing immediately declined to replacement level. This is because of the time lag as younger generations move into the fertile age bracket.

Demography

The scientific study of human populations

Crude Birth Rate

The number of births per 1000 population in a given year.

Crude Death Rate

The number of deaths per 1000 population in a given year.

Maternal Mortality Rate

The annual number of deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes per 100,000 live births The death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, from any cause related to the pregnancy or its management.

Natural Decrease

When the number of births is lower than the number of deaths

Net Migration Rate

The difference between immigration and emigration for a particular country.

Total Fertility Rate

The average number of children that would be born alive to a woman (or a group of women) during her lifetime, if she were to pass through her child-bearing years conforming to the age-specific fertility rates of a given year. The number of live births per 1000 women aged 15-49 years in a given year.

Replacement Level Fertility

The level at which each generation has just enough children to replace themselves in the population. TFR of 2.1 children is considered replacement level.

Life Expectancy

(at birth) the average number of years a person may expect to live when born, assuming past trends continue

Population Structure

The composition of a population, the most important elements of which age and sex.

Sex Ratio

The number of males per 100 females in a population

Population Projection

The prediction of future populations based on the present age-gender structure, and with present rates of fertility, mortality and migration. Estimates of total size or composition of populations in the future based on current trends in fertility and mortality.

Dependency Ratio

The ratio of the number of people under 15 and over 64 years to those 15-64 years of age. To calculate, ADD your young dependents (0-14) PLUS senior dependents (65+) / Active Working Population (15-64)

Youth Dependency Ratio

The ratio of the number of people 0-14 to those 15-64 years of age

Elderly Dependency Ratio (Senior dependency ratio)

The ratio of the number of people aged 65 and over to those aged 15-64 years

Median Age

The age at which half the population is younger and half is older

Population Policy

When a government has stated aim on an aspect of its entire population and it undertakes measures to achieve that aim.

Pro-natalist Policy

A population policy that aims to encourage more births through the use of incentives e.g France

Anti-natalist Policy

A population policy designed to limit fertility through the use both of incentives and deterrents e.g China

Migration

The movement of people across a specified boundary, national or international, to establish a new permanent place of residence lasting more than one year.

Voluntary Migration

When the individual or household has a free choice about whether to move or not

Push Factors

Negative conditions at the point of origin, which encourage of force people to move.

Internal Migration

Migration within the same country

Formal Sector

Jobs in the formal sector are known to the government department that is responsible for taxation, and to other government offices. Such jobs generally provide better pay and much greater security than jobs in the informal sector.

Informal Sector

The part of the economy operating outside the official recognition. Employment is generally low-paid and often temporary and/or part-time in nature.

Refugee

A person who has been forced to leave home and country because of "a well-founded fear of persecution" on account of race, religion, social group or political opinion

Remittances

Money sent back by migrants to their family in the home community.

Multiplier Effect

Where an increase in the money supply in a region sets off an upward spiral of development as this money circulates in the economy.

Culture

The total of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values and knowledge that constitutes the shared base of social action.

Development

The use of resources to improve the quality of life in a country.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

The total value of goods and services produced in a country in a year and is representative of the total output of a country

Gross National Income (GNI)

Comprises the total value of goods and services produced within a country (i.e. its GDP/capita), together with its income received from other countries (notably interest and dividends), less similar payments made to other countries.

Gross National Income Per Capita

The GNI of a country (total value of goods and services produced within a country PLUS income received from other countries LESS similar payments made to other countries) divided by its population.

GNI at Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)

Here the GNI of a country is converted into US dollars on the basis of how the value of the currency compares with that of the other countries.

Development Gap

The difference in income and the quality of life in general between the richest and the poorest countries in the world.

Human Development Index (HDI)

A measure of development, which combines three important aspects of human well-being: life expectancy, education and income.

Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

The poorest and weakest economies in the developing world such as Niger, Afghanistan and much of sub-Saharan Africa

Newly Industrialized Countries (NICs)

Countries that have undergone rapid and successful industrialisation since the 1960s e.g Taiwan (Asian Tigers)

Adult Literacy Rate

The percentage of the adult population with basic reading and writing skills.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Goals resulting from a UN-led effort to end extreme poverty by focusing on 17 key indicators, the top five of which are no poverty, zero hunger, good health, quality education, and gender equality, with key benchmarks for 2030.

Malnutrition

The condition that develops when the body does not get the right amount of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function.

Marginalisation

The forces of being pushed to the edge of economic activity, of being largely left out of positive economic trends.

Gini coefficient

A statistical technique used to show the extent of income inequality in a country. With values between 0 and 1, a low value indicates a more equal income distribution while a high value means more unequal income distribution.

Economic Core Region

The most highly developed region in a country with advanced systems of infrastructure and high levels of investment resulting in high average income.

Periphery

The parts of a country outside the economic core region. The level of economic development in the periphery is significantly below that of the core.

Slum

A heavily populated urban area characterised by substandard housing and squalor.

Privatisation

The sale of state-owned assets to the private sector.

Extreme Poverty

The most severe state of poverty with an inability to meet basic needs. It is now defined as living on less than 1.25 dollars a day.

Gender Gap in Education

Girls' school enrolment in relation to boys (girls per 100 boys)

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

Overseas investments in physical capital by transnational operations

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

National or international private organizations, which are distinct from governmental or intergovernmental agencies.

Resource Nationalization

When a country decides to take part, or all, of one or a number of natural resources under state ownership.

Primary Product Dependent

When a country relies on one or a small range of primary products for most of their exports e.g cocoa in Ivory Coast

Trade Deficit

When the value of a country's exports is less than the value of its imports

International Aid

The giving of resources (money, food, goods, technology etc.) by one country or organization to another poorer country. The objective is to improve the economy and quality of life in the poorer country.

Positive Feedback

When an increase of one phenomenon results in an increase in another.

Resource Depletion

The consumption of non-renewable, finite resources which will eventually lead to their exhaustion

Optimum Population

The one that achieves a given aim in the most satisfactory way.

Underpopulated

When there are too few people in an area to use the resources available efficiently

Overpopulated

When there are too many people in an area relative to the resources and the level of technology available

Population Pressure

When population per unit area exceeds the carrying capacity.

Neo-Malthusians

Also Malthusians; the pessimistic lobby who fear that population growth will outstrip resources leading to the consequences predicted by Thomas Malthus.

Anti-Malthusians

Also known as resource optimists; the optimists who argue that either population growth will slow well before the limits of resources are reached or that the ingenuity of humankind will solve resource problems when they arise.

Green Revolution

The introduction of high-yielding seeds and modern agricultural techniques to developing countries.

Child mortality rate

The number of deaths under five years of age occurring in a given area during a given year, per 1,000 live births. i.e. Probability of dying between birth and exactly five years of age expressed per 1,000 live births.

Family planning

The practice of controlling the number of children one has and the intervals between their births, particularly by means of contraception or voluntary sterilization.

Birth order

Refers to the order a child is born, for example first born, second born etc

Birth interval

Refers to the time interval from one child's birth date until the next child's birth date.

Population policy

purposeful measures undertaken by governments aimed at affecting demographic processes, (eg fertility, mortality, and migration.)

Pro-natalist

Population policies designed to increase the crude birth rate.

Aging population

This occurs when the median age of a country increases due to rising life expectancy and/or declining fertility rates.

Economically active

Proportion of the population aged 15-64 in the working age.

Demographic transition model

A model that describes population change over time of the observed changes, or transitions, in birth and death rates in industrialized societies over the past two hundred years.

Population pyramid

A graphical illustration that shows the distribution of various age and gender groups in a population (aka an age-sex pyramid).

Population structure

The composition of a given population, which is broken down into categories such as age and gender.

Migration

The movement of people to live or work (usually for at least a year).

Migration balance

Difference between immigration and emigration.

Illegal immigrants

Migration of people across national borders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destination country.

Forced migration

Refers to the movements of refugees and IDPs as well as people displaced by natural or environmental disasters, famine, or development projects.

Selective migration

Migration which involves one particular cohort of the population (eg. working women).

Internally displaced person (IDP)

Someone who is forced to flee his or her home but who remains within his or her country's borders

Asylum seeker

Refugee who is hoping to be granted refugee status inthe destination country.

Rural to urban migration

Migration from the countryside to towns and cities.

Brain drain

Emigraion of intelligent, skilled or capable resources especially due to lack of high paying jobs.

Commuting

Periodically recurring travel between one's place of residence and place of work (not migration).

Norway

Great country to use as an example of gender equality. Male and female footballers get paid equally for representing this country, and there is a crack special forces unit called 'the hunter troop' made up entirely of women

Saudi Arabia

Women were allowed to watch a sports match in a stadium for the first time ever in September 2017, and women were allowed to legally drive as well - 2 very clear signs of reform and an attempt at promoting gender equality.

Debt Relief

The partial or total remission of debts, especially those owed by developing countries to external creditors. In it's simplest form, this is idea that the world's richest nations should forgive poor nations' obligation to pay back loans.

Agadiz

City in Niger - this is staging post for journeys across the Sahara desert to Libyan ports. Migrants pay people smugglers to get them across the desert in the hope of eventually making it to Europe

Nigeria

Vulnerable women and girls are trafficked from this country and forced into a life of exploitation in European countries such as Italy and Spain

two child policy

From 1st January 2016, this population policy came into effect in mainland China

core-periphery

term used to explain which countries are most involved, and least involved in decision making about the world economy. The world order is starting to change, especially after the belt and road initiative in China recently

Thomas Malthus

THEORY - Said that population would grow at a geometric rate, but food would only increase at an arithmetic rate - therefore, we will very soon be overpopulated - PESSIMISTIC VIEW OF WORLD POPULATION GROWTH

Esther Boserup

THEORY - OPTIMISTIC VIEW OF WORLD POPULATION GROWTH - we are an innovative species and will find ways of ensuring that we can provide for the greater number of people on the earth - for example, green revolution, HYVs, vertical rooftop farming in cities, etc.

Demographic dividend

Refers to a bulge in the number of adults in an organisation. Occurs when fertility rate falls allows faster economic growth

Preventive checks (on population)

Postponement of marriage, higher cost of food, etc

Positive checks (on population)

War, famine, disease - ie the deaths of people who are alive now

North-South Divide

The increasing inequality in levels of development between the North and the South or between HICs (High Income Countries) and LICs (Low Income Countries).