Demography and Population Geography Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards generated from lecture notes covering key demography, population, and migration concepts.

Agricultural population density

Number of farmers per unit of arable land.

Agricultural revolution

Major changes in farming that increased food production.

Anti-natalist policies

Government policies that encourage people to have fewer children.

Arable land

Land that is suitable for growing crops.

Arithmetic growth

Population increases by the same amount each period.

Arithmetic population density

Total population ÷ total land area.

Asylum

Protection given by a country to someone fleeing danger or persecution.

Baby boom

A period when birth rates are unusually high.

Baby bust

A period when birth rates are unusually low.

Birth deficit

When deaths exceed births.

Boserup, Ester

Geographer who argued that population pressure can lead to agricultural innovation.

Brain drain

Loss of educated/skilled workers because they migrate away.

Carrying capacity

Largest population an environment can sustainably support.

Chain migration

Migration where people follow friends or family who migrated earlier.

Circulation

Short-term or repeated movement that does not involve permanent relocation.

Critical distance

The point where distance becomes a major barrier to movement.

Counter migration

Migration back toward the original area after earlier migration.

Crude birth rate (CBR)

Number of births per 1,000 people per year.

Crude death rate (CDR)

Number of deaths per 1,000 people per year.

Demographic equation

Population change = births − deaths + immigration − emigration.

Demographic momentum

Population continues growing because of a large young population, even after fertility falls.

Demographic transition theory

Model showing how birth and death rates change as a country develops.