Population Dynamics and Cultural Interactions

Demography

Scientific study of population characteristics.

Population distribution

Globally, population clusters exist; people are not spread evenly across the surface; some areas deal with concerns of overpopulation while other areas are only sparsely populated.

Ecumene

Portion of the earth that is permanently settled; vast areas of land are not considered part of the ecumene, such as deserts and cold, polar areas.

Population clusters

Currently, 5 primary clusters of population exist on earth: East Asia (primary China and Japan), South Asia (India), Southeast Asia (Indonesia), Western Europe (Great Britain, Germany, France), and Eastern North America (megalopolis, extending from Boston, MA to Washington DC in the eastern US).

Population density

The number of people per unit area; several expressions of population density yield different information about the population.

Arithmetic density

Calculated by dividing the total population by the total amount of land area (ex. US: 332,300,000 / 9,830,000 km squared = 34 people per km squared).

Crude statistics

Does not account for internal variations in population (ex. New Jersey 469 people per km squared, Missouri 34 people per km squared, Wyoming 2 people per km squared).

Physiological density

Calculated by dividing the total population by the total amount of arable (farmable) land; gives a good understanding of the population pressure on the land, in terms of the need for food production (ex. US= 211 km squared).

Agricultural density

Calculated by dividing the total number of farmers by the total amount of arable land; yields some understanding of the economic conditions of the country. A high density indicates the food production is not significantly mechanized; characteristic of developing countries (ex. US= 16 km squared).

World population growth periods

World population has seen several periods of sharp growth throughout history, including the Agricultural revolution, Industrial revolution, and Medical revolution.

Natural increase

Percentage growth, not including migration; negative value indicates a declining population, calculated by subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate; expressed as a percentage.

Crude birth rate

Annual number of live births per 1000 people (ex. US= 11, Afghanistan =35).

Crude death rate

Annual number of deaths per 1000 people (ex. US=10, Afghanistan =6).

Rate of natural increase

Slight changes in the rate of natural increase result in significant long-term population change (ex. US= .1% gain of 336,600 next year, Afghanistan= 3.0% gain of 1,278,000 next year).

Demographic transition

Every population goes through a transitional cycle, reflecting changes in beliefs and values, as well as changes in health care, food production, and level of technology.

Stage 1 of demographic transition

Marked by high crude death rate and high crude birth rate; survival is unpredictable; natural increase is low because death rates offset each other.

Stage 2 of demographic transition

Crude death rate plummets because of improvements in food production and health care; crude birth rate remains high, so natural increase is high.

Stage 3 of demographic transition

Crude birth rate begins to drop significantly, reflecting changes in social values; crude death rate continues to drop, but not as dramatically as in stage 2.

Stage 4 of demographic transition

Crude birth and death rates are both low; representing a situation known as zero population growth, where natural increase is nearly 0 (United States is in this stage).

Stage 5 of demographic transition

Crude birth lower than crude death rate; representing a declining population.

Population pyramid

Graphic, statistical display of the population, used to understand level of economic development, social values, etc.

Population Pyramid

Shows the number of individuals within certain age and gender groups.

Natural Increase Rate

Gives an understanding of the rate of natural increase and the progress of demographic transition within the country.

Overpopulation

Means that the given population in a place exceeds the carrying capacity.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum population that can be supported in a given area; determined by environmental conditions as well as cultural characteristics.

Malthus Treatise

Published in 1798 by Thomas Malthus; stated that uncontrolled population growth could not continue; war, famine, disease, etc. will act to reduce population if excessive growth occurs.

Migration

Permanent move to a new location.

Emigration

Migration from a location; also known as 'out-migration' (leaving your country).

Immigration

Migration to a new location; also known as 'in migration' (going to a different country).

Net Migration

Difference between emigration and immigration.

Push/Pull Factors

Factors that induce people to leave, or those that attract people to a new location.

Cultural Diversity

Great cultural diversity exists despite thousands of years of interaction; a given culture is defined by several important traits: language, religion, and ethnicity.

Language

Fundamental element of distinction of cultures; both a cause and a symbol of cultural differentiation.

Language Family

Group of languages thought to have a common origin; for example, English is in the Indo-European family.

Language Branch

Languages that share a common origin but have evolved into different languages; for example, English is in the Germanic branch of Indo-European languages.

Religion

One of the most fiercely-defended cultural traits; affects all aspects of culture including settlement patterns, economic development, and government.

Ethnicity

Ancestry of a particular group of people who have distinguishing traits in common concerning heritage.

Custom

A frequently-repeated act, one that characterizes a cultural group; a habit that has been widely adopted by an entire culture.

Folk Customs

Traditionally practiced by small, homogeneous groups; primarily in isolated rural areas.

Popular Customs

Found in large, heterogeneous societies that share certain habits despite differences in personal characteristics.

Culture Change

Culture is dynamic; always changing, even though changes are generally subtle and gradual.

Innovation

A new method of doing things; possibly originating within the given culture, or outside the group.

Diffusion

Spreading of an innovation outward from a source region; a change in the spatial distribution of a given phenomena.

Acculturation

Major changes occurring when one culture group adopts many characteristics of another culture group.

Spatial Interactions

Represents interdependence between areas; involves diffusion, migration, exchange of ideas/innovations.

Distance Delay

Spatial interaction decreases with increasing distance.

Mental Map

Personal knowledge/perception of earth space; geography.

Globalization

Increasing the interconnection of all parts of the world; affects economic, political, and cultural patterns/processes.

Political Geography

Analysis of the organization and distribution of political phenomena (states, boundaries, etc.).