Demography and Population Geography Vocabulary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, demographic measurements, population policies, and disease classifications from the lecture slides.

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

Average number of children per woman within a population.

Rate of natural Increase

In demography and population dynamics, the rate of natural increase (RNI), also known as natural population change, is defined as the birth rate minus the death rate of a particular population, over a particular time period. It is typically expressed either as a number per 1,000 individuals in the population or as a percentage. RNI can be either positive or negative.

pronatalist policies

Policies or practices that “encourage the bearing of children”.

Anti-natalist policies

Measures implemented by governments to discourage population growth by promoting lower birth rates.

dot map

Maps where one dot represents a certain number of a phenomenon, such as a population.

megalopolis

Term used to designate large coalescing supercities that are forming in diverse parts of the world; formerly used specifically with an uppercase “M” to refer to the Boston-Washington multimetropolitan corridor on the northeastern seaboard of the United St

census

A periodic and official count of a country’s population.

doubling time

The time required for a population to double in size.

population explosion

The rapid growth of the world’s human population during the past century, attended by ever-shorter doubling times and accelerating rates of increase.

crude birth rate

(CBR) The number of live births yearly per thousand people in a population.

crude death rate

(CDR) The number of deaths yearly per thousand people in a population.

demographic transition

Multistage model, based on Western Europe’s experience of changes in population growth exhibited by countries undergoing industrialization. High birth rates and death rates are followed by plunging death rates, producing a huge net population gain; this i

stationary population level

The level at which a national population ceases to grow.

population composition

Structure of a population in terms of age, sex and other properties such as marital status and education.

population pyramids

Visual representations of the age and sex composition of a population whereby the percentage of each age group (generally five-year increments) is represented by a horizontal bar the length of which represents its relationship to the total population. Th

infant mortality rate

(IMR) A figure that describes the number of babies that die within the first year of their lives in a given population.

newborn mortality rate

The number of infants who die within the first month of life per 1,000 live births.

child mortality rate

A figure that describes the number of children that die between the first and fifth years of their lives in a given population.

life expectancy

A figure indicating how long, on average, a person may be expected to live. Normally expressed in the context of a particular state.

infectious diseases

Diseases that are spread by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Infectious diseases diffuse directly or indirectly from human to human.

chronic (or degenerative) diseases

Generally long-lasting afflictions now more common because of higher life expectancies.

genetic or inherited diseases

Diseases caused by variation or mutation of a gene or group of genes in a human.

endemic

A disease that is particular to a locality or region.

AIDS

(Acquired Immune Deficiency syndrome) Immune system disease caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) which over a period of years weakens the capacity of the immune system to fight off infection so that weight loss and weakness set in and other a

expansive population policies

Government policies that encourage large families and raise the rate of population growth.

eugenic population policies

Government policies designed to favor one racial sector over others.

restrictive population policies

Government policies designed to reduce the rate of natural increase.

one-child policy

A program established by the Chinese government in 1979 to slow population growth in China.