Population and Migration Patterns and Processes

Flashcards of key vocabulary terms from the lecture notes on population and migration patterns and processes.

Population distribution

The pattern of people scattered over an area.

Population density

The number of people within a given area.

Ecumene

The habitable parts of the world.

Arithmetic population density

A measure of the number of people within a given area divided by the total land area.

Physiologic population density

A measure of the number of people per arable (farmable) land.

Agricultural population density

A measure of the number of farmers per arable land.

Carrying capacity

The number of people an area can sustain without critically straining its resources.

Population pyramid

Provides a visual representation of a population in terms of age and sex as well as a good indication of the dependency ratio within a country and is used to assess population growth and decline and to predict markets for goods/services.

Total fertility rate (TFR)

The average number of children a woman will have during her childbearing years (15-49).

Birth rate

Number of live births in a single year for every 1000 people (in a population).

Mortality (death) rate

Number of deaths in a single year for every 1000 people (in a population).

Infant mortality rate

Number of deaths during the 1st year of life (per 1000).

Child mortality rate

Number of deaths of between the ages of 1 and 5 (per 1000).

Maternal mortality rate

Number of deaths during or shortly after childbirth (per 100,000).

Migration

Involves a degree of permanence when moving to a new locale.

Emigration (out migration)

Describes movement out of a particular place.

Immigration (in migration)

Describes movement to a particular place.

Transnational migration

Migration across national boundaries.

Internal migration

Migration within national boundaries.

Natural increase

Birth rate minus death rate.

Population doubling time

The length of time for a population to double in size.

Epidemiologic transition (mortality revolution)

Increase in population due to medical innovation (modern medicine) causing a decrease in the death rate.

Population explosion

The very great and continuing increase in human population in modern times.

Pro-natalist population policies

Policies that provide incentives for women to have children, typically in countries with declining populations.

Anti-natalist population policies

Policies that encourage couples to limit the number of children they have.

Life expectancy

Average number of years an infant newborn can expect to live; number varies within countries, cities, ethnicities, sexes, and between MDCs and LDCs.

Aging index

The number of people age 65 and older per 100 children ages 0-14.

Aging population

An increasing median age in the population due to declining fertility rates/rising life expectancy.

Dependency ratio

A measure of the economic impact of younger and older cohorts on the economically productive members of a population.

Pull factors

Characteristics that attract a person to a place.

Push factors

Characteristics that make a person want to leave a place.

Intervening opportunity

The presence of a nearer opportunity that greatly diminishes the attractiveness of sites farther away.

Intervening obstacle

An event or obstacle that discourages people from migrating.

Genocide

Premeditated effort to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, religious group.

Ethnic cleansing

The effort to rid a country/region of a particular ethnicity either through forced migration or genocide.

Forced migration

An individual migrates against his/her will, including events that produce slaves, refugees, internally displaced persons, and asylum seekers.

Slavery

Having legal property rights over another human and forcing them to obey.

Refugee

Individuals, protected by law, who cross national boundaries to seek safety from armed conflict or persecution.

Asylum seeker

Individuals who flee their home country and applies for protection, but their request for sanctuary has yet to be processed, once processed, they are either given refugee status or refused and returned to their home country.

Internally displaced person (internal refugee)

Individuals who leave their home due to conflict, human rights abuse, war, or environmental catastrophes, but do not leave their country to seek safety.

Voluntary migration

An individual chooses to move, typically based on various push-pull factors.

Transhumance

Seasonal movement of pastoral nomads who move livestock between summer and winter pasture.

Chain migration

Immigrants who follow family and/or friends to the same destination.

Step migration

Migration to a distant destination that occurs in stages (steps).

Guest workers

A person with temporary permission to work in another country (e.g. migrant labor).