Understanding Population and the Environment

What is a population?

The amount of people in a defined area e.g. the population of the world is currently 8.2 million.

What 4 ways can population be measured?

• Distribution - how a population is spread globally or regionally.

• Density - Measurement of population per unit area.

• Numbers - amount of people in an area.

• Change - Increases and Decreases over a period time.

What is population affected by?

Physical environmental factors and development processes.

Why is the physical environment so important to population?

It holds key resources for human well-being e.g. water supply.

What aspects of the physical environment affect how a population can be supported?

• Climate (and its regulation)

• Soils - water content, nutrition content etc.

• Resources - water supply, food supply, ability to make shelter.

What is a development process?

Changing and becoming more advanced (developing) over time.

As societies develop, population growth follows a general trend of growing rapidly, then slowing.

What are technological advancements?

A development process that affects population e.g. in the Industrial Revolution quality of life improved, hence allowing populations to grow.

What are societal advancements?

Also affect populations. e.g. the end of pestilence, wars, and poor hygiene in many countries allowed death rates to fall and populations to grow.

What are recent global population patterns?

Global population has been rapidly increasing since the 1960s, where the population doubled from the start of the 20th century. Estimated to reach 9 billion by 2050.

What areas are most densely populated?

Urbanised areas are the most densely populated areas. Areas that are sparsely populated (e.g. Sahara, Central Australia, Canada) often have uninhabitable conditions.

Areas of China and Bangladesh are known for being densely populated.

Until the mid-1900s, where was the majority of population growth?

In HICs. Now they have the lowest population growth rates, and LICs have the highest growth rates.

Urban areas have higher population growth rates than rural areas.