Unit 2 AP Hug

population distribution

spread of people across the earth; pattern of human settlement

physical factors influencing population distribution

climate: people prefer tropics and suptropics in mid-lattitudes that have moderate climates

landforms:low landforms preferred

bodies of water: usually live near lakes/rivers/oceans

elavation: lower elevations preffered in mid/high latitudes and high elevations preffered in tropics

human factors affecting population distribution

culture: want acces to education, healthcare, entertainment

economics: places with valued resrouces, industrial areas, good jobs, good infrasturctured, developed areas with tourism

history: areas where humans used to flourish continue to flourish

politics: politcal stability

Area with the highest population density

Eurasia: europe(10%) and asia(60%)

ecumene

portion of Earth’s surface with permanent human settlement

population clusters. regions with the largest population clusters

heavily populated areas that shows the unevenness of global population distributions

south asia, east asia, southeast asia, europe

Top 3 countries: China, India, US

megacities vs metacities

metacities: more than 20 million residents

megacities: more than 10 million residents

developed vs developing countries

developed: ocuntry with an advanced economy and a high state of living

developing: country with a relatively low income and a poorer economy

sparsely populated areas

are more common than population clusters as humans will avoid places too cold, dry, wet, or rugged

Snow Belt vs Sun Belt

Snow belt: US states in the northern and midwestern parts; seeing a pop decease

Sun Belt: states in coastal areas and the South to the Southwest. Seeing a population increase

Mean center of population

balancing point given the distribution of the population

population density

measures average population per unit of land area; measures how crowded a place ist

Types of population densities

Arithmetic(crude) density: average number of people per unit of land area. Can have flawed results because it hides geogrpahic variation in population within an area

Physiological density: average number of people per unit area of arable land. Helps measure carry capacity of a country

Agricultural density: numbef of farmers per unit of arable land. The highe the number, the more labor intensive an area’s agriculture is and the less developed the country is due to access to less technology

arable land

land suitable for cultivation

why population distribution and density is important

economic: the number of people clustered in an area can affect the demand of goods and services which influences governments and private businesses in their decisions as to whether they should build infrastructure there

political: affects House of Representatives members

environmental: more populated areas usually have worse air quality; less natural habitats for wildlife, farmland, and greenspace3s

diseases and natural disasters: faster spread of diseases; higher losses from natural disasters

carry capacity

number of people an environment on Earth can support on a sustainable basis

human well being

state of being comforatable, healthy, or happy; no link to population density

population density vs distribution

distribution: tells WHERE people live

density: tells how MANY people live there

age structure

splitting a population into differeng age groups/cohorts

dependency ratio

the number of dependents(under the age of 15, older than 65) in a population that each 100 working age people must support

dependents/working age pop * 100%

Youth and elderly dependency

Youth dependency ratio: number of young dependents in a population every 100 working age people must support

Elderly dependency: same thing but for elderly dependents

World dependent categories

High child dependency: high youth dependency(more than 45%) but low elderly dependency(less than 15%). Common in developing countries

Moderate chidl dependency: moderate youth dependency(29-45%) but low elderly dependency (less than 15%). Common in Latin America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia

Double Dependency: moderate youth dependency(29-45%), high elderly dependency(15% or more). US, France, Australia

High elderly dependency: aging population so low youth dependency(less than 29%) but high elderly dependency(15% or more). In most of Europe, Canada, China

Low overall dependency: working age pop is high so there is a low youth and elderly dependency. Only found in these 4 Arab countries: Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Oman due to an influx of working immigrants.

Why is age dependency ratios flawed?

some countries have people over 65 still working, so this ratio overestimates the pressure on the working class to support the dependents

Generations

groups of people born at around the same time adn share common traits due to societal and cultural infleunces shared growing up

The types of generations

GI gen: before 1924

Silent Gen: 1924-1945

Baby Boomers: 1946-64, born during the massive spike of births post World War II

Gen X(GenXers): 1965-80, more tolerant of religious, ethnic, and cultural differnces, now in prime working years

Millenials(Gen Y): 1981-2000, largest gen in the US, grew up with the internet, socially aware and intersted in sustainability and environmental issues

Sex ratio

number of men to females in a population(naturally 95 girls to 100 males)

If the sex ratio was 125, that means there are 125 men to 100 women

Why might sex ratios be unbalanced?

androcentrism: culture has a preference for males, which can lead to female infanticide

gener selective migration: a place attracts more male workers/settlers

War: kills more young men than women

infanticide

practice of killing infants

Population pyramid

The female and male populations are divided into 5 year age cohorts on the y axix and the sex ratio is plotted on the x-axis

Types of population pyramids

Rapid growth: wide base that tapers off quickly, found in developing countries because there are a lot of births but short lifespans

Slow growth: country’s population growth rate slows; base is narrow but the shape is still a pyramid; birth rate is just barely over the death rate

Stability: the population is stable with a fairly even distribution

Decline: declining population; base is very narrow and it is very top-heavy

How do population pyramids change when you change the scale of analysis?

Local areas have an extremely exaggerated structure because they are usually geared towards one specific demographic.

EX college cities have lots of college level people

Residential area with parks: has lots of families with young children