Unit 4: Population Geography, Human Geo

Demographics

the characteristics of human populations, such as age, gender, income level, and ethnic group

Infrastructure

the basic structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, sewage systems, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society

Development

The process of improvement in the quality of life for a people, as knowledge and technology in a society increases.

(Ex: Improvements in healthcare, farming technology, education, infrastructure)

Developed country (More developed country - MDC)

A modern, industrialized country, with an advanced economy, healthcare, education, agricultural technology & infrastructure.

Individuals in developed countries tend to live longer and have less children. (Ex: USA, Denmark, Japan)

Developing country (Less developed country - LDC)

A less modern, less industrialized country, with a less advanced economy, healthcare, education, agricultural technology & infrastructure.

Individuals in developing countries tend to have shorter lifespans and have more children. (Ex: Mexico, Afghanistan, Indonesia)

Crude Birth Rate (CBR)

The total number of live births in a year for every 1000 people alive in the society.

Crude Death Rate (CDR)

The total number of deaths in a year for every 1000 people alive in the society.

Life expectancy

The average number of years an individual can be expected to live, given current social, economic, and medical conditions.

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

The average number of children a women will have throughout her child bearing years (age 15-49)

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)

The total number of deaths in a year among infants under 1 year old for every 1,000 live births in a society.

Natural Increase Rate (NIR)

The percentage by which a population grows in a year, computed as the crude birth rate minus the crude death rate.

*Does NOT include migration

Population density

The number of people who live in a defined area.

EX: Population density of Tokyo, Japan = 6,158 persons per square kilometer

Population distribution

The pattern of where people live.

EX: The population is distributed unevenly around Illinois. People are mostly clustered, or concentrated in Chicago.

Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

A model that shows the process of change in a society's population as it develops (advances technologically & economically).

- 5 Stages

- Countries tend to move from a condition of high crude birth and death rates and low rate of natural increase to a condition of low crude birth and death rates, low rate of natural increase, and a higher total population.

Population pyramid

An age-sex composition graph that can provide information on...

birth rates, death rates, life expectancy, economic development, migration, and past events like natural disasters, wars, epidemics, etc.

Zero Population Growth (ZPG)

A decline of the total fertility rate to the point where the number of births is the same as the number of deaths, so the population is unchanging (the natural increase rate = zero)

- This can occur in Stage 1 & 4 of the DTM

Negative Population Growth (NPG)

When the total fertility rate declines so much, that the number of deaths exceeds the number of births, so the population declines (gets smaller).

- This occurs in Stage 5 of the DTM

Dependent

A person who relies on another (kids, elderly = takers not makers!)

- They are not contributing to the economy through work or taxes but they ARE using services that are paid for by taxes

Youth dependency ratio

The ratio of people younger than 15 to the working-age population (those ages 15-64)

- This is a concern in Stage 2 of the DTM

Elderly dependency ratio

The ratio of people 65 and older to the working-age population (those ages 15-64)

- This is a concern in Stage 5 of the DTM

Immigration

Movement of individuals into a population

Emmigration

Movement of individuals out of a population

Pro-natalist policy

A government policy that aims to encourage more births

(Ex: Tax breaks for families with kids, government supported maternity/paternity leave, government supported childcare, education, & healthcare etc.)

Anti-natalist policy

A government policy that aims to discourage births

(Ex: Birth control, sterilization, access to abortion, fines for extra children, denying extra children access to education/healthcare etc.)

Family planning

The ability of individuals and couples to plan for and obtain their desired number of children and the spacing and timing of their births.

It is achieved through use of contraceptive methods (condoms, birth control pills etc.) and the treatment of involuntary infertility (helping people have kids who are struggling to do so with modern medicine, like IVF)

Contraception

Methods or techniques used to prevent pregnancy

(Ex: Condoms, birth control pills, intrauterine device (IUD))

Push factor

A factor that people do not like in their homeland, that causes them to leave their homeland. It's "pushing them away."

(Ex: Natural disaster, famine, bad economy, war, political persecution)

Pull factor

A factor that people like in another region, that draws people to that region, and away from their homeland. It's "pulling them in."

(Ex: Safety, job opportunities, cultural freedom)

Voluntary Migration

Migration done by choice.

- People are compelled to move to seek out better opportunities or a better quality of life

- Subtypes: chain migration, guest workers

Forced Migration

A type of migration where people do not choose to relocate, but do so under threat of violence.

- People are compelled to move due to war, exile, persecution, etc.

- Subtypes: slavery, refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons

Brain drain

Emigration of skilled workers (engineers, scientists, doctors, teachers, etc.) to other countries.

- Leave in search of better work and educational opportunities, improved living conditions, higher wages, etc.

- Move from less developed to more developed countries

Refugee

A person forced to migrate to another country to avoid the effects of armed conflict, violence, violation of human rights, or other disasters, and cannot return to their home country for fear of persecution.

Internally Displaced Person (IDP)

Someone forced to migrate for similar reasons as a refugee but who does not move across an international border.

- Reason for displacement is usually war, persecution, or natural disaster

Asylum seeker

Someone who has migrated to another country in hopes of being admitted and recognized as a refugee.

- Migrate for the same reasons as refugees but don't have any legal status

Guest worker

A person with temporary permission to immigrate and work in another country.

- Typically hired to fulfill manual labor jobs (construction, agriculture, etc.)

- Usually from less developed countries and work in more developed countries

Chain migration

Migration in which individuals follow the migratory path of preceding friends or family members to an existing community.

- Ex. Mei moves from Shanghai to Houston to join her aunt and uncle who live in a Chinese neighborhood.

Internal migration

The permanent or semipermanent movement of individuals within a country.

Transnational migration

The permanent or semipermanent movement of individuals between countries.

Baby Boom

A spike in birth rates, typically occurring after a period of war.

Thomas Malthus

Eighteenth-century English economist & minister who warned that population growth threatened future generations because, in his view, population growth would increase faster than agricultural production.

- Encouraged governments to create anti-natalist policies.

Carrying capacity

The largest number of individuals in a population that an environment can support.

Paul Ehrlich

The author of the 1968 book "The Population Bomb," which warned that overpopulation would drain resources and kill millions by the 1980s.

- Ehrlich is called a "Neo-Malthusian" because he believed Thomas Malthus was right, and continued to spread his theories, and encouraged governments to create anti-natalist policies.