Theme 1: Population and Settlement

Urbanisation

Increase in percentage of people living in urban areas.

Megacity

Urban area that contains more than 10 million people.

Counterurbanisation

Process by which people migrate from urban to rural communities. (Opposite of urbanization)

Suburbanisation

population shift from central urban areas in suburbs, resulting in the formation of (sub)urban sprawl. As a consequence of the movement of households the businesses out of the city centres, low-density, peripheral urban areas grow.

Low Income Countries (LIC)

Gross national income under $100/year

Newly Industrialising Countries （NIC）

Gross national income between $1000-12,000/year

High income countries (HIC)

Gross national income above $12,000/year

Lack access to basic services in Slums &Squatters

• Lack access to improved water

• Lack access to improved sanitation facilities.

Lack access to safe shelter in Slums &Squatters

• Houses are not durable (prone to collapse/damage)

• Lack sufficient living space

• Lack secure tenure (land or buildings are held or occupied.) (often illegal)

S-Shaped Population Graph

Reasons for fast rate of world’s population growth

Social
Political
Economic
Environmental
Demographic

Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

DTM Stage 1

• Low population

• No growth

• High birth rate-no knowledge of family planning

• High death rate-High infant and child mortality.

• poor access to medical care

• Low life expectancy- poor nutrition and disease.

DTM stage 2

• Rapidly growing population

• High birth rate-Lack of contraception

• Falling death rate- have access to improved medical care and more children survive because of national vaccination programmes.

• More access to food, and less people die from infectious disease.

• Education is still low, many girls are left out of school and marry young.

DTM Stage 3

• High growing population

• population growth begins to slow down -due to improved education

• Falling birth rate-slows down due to improved education

• Low death rate

• Higher life expectancy-medical provision and nutrition have continued to improve.

DTM stage 4

• High population

• Low birth rate

• Low death rate

• High life expectancy -excellent health care

• Family size is small as people prefer fewer children-due to work pressures and more leisure time.

• Women have full careers and marriage and children is put back to a much later age.

• Some fluctuation in birth rate due to generational differences.

DTM Stage 5

• Falling population

• Low death rate

• Low birth rate -people now prefer more leisure time and modern luxury than to have families. Increasingly people choose not to have children.

• Death rate> birth rate

• Increasing death rates=population size begins to fall.-ageing population

Birth Rate

The number of births per 1,000 of the population per year

Death Rate

The number of deaths per 1,000 of the population per year

Natural Increase

The positive difference between birth rate and death rate in a year

Infant Mortality

The number of infant deaths (under 1 year) per 1,000 per year

Child Mortality

The number of child deaths (under 5 years) per 1,000 per year

Life Expectancy

The average number of years you are expected to live based on the year of your birth

Carrying Capacity

Largest population that can be supported by the resources of a given environment.

Emigration rate

number of emigrants/1000 population leaving a country of a origin per year

Immigration rate

number of immigrants/1000 population entering a receiving country in a year

Fertility Rate

Total number of children that would be born to each woman should she live to the end of her chid bearing years

Projected declines in some places…

Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy

Slow population growth in some countries

China, France, Thailand, Malaysia

Medium population growth in some countries…

USA, India, Bangladesh, Brazil

Underpopulation

Population is too small to develop its resources effectively

Over population

increase in population/decrease in resources that results in decrease in Standards of Living (S.O.L) of the population as a whole.

Population Pyramid

Life Expectancy

The average age a person can expect to live （based on statistical data in a particular place）

Dependents

Reliant on someone else (government, parents, children) to support the financially.

Dependency Ratio

Relationships between working/economically active population and the non-working population.

Dependency Ratio

% Population Aged 0-14 +%Population aged 56 and above /% population aged 15-64 ×100

Population Density

Refers to the average number of people living per square kilometer in a country/region.

Physical factors that affect where people live

• Relief

• Water

• Soil fertility

• Altitude

• Climate (Temperature,Rainfall)

• Dense vegetation

• Mineral resources

• Coast lines

Human factors that affect where people live

• Jobs

• trading

• Quality of life

• Entertainment/Leisure

• Accessibility (Ports/Airports/Transport links)

• Universities/schools

• Accessibility

Types of Migration

Rural-urban migration

The movement of people from rural to urban areas.

Voluntary migration

A migrant chooses to leave their country or a region

International migration

The movement of people across national borders

Involuntary (forced) Migration

Where a migrant has no choice and has to leave their country or region.

Push factors of migration

• Natural disaster

• High unemployment

• Lack of access to career progression

• Lack of healthcare and other services

• Poverty due to low incomes

• War

• Racial, political, religious discrimination

• Lack of safety /high crime

• Housing shortage

• Land shortage

• Crop failure/famine

Pull factors of migration

• Higher employment

• Higher incomes

• Availability of food supplies

• Better healthcare and services

• Better Housing

• Higher standard of living

• Better quality of life

• Great political stability

• “Bright lights syndrome”- the perception of better life

• Less crime

Rural Depopulation

Counterurbanisation

The process by which an increasing number of people within a country live in the countryside instead of in towns and cities- this could be the result of a natural increase in population and/or migration.

Exam Question;
Using a named area, explain reasons for people choosing to migrate within a country [7].

Rural-Urban migration (voluntary):
People migrate from rural to urban areas within a country to look for better jobs [P]. For example, many young people migrate from rural areas in NE Brazil to the city, Rio de Janeiro. [E]. This is because the city offers higher paying jobs in the tertiary sector such as finance and legal jobs [E]. Hence the city attracts more people from the rural areas. [L].

Forced migration due to dam construction:

[P]: Some Brazilians were forced to leave due to the construction of massive hydroelectric dams.

[E]: Since 2000, construction from 81 dams has forced between 150,000 and 240,000 Brazilians from their homes and off their lands.

[E]:The development of dams has resulted in the destruction of agricultural and forested areas, making the homes uninhabitable.

[L]:Hence farmers need to leave the construction areas to other parts of the country where they can grow food to survive.

Join their family and relatives in other cities:

[P]:People choose to migrate to where other family members are residing.

[E]: For example, many people from the countryside join their family members who are already working in cities such as Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro.

[E]:Due to higher income by the family member in the city, he/she can now provide better standard of living for the migrated family in the city.

[L]:Therefore, some people choose to migrate to be able to join their family members who have migrated earlier.

Settlements

Place where people live and carry out a variety of activities; residence, trade, agriculture and manufacturing.

Rural Settlements

Pattern, Form, Site&Situation, Function & Hierarchy +Changes

Dispersed Settlement Patterns

Houses are scattered/ spread out across a large area.

Linear Settlement Patterns

Houses are found in a line along physical features or human feathers.

Nucleated Settlement Patterns

Houses are grouped closely together (or clustered) in the same area.

Linear (form/shape)

Cruciform Settlements (form/shape)

Green Villages (form/shape)

Spring Line Settlements (form/shape)

Sites

Actual land on which a settlement is built

Situation

Relationship between settlement and its surrounding area

Dry Point Site

Elevated site in an area of otherwise poor natural drainage.

Wet Point Site

Site with reliable supply of water from spring/wells in an otherwise dry area.

Physical Factors (influencing settlement location and expansion of site)

• Climate (people like living in climate that’s not too hot or too cold)

• Accessibility to natural resources (availability of fresh water)

• Fertile land (for farming for stable source of food)

• Relief (the slope of the land - steep/gentle/flat:easier to build on flat lands)

• Geographical location (places near trading routes are favoured)

Social factors (influencing settlement location and expansion of site)

• medical developments; increase lifespan/more birth hence settlements expand.

• Number of schools/type of schools (primary+secondary+further education)

• Availability of opportunities (job/education/healthcare)

• Accessibility/Proximity to places of significance (other prominent cities)

Political Factors (influencing settlement location and expansion of site)

• Investment in transportation network (accessibility)

• Naming of capital city (government chooses → Lots of job opportunities ; very well developed)

• Naming of new administrative centres (government chooses → can shift or influence people to move)

• New capital cities (P) → decision made to have administrative centres→ more opportunities →more people attracted…

• Planned cities (p) → decision to have technology/ industrial hub (E) →more opportunities…

Economic factors (influencing settlement location and expansion of site)

• Trade opportunities (especially near ports/sea/major trading routes)

• Employment Opportunities (closely related to what’s available on site)

Growth is influenced by… (settlement)

• Extreme climate

• Abundance/ Lack of food suply

• Lack of/ presence of physical barriers

• Absence/ presence of raw materials

• Geographical location ; trade opportunities

Settlement Hierarchy

Low-order services

Support low population sizes

Range of Good

Maximum distance a person is willing to travel to buy a good

High-order functions

Has both variety of services available and at high frequency

Threshold Population

Number or people needed to support a good/service

Urban Sprawl

The rapid expansion of the geographic extent of cities and towns.

Burgess Model

Hoyt model

with development of transport. Factories doesn’t have to be very near the CBD (unlike the burgess model)