Geography SL - Population

2 factors that affects distribution of population

Relief and Climate

Relief

How high/low the land is

Climate

The temperature and weather aspects of the land

Population distribution

The spread and pattern of where people live

Population density

The measurement of the number of people in an area (usually measured in people per square km)

Scales of population

• Global

• National

• Regional

• Local

Factors that influence population density

Physical - relief, climate and resources

Human - political, social and economic

Core-periphery theory

a way that the world economic systems are divided into 3 different groups

Core

Countries having high levels of industrialisation and doesn’t need to depend on each other as much.

Semi-periphery

Countries with economic growth and is heading towards becoming a Core. (In-between phase).

Periphery

Countries that tend to be more reliant on the core countries and are less industrialized and economically developed

Friedmann’s Theory

The beneficial affects will spread from core to periphery

Market Economy

An economic system where prices are made with no rules or restricted competition

Myrdal’s Model of Cumulative Causation

used to explain regional differences or polarisation. Only works if peripheral area has resources and is more likely to be applied to a region.

Backwash

Rural populations migrating to core countries. This affects the development of peripheries

Migration

The movement of people, involving a permanent change of residence

Emigration

When someone leaves a country or place

Immigration

When someone enters a country or place

Asylum seeker

Someone forced to migrate and is seeking protection from persecution or human rights violation

Refugee

Someone who is forced to migrate but they have a recognised status and already have asylum

Push factors of political migration

• Corruption

• Retaliation

• Taxes spent poorly

• Collapsed government

• Strict laws (against human rights)

• Dictatorship

Pull factors of political migration

• High government satisfaction

• Taxes spent well

• Gender equality

• Stable democracy

• Tolerance for LGBTQ+

Crude birth rate

The number of live births occurring during the year, per 1000 population

Crude death rate

The number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1000

Natural increase/decrease

The difference between crude birth rate and crude death rate

Natural increase/decrease formula

crude birth rate - crude death rate

Fertility rate

The average number of children that would be born alive to a woman during her lifetime

Population projection

The prediction of future populations based on present age-gender structure, and with present rates of fertility, mortality and migrations

Replacement level fertility

Fertility rate that replaces population

Population momentum

Tendency for population growth to continue beyond the time that replacement level fertility has achieved because of a relatively high concentration of people in the childbearing years

Demographic Transition Model

Shows the change/stage of a country’s population through birth/death rate

Natural change

difference between birth rate and death rate

Natural increase

When the number of births is higher than the number of deaths

Natural decrease

When the number of deaths is more than the number of births

Stage 1 of Demographic Transition Model

• Lots of fluctuating

• Low population

• Population is increasing very slowly

• High birth/death rates

Stage 2 of Demographic Transition Model

• Population growing faster

• Decreasing death rate

• Still a high birth rate, but slowly declining

Example: Afghanistan - women very limited in terms of access to education, causing high birth rates and a continuously increasing population. Rise in population also caused by decrease in death rates.

Stage 3 of Demographic Transition Model

• Population still increasing, but the rate of increase is slowing down

• Decreasing birth rate

• Low death rate

Example: India - They have experienced a significant decline in fertility rates which has improved their high population but not stabilised it. India’s crude death rate is 9.45 deaths per 1000 which is low compared to what is considered high (30 per 1000)

Stage 4 of Demographic Transition Model

• High population

• Growth starting to plateau (= less fast)

• Low birth rate

• Low death rate

Example: Australia - Have a crude birth rate of 12.1 births per 1000 (considered in low range) and a crude death rate of 6.7 deaths per 1000 (considered in low range)

Stage 5 of Demographic Transition Model

• Population growth declining

• Birth rate lower than death rate

• No population momentum anymore

• What could be the main driver behind low birth rates

Example: Japan - Population of Japan is aging with 1 in 3 people being 65 years or older. Japan's population is low birth rate and high life expectancy. Millions had died because of the war and between the years of 1947 and 1949 of post-war life, 8 million babies had been born (baby boomers generation).

Population pyramid

A graph showing the age-sex distribution of a given population

Information a population pyramid gives you

• Age and sex structure of a population

• Birth rates

• Death rates

• Immigration and emigration

• Number of dependents (15 > n > 65)

• Life expectancy

Population explosion in LEDCs

• Less access to contraceptives

• Labour opportunities

• Growing economy

• Religion

Population decline in MEDCs

• More access to contraception

• Independence/liberal

• Better education (awareness of safe sex)

• Family planning

Dependency ratio

Age-population ratio of those typically not working. This ratio is used to measure the financial pressure on the actively working population on a community

High ratio = bigger burden on working-age people

Low ratio = more people are working who can support the dependent population

Total (age) Dependency Ratio

population (0-14) + population (64+)

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — x 100

working age population (15-64)

Child Dependency Ratio

population (0-14)

— — — — — — — — — — — — — x 100

working age population (15-64)

Old Age Dependency Ratio

population (64+)

— — — — — — — — — — — — — x 100

working age population (15-64)

Productive population

Working population

Aging population issues

• Stress on retirement funds

• Stress on healthcare sector (doctors, specialists, etc.)

• High demand for adequate housing, care, transportation, services, etc.

• demands cause higher taxes in order to be fulfilled

Aging population benefits

• Growing market for leisure and health products

• High demand for housing in certain retirement locations

• A large proportion of aging people can add experience to work force

What can be done when fertility rates are low

• Raise retirement age

• Increase taxes

• Abolish state pensions

• support population growth:

  • subsidies

  • social help

  • adjust laws

Advantages of a youthful population

• Provides a large and cheap workforce

• Big working class could be a large base tax

• Big working class could also be a big market

Disadvantages of youthful population

• Lack of services and facilities for all young people

• Strain on food supplies

• Strain on accommodation

• Lack of job opportunities in the future

Reproductive age range

The range of age at which a woman is able to reproduce (12-51)

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)

the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births

Child Mortality Rate

the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births

Gender- related development index (GDI)

measures gender inequalities in the accessibility of human necessities: a long and healthy life, a good education, and a decent standard of living

Gender Ratio

The ratio between the number of males and females in a society

Gender inequality

discrimination of sex or gender causing one to be routinely privileged or prioritised over another.

Population policy

a set of measures taken by a State to modify the way its population is changing

Pro-natalist policy

Aims to encourage more births through the use of:

• campaigns

• events

• national days

• increase taxes if people don't reproduce.

Anti-natalist policy

a government policy to slow down the fertility rate of a country

Gender equality policy

aims to strengthen the economic independence of women and raise the percentage of women in employment.

Census

A method that tells us how developed, grown, far in society (etc.) we are

Doubling time

The number of years required for a specified population to double in size at the current rate of population growth.

Population projection

an estimate of a future population.

Population distribution

how people are spread across the earth/country/land

Population density

a measurement of population per unit land area

Population momentum

when a country's fertility rate declines to or below replacement level (2.1 children per woman), yet the population size continues to grow due to the age structure of the population

Population growth rates

the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group

Demographic dividend

An occurrence in a country that enjoys accelerated economic growth that stems from the decline in fertility and mortality rates; receiving an economic dividend or benefit from the increase in productivity of the working population that ensues.

Population structure

The breakdown of different groups and amounts of people in an area.

Internal migration

Migration that occurs within country borders

Forced migration

When someone leaves their country due to an element of coercion, including threats to life and livelihood, whether arising from natural or man-made causes

Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)

Someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders.

International migration

the migration of people across international borders for the intention of settling

Circular migration

the temporary and usually repetitive movement of a migrant worker between home and other countries, typically for employment.

Human trafficking

The trade of people for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation. Human trafficking can occur within a country or trans-nationally.

Trafficked people

Common types of people who get trafficked are:

• Children

• Women

• People in poverty

• People with unstable housing

Push factors

Factors that make you want to leave your country (war, natural disaster, government corruption, lack of liberty, etc.)

Pull factors

Factors that convince you to move to a country (job opportunities, liberty, LGTBQ acceptance, etc.)

Economic migration

the migration of people from one country to another to benefit from greater economic opportunities in the receiving country.

Development gap

the widening difference in levels of development between the world's richest and poorest countries

MEDC

More Economically Developed Country

LEDC

Less Economically Developed Country

LDC

Least Developed Countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Niger, Ethiopia, etc.)

H/M/LICs

High/Medium/Low Income country

NICs

Newly Industrialised Country

BRICs

Brazil, Russia, India, China

MINT

Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkey

CIVETS

Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey, South Africa

Next 11

Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Turkey, South Korea, Vietnam

CPEs

Centrally Planned Economies

RICs

Recently Industrialised Countries

Emerging economies

A market that has some characteristics of a developed market, but does not fully meet its standards. Some examples are; India, Mexico, Russia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, China, and Brazil.

Oil-rich countries

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia, Iran, UAE, Iraq, Venezuela, Canada, United States, Nigeria, China, Libya, Brazil, Qatar, Angola, Mexico, Algeria, Oman, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Sudan, Brunei, Columbia, Bahrain

GNP per capita

Gross National Product = estimate of the total value of all the products and services turned out in a given period

GNI per capita

Gross National Income = the value of a country's final income in a year divided by its population

OPEC

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries = an organization enabling the co-operation of leading oil-producing countries in order to collectively influence the global oil market and maximize profit.

The G7

Group of seven = an intergovernmental political & economic forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US