TC

Unit 2: Population and Migration patterns and processes

Population Distribution Factors:

Physical Factors-

  • Climate, if it is harsh (too wet, too dry, too hot, too cold) less people will live there.

  • Landforms, lowlands are easier to live in.

  • Bodies of Water, trade routes, irrigation, etc.

Human Factors-

  • Culture

  • Economics, where can I make a comfortable living?

  • History, how populations were distributed in the past can have a strong influence on how they are distributed in the present.

  • Politics

Population Density

  • Population density: A measure of how many people occupy a given unit of land.

  • Arithmetic density: Total population DIVIDED BY total land area.

    If a population is clustered together, they will have a lower arithmetic density.

  • Physiological density: Total population DIVIDED BY arable land.

    if it is higher, there is more pressure on the farmland to produce food. (vice versa)

  • Agricultural density: Total farmers DIVIDED BY arable land.

    If it is lower, farming has become mechanized.

Population Composition

  • Age structure: an organization of population based on age groups.

    Is a population growing or declining

  • Dependency Ratio: If there is a higher dependency ratio, there is more pressure put on the working population. If it is a low dependency ratio, there is less pressure put on the working population.

  • Sex Ratio: 101 Men: 100 Women across the world.

Population Pyramids

Rapid Growth Birth Rates are higher than death rates

Slow Growth Birth rate is SLIGHTY higher than death rate

Stable Growth Birth and death rates are similar (UNITED STATES)Population decline death rates are higher than birth rates

Demographic Transition Model

Stage 1: High stationary. Birth and Death rates are high, the population is stable but low. (No countries)

Stage 2: Early expanding. Birth rate remains high while death rate drops. The population is increasing due to increase in sanitation and technology advancements (Sudan, Angola, Niger)

Stage 3: Late expanding. The population is growing slowly because the birth rate is declining and the death rate is low. (India, Mexico)

Stage 4: Low stationary. The birth and death rate are similar, natural increase is stable. People are aging and less children are born. (China, United States, Brazil)

Stage 5: More elderly then children! Not increasing but declining. (Germany, Japan)

Factors that impact population growth:

  • Agricultural innovations: more food can sustain a larger population

  • Urbanization: The movement of people from rural to urban areas,

  • Improved healthcare practices: Access to medication and healthcare can lower death rates (also lower infant mortality rates) and improve fertility rates.

Epidemiological Transition Model

Stage 1: Death rate is high and life expectancy is low.

Stage 2: Life expectancy increases and the death rate starts to decline. Sanitation is being “introduced” and most of the deaths in the population are from pandemics.

Stage 3: Death rate is low and the life expectancy is increasing. Emergence of diseases that come with old age. (Chronic disease)

Stage 4: Highest life expectancy and significant advancements in medical technology.

Stage 5: Reemergence of infectious diseases due to globalization and immunity to drugs and antibiotics.

Malthusian Theory

Thomas Malthus: While the population grows exponentially, food supply is growing arithmetically. This means there will be less food and more mouths to feed. The population could outgrow its carrying capacity. The “only” solution to this would be famine, disease, or war so the population would decline, which he believed to be “positive checks”

Neo Malthusians say that the Earth’s resources can only support a finite population. The food production does not meet the needs of a rapidly growing population

Boserup says that the size of the human population is limited by the amount of food it can produce

Population Policies

  • Pronatalist: increase the number of babies born.

    Stage 4 or 5 countries usually do this by giving financial supports and free educational opportunities as well as free or subsidized childcare.

  • Anti natalist: decrease the number of babies born.

    Stage 2 countries do this by creating fines and taxes or prizes and rewarding those with few to no children.

Ravenstein’s Laws of Migration

  • Migration is typically short distance.

  • In steps

  • Urban areas attract long distances and rural migrants.

  • Every migration generates a counter-migration.

  • Young, single, adult males are more likely to migrate.

    Women will migrate short distances.

  • Most migration is due to economic factors.

Causes of Migration

  • Immigration: people coming IN to a country

  • Emigration: people EXITING a country

  • Push factors: Reasons why people want to leave their home (negative)

  • Pull factors: Reasons people are attracted to a place. (positive)

  • Intervening obstacles: Challenges migrants must overcome in reaching their desired destination. (negative)

  • Intervening opportunities: Anything a migrant might encounter that changes the original destination of their migration. (positive)

  • ESPN: Economics, social, political, natural/environmental

  • Economic: Job loss and low wages makes migrants want to go somewhere with job opportunities and higher wages.

  • Social/Demographic/Cultural: Discrimination, persecution, gender inequality, racism, etc. Migrants will want to go somewhere that has freedoms.

  • Political: War, repressive laws. This usually results in asylum seekers.

  • Natural/environmental: Natural disaster, drought, crop failure, climate. Move somewhere with a desirable landscape and or climate.

Forced and Voluntary Migration

Forced: migrating against your will.

  • Slavery (Human trafficking)

  • Refugees: people who are forced to leave their home because of persecution, war, or violence. They are refugees in a country that is not their place of origin.

  • Asylum Seekers: people who are seeking asylum or refugee status.

  • Internally Displaced Persons: They move to a different part of their home country.

Voluntary: migration or moving by choice

  • Transnational: Moving from one country to another while having strong ties with their culture and family back home. They usually send remittances.

  • Transhumance: Nomadic migration.

  • Internal Migration: Within the borders or a country

  • Chain Migration: One group of migrants causes more people to migrate to the same place.

  • Step Migration: Migration from a rural area to a suburban area, to a city, and then into a metropolis.

  • Guest worker: Working in a new place for a temporary amount of time.

  • Rural to urban: Sparsely populated to clustered populations.

    There will be housing shortages in the rural communities and a reduce or decline in population growth.

    natural areas may be preserved and protected

Effects of Migration

  • Political: immigration restrictions or bans on certain groups of people

  • Economic: The receiving countries will use immigrants as a source of labor of less desirable and low paying jobs. The countries of origin with have less strain or resources, and more jobs will be open. Remittances support the economy.

  • Cultural/Social: The receiving countries will be introduced to immigrants’ culture (language, religion, food, music, etc.) The countries of origin may break apart families and increase the dependency ratio.