Population Dynamics and Migration

Population distribution

  • Definition: Where people live.

    • Physical Factors:

      • Climate: Too wet, cold, or dry climates are less populated; most people live in moderate climates.

      • Landforms: People prefer lowlands; high elevations can be good or bad (e.g., good for mining but cold).

      • Water: Clusters form around water sources for trade, drinking, irrigation, and travel.

    • Human Factors:

      • Culture: Cultural factors influence settlement.

      • Economic: Settlement occurs where people can make a living.

      • History: Past settlement patterns impact future settlement.

      • Politics: Political factors affect settlement.

Population Density

  • Definition: How many people are in a given area.

    • Arithmetic Density: People per unit of land.
      Arithmetic Density = \frac{Number of People}{Area of Land}

    • Physiological Density: People per unit of arable land. Physiological Density = \frac{Number of People}{Area of Arable Land}

      • Used to see if a population can feed itself; a higher density indicates greater pressure to produce food.

    • Agricultural Density: Farmers per unit of arable land. Agricultural Density = \frac{Number of Farmers}{Area of Arable Land}

      • Lower density suggests farming is mechanized.

      • Higher density suggests subsistence farming.

Impact of Density and Distribution

  • Politics:

    • Gerrymandering and House of Representatives representation are affected.

    • Shifts the balance of power.

  • Economics:

    • More people create more incentive to open businesses.

    • Population size influences infrastructure funding.

  • Social Processes:

    • Affects the availability of schools and hospitals.

  • Environment:

    • More people increase pressure on land for food and water (carrying capacity).

    • Carrying capacity varies by country, based on consumption.

Population Composition

  • Definition: Measurement of certain population characteristics.

    • Age Structure: Indicates population growth or decline.

    • Dependency Ratio: Ratio of people who depend on others to survive (children and elders) to the working population.

      • Indicates pressure on the working population.

      • High dependency ratios can over-distribute profits.

    • Sex Ratio: Comparison of the number of males to females.

      • Varies around the world.

    • Population Pyramids: Reflect population composition in terms of age and sex.

      • Rapid Growth: Wide base, more younger people than older people.

        • Occurs in developing countries.

        • Focus on providing for children's needs; may require more schools and infrastructure.

      • Slow Growth: Birth rate is slightly higher than death rate.

      • Stable Growth: Birth rate approximately equals death rate.

      • Decline: Base is narrower than the top.

        • Examples: Germany, Japan.

        • Leads to labor shortages and decreasing demand.

Population Dynamics

  • Definition: How geographers study trends in population growth and decline.

    • Fertility Rate: Population's ability to have children.

      • Indicates whether populations are growing, stable, or declining.

      • Informs decisions about resource allocation, like education or infrastructure.

      • Measured by CBR (Crude Birth Rate) and TFR (Total Fertility Rate).

        • TFR (Total Fertility Rate): Average number of children a woman has.

          • Signal of access to healthcare.

          • High fertility rate indicates less access to healthcare.

          • 2.1: Stable population.

          • 1.5: Declining population.

          • 4.3: Growing population.

    • Mortality Rates

      • CDR (Crude Death Rate): Rate of deaths.

        • Indicates how long people live; globally decreasing.

      • IMR (Infant Mortality Rate): Infant mortality rate.

        • Indicates level of nutrition, access to clean water, and healthcare.

        • Developing countries have higher IMR.

        • Better indicator of access to healthcare than CDR.

  • Natural Increase Rate (NIR): Found by subtracting the CDR from the CBR. NIR = CBR - CDR

    • Positive NIR indicates a growing population.

    • Negative NIR indicates a declining population.

    • Does not account for migration, so is in accurate for dynamics

  • Doubling Time: Time it takes for a population to double.

    • High doubling time indicates gradual population growth.

    • Low doubling time indicates rapid population growth.

Population Growth/ Decline Factors

  • Social and Cultural:

    • Cultural expectations for women influence fertility rates.

    • Women's access to education affects fertility.

  • Political:

    • Governments encourage or discourage births.

      • ex. China's one-child policy.

  • Economic:

    • Birth rates tend to decline during economic downturns.

    • Economy determines migration patterns; people move where jobs are available.

Demographic Transition Model

  • Definition: Model used to describe population changes as countries develop, revolving around industrialization.

    • Primarily used to describe European and US populations; can be deceptive for other regions.

    • Describes how birth rates, death rates, and total population change over time.

    • Stage 1 (Pre-Industrial):

      • Birth rate: High

      • Death rate: High

      • Total population: Low

      • Most people were farmers; steady or slow growth.

      • High fertility rate offset by high death rates from diseases.

    • Stage 2 (Early Industrial):

      • Birth rate: High

      • Death rate: Rapidly dropping (due to advances in medicine).

      • Total population: Growing rapidly (due to high birth rates and dropping death rates).

      • Transition from agrarian to mechanized society.

    • Stage 3 (Late Industrial):

      • Birth rate: Dropping (due to advancements in education).

      • Death rate: Dropping (advancements in medicine).

      • Total population: Growing (but less rapidly as birth rates drop).

    • Stage 4 (Post-Industrial):

      • Birth rate: Low

      • Death rate: Low

      • Total population: Slow growth

      • Most developed nations; concerns of aging populations.

    • Stage 5 (Declining):

      • Birth rate: Low

      • Death rate: Low.

      • Total population: Dropping

      • Examples: Japan.

Epidemiological Transition Model

  • Definition: Focuses on death rates and why they decrease over time.

    • Stage 1:

      • Death rate: High (diseases, animal attacks).

      • Life expectancy: Low.

      • Population grows in bursts.

    • Stage 2:

      • Life expectancy: Increases significantly (improved sanitation, nutrition, medicine).

      • Death rates: Decline.

      • Deaths mainly caused by pandemics and city living conditions.

    • Stage 3:

      • Death rate: Low.

      • Life expectancy: Increasing.

      • Deaths caused by heart disease and cancer (associated with old age).

    • Stage 4:

      • Life expectancy: Highest (medical advancements address aging diseases).

    • Stage 5:

      • Reemergence of infectious diseases (people develop immunity to antibiotics).

      • Life expectancy: Decreases.

      • Death rates: Increasing.

    • Limitations:

      • Tends to oversimplify the causes of diseases.

      • Does not account for poverty as a factor in disease spread.

Malthusian Theory

  • Core Idea: Worried that population would outpace food production.

  • Malthus's Argument: Advocated for delayed marriages and fewer children.

  • Criticism: Proven incorrect due to mechanized farming.

Population Policies

  • Anti-Natalist Policies: Decrease CBR (concerns of rapid population growth and not enough food).

    • Example: China's one-child policy.

  • Pro-Natalist Policies: Increase CBR (concerns of aging populations).

    • Examples: Generous maternal leave, free daycare

  • Immigration Policies

    • Policies can encourage immigration if population is declining

Influence and Factors of Woman Social Elevation

Women social status: As women’s status is elevated, so is their access to education, healthcare, and contraception, all leading to declining fertility rates

  • Education: Increased access to education decreases fertility.

    • Women Peruse careers, delaying childbirth

    • Increased skepticism toward traditional gender norms

  • Family Planning: Increased access to family planning decreases fertility.

    • Includes methods to control when they become pregnant and prevent pregnancies.

  • Employment: Increased employment leads to decreased fertility.

    • Activates delayed childbearing and marriage

  • Mortality

    • As women’s status are elevated, the babies they do have have better chances of living due to increased healthcare

Migration

  • Women are more likely to internally migrate, while men tend to migrate out of the country

Aging Populations

  • Characteristics:

    • The population's dependency ratio is increasing.

    • TFR is low

    • Populations pyramids are greater at top than the base.

  • Political Impacts: Policies begin to reflect the interests of elders (social security, healthcare) because elders are reliable voters.

  • Social Impacts: Elderly move to retirement facilities for care.

  • Economic Impacts:

    • Elderly pay less in taxes, decreasing government funding.

    • Fewer working-age people leads to a shortage of tax revenue to fund social security.

Migration

  • Immigration: People coming into a country.

  • Emigration: People leaving a country.

  • Push Factors: Reasons people emigrate (war, famine, natural disasters).

  • Pull Factors: Reasons people immigrate (job opportunities, freedom, lack of persecution).

  • Intervening Obstacles: Migrants face challenges along their journey.

  • Intervening Opportunities: Migrants encounter changes that change their original destination.

  • Forced Migration: Migrants who leave against their will (slavery, genocide).

    • These people are known as refugees and seek asylum in other countries.

  • Internally Displaced People: Migrate within their country's borders.

  • Voluntary Migration

    • Transnational Migration:

      • Migrants retain strong cultural and family ties to their homeland.

      • Send remittances (money) back to their home country.

    • Transhumance:

      • Seasonal movement of livestock.

    • Internal Migration: Migration within a country's borders.

      • Migration usually occurs over short distances because of fewer intervening obstacles.

    • Chain Migration: One group of migrants causes others to follow.

      • Families often follow one another due to established communication.

    • Step Migration: Migration occurs in steps.

      • Intervening obstacles may establish a temporary destination.

    • Guest Workers: Migrants travel to a new country to work for a specified amount of time.

      • Workers send remittances

    • Rural to Urban Migration: people move from the country side to the city

      • increasing due to rise of Industrial Revolution

Effects of Migration

  • Political:

    • Changes distribution of political power.

    • Governments can pass laws restricting immigration.

  • Economic:

    • Destination Countries:

      • Migrants seek work and accept jobs at lower wages.

      • Decrease in dependency ratio.

    • Countries of Origin:

      • More jobs for remaining citizens.

      • Families receive remittances.

      • People leave jobs and create slow growth

  • Social and Cultural:

    • Destination: Introduction of migrants' language, religion, music, etc.

    • Origin: Families who get remittances often have a better lifestyle.

      • Family structures may be strained.

      • The dependency ratio increases, putting more stress on worker