Geography (population)

1. Population Distribution

Q: What was the global population in 1650, 2024, and 2080?
A:

  • 1650: 500 million

  • 2024: 8.1 billion

  • 2080: 10.4 billion


Q: How fast is the global population growing?
A:

  • 65 million/year

  • 180,000/day

  • 125/minute

  • 2.1/second


Q: Where is population growth mainly happening?
A: Mostly in the Global South (Africa, Asia, Latin America).


Q: What are the population trends for Africa and Europe?
A:

  • Africa: Will double to 2.5 billion by 2050.

  • Europe: Shrinking from 750 million to 650 million by 2100.


Q: Why is population unevenly distributed?
A: Due to climate, altitude, jobs, and infrastructure. Most people live in the Northern Hemisphere and below 500 meters altitude.


2. Population Density

Q: What is population density?
A: Number of people per square kilometer (people/km²).


Q: What is the population density of Austria?
A: 9.1 million people ÷ 83,884 km² = 108 people/km².


Q: Which continent has the largest population?
A: Asia with 4.7 billion people (59% of the world).


Q: What are the three most populous countries in 2023?
A:

  1. India: 1.43 billion

  2. China: 1.41 billion

  3. USA: 330 million


3. Urbanization and Megacities

Q: What is a megacity?
A: A city with over 10 million people (e.g., Tokyo, New York, São Paulo).


Q: Where are most megacities located?
A: Most are in Asia.


Q: What is suburbanization?
A: Cities spreading into rural areas.


Q: Why do people move to cities?
A:

  • Push factors: Poverty, unemployment, poor living conditions in rural areas.

  • Pull factors: Better jobs, education, and healthcare in cities.


4. Migration

Q: What are the types of migration?
A:

  • Immigration: Moving into a country.

  • Emigration: Leaving a country.

  • Internal migration: Moving within a country.


Q: Why do people migrate?
A:

  • Push factors: Poverty, war, unemployment, poor healthcare.

  • Pull factors: Jobs, peace, stability, better healthcare.


Q: What are the consequences of migration?
A: Multiculturalism, integration, and assimilation.


Q: What is brain drain?
A: Skilled workers (e.g., doctors, scientists) leaving a country.


Q: What is brain gain?
A: Attracting skilled workers to a country.


5. Demographic Transition

Q: What are the 5 phases of demographic transition?
A:

  1. Pre-transition: High birth and death rates (farming societies).

  2. Early transition: Death rates drop, birth rates stay high (early industry).

  3. Mid-transition: Birth rates drop, population stabilizes (industrial societies).

  4. Late transition: Low birth and death rates (industrial to service societies).

  5. Post-transition: Very low birth and death rates (service societies).


Q: What are the social issues in aging populations?
A: Not enough young people to support pensions.


Q: What are the social issues in youth-heavy populations?
A: Too many children, strain on schools and jobs.


6. Population Growth

Q: Why does population growth happen?
A:

  • Unplanned births.

  • Families wanting more children for support in old age.

  • Young populations in developing countries (90% of youth live there).


Q: What is the population formula?
A: Population = Births + Immigration - Deaths - Emigration.


7. Age Pyramids

Q: What are the three shapes of age pyramids?
A:

  1. Pyramid: High birth and death rates (developing countries).

  2. Bell: Moderate birth and death rates (transitioning countries).

  3. Urn: Low birth and death rates (rich countries).


Q: What are the problems with a pyramid-shaped age pyramid?
A: Too many children, not enough schools or jobs.


Q: What are the problems with an urn-shaped age pyramid?
A: Aging population, not enough workers.


8. The World as a Village (2023)

Q: If the world were 100 people, how many would be from Asia?
A: 59 from Asia.


Q: How many children under 15 would there be in the "world village"?
A: 25 children under 15.


Q: What is the average fertility rate in the "world village"?
A: 2.2 children per woman.


Q: What will the "world village" look like in 2050?
A: 122 people: 67 from Asia, 31 from Africa, 9 from Europe, 9 from Latin America, 5 from North America, 1 from Oceania.


Key Terms

Q: What is ecumene?
A: Places where people live or work.


Q: What is anoecumene?
A: Empty or unused areas.


Q: What is semi-ecumene?
A: Transitional areas (e.g., mountain pastures).

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