Unit 2: Population and Migration

Overlapping Regions

  • Regions can often overlap due to shared characteristics, causing certain locations to fit into multiple regions.

  • Geographers may zoom in and out of various locations, considering regions at different scales:

    • Part of the world

    • Part of a country

    • Part of a state

    • Part of a city

Population Concepts

Population Vocabulary:

  • Overpopulation: A population too large to be sustained by available resources.

  • Population Concentration: Density of people living in a given area.

  • Ecumene: Portions of the Earth inhabited by humans.

  • Crude Birth Rate (CBR): Number of births per 1000 people.

  • Crude Death Rate (CDR): Number of deaths per 1000 people.

  • Natural Increase Rate (NIR): CBR - CDR expressed as a percentage.

  • Arithmetic Density: Total population divided by total land area.

  • Physiological Density: Total population divided by arable land area.

  • Life Expectancy: Average duration a person is expected to live.

  • Doubling Time: The period required for a population to double in size.

  • Total Fertility Rate (TFR): Average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime.

  • Carrying Capacity: Maximum population an environment can sustain based on resources.

  • Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): Deaths of children under 1 year per 1000 live births.

  • Demographic Transition Model: Describes population change over time through various stages:

    • Stage 1: High birth and death rates (no growth).

    • Stage 2: High growth (high birth, declining death rates).

    • Stage 3: Moderate growth (declining birth and death rates).

    • Stage 4: Low growth (low birth and death rates).

    • Stage 5: Negative growth (birth rates lower than death rates).

Population Pyramid

  • A graphical representation showing the distribution of various age groups in a population.

    • Wide base: Rapid growth.

    • Narrow base: Declining population.

Age Structure

  • Represents the distribution of a population amongst different age groups.

Sex Ratios

  • Calculation: Number of male births divided by female births, multiplied by 100.

    • > 100: More male births.

    • < 100: More female births.

Theories on Population

Malthusian Theories:

  • Malthusians: Assert population growth will outpace food supply leading to famine and war.

  • Neo-Malthusians: Believe Malthus' theory is still relevant today due to dwindling resources.

  • Anti-Malthusians: Argue technology will solve resource scarcity issues.

Epidemiological Transition Model

  1. Stage 1: Pestilence and famine; high death rates from diseases and food scarcity.

  2. Stage 2: Receding pandemics; improvements in sanitation and medicine increase life expectancy.

  3. Stage 3: decline in diseases; chronic illnesses become prominent as infectious diseases decline.

  4. Stage 4: Delayed degenerative diseases; life expectancy peaks but lifestyle diseases emerge.

  5. Stage 5: Reemergence of infectious diseases due to antibiotic resistance and urban living conditions.

Migration Vocabulary

  • Immigration: Entering a new country.

  • Emigration: Leaving a home country.

  • Net Migration: Difference between immigrants and emigrants.

Migration Factors:

  • Push Factors: Conditions that drive people away (e.g., economic hardships, war).

  • Pull Factors: Attractions of a new location (e.g., better job opportunities, safety).

Types of Migration:

  • Internal Migration: Movement within a country.

  • International Migration: Moving between countries.

  • Inter-regional Migration: Between different regions.

  • Intra-regional Migration: Within the same region.

  • Voluntary Migration: Based on personal choice.

  • Forced Migration: Involuntary movement due to crises.

Migration Patterns

  • Chain Migration: Movement to an area where relatives or friends are settled.

  • Step Migration: Involves moving stepwise, usually from rural areas to urban centers.

Other Migration Concepts

  • Transhumance: Seasonal migration of livestock herders.

  • Distance Decay: The further the distance, the less likely people are to migrate.

  • Cyclic Movement: Regular movement patterns, such as seasonal migration.

  • Remittance: Money sent back home by migrants.

  • Internally Displaced Person: Those who remain in their country but are forced to flee their homes due to conflict or disaster.