Unit 2 - Population Vocabulary
60. Agricultural density - The ratio of number of farmers to the total amount of land suitable for agriculture
ex: Egypt, with 36,350 square kilometers of arable land has an agricultural population density of 864 farmers per sq. kilometer. This means that for every 864 farmers, there will be 1 sq. kilometer of land suitable for agriculture.
61. Arithmetic density - The total number of people divided by the total land area
ex: If a city has a population of 1 million people and covers an area of 500 sq. kilomters, its arithmetic density would be 2000 people per sq. kilometer. 1 million divided by 500 is 2000 (dividing total number of people by the total land area).
62. Carrying capacity - The number of organisms an ecosystem can sustainably support
ex: Within a population of foxes, there is enough space and water for 20 individuals. The ecosystem can sustainably support 20 origanisms before it cannot produce enough nutrients/space to hold more.
63. Census - A complete enumeration of a population
ex: A census counts all of the women in Texas and records their ages. A sample might randomly select 1000 women in Texas and ask each of them their age.
64. Crude birth rate (CBR) - The total number of live births in a year for every 1,000 people alive in the society
ex: A crude birth rate of 9.5 (per 1,000 people) in a population of 1 million would imply 9,500 births per year in the entire population. This shows the total number of live births in a year for every 1,000 people alive.
65. Crude death rate (CDR) - The total number of deaths in a year for every 1,000 people alive in the society
ex: A crude death rate of 9.5 (per 1,000 people) in a population of 1 million would imply 9,500 deaths per year in the entire population. This shows the total number of deaths in a year for every 1,000 people alive.
66. Demographic transition - The process of change in a society's population from a condition of high crude birth and death rates and low rate of natural increase to a condition of low crude birth and death rates, low rate of natural increase, and higher total population
ex: China experienced a demographic transition with high death rate and low fertility rate from 1959 to 1961 due to the great famine. However, as a result of economic improvement, the birth rate increased and the death rate declined in China before the early 1970s.
67. Demography - The scientific study of population characteristics
ex: Examples of demographies include factors such as the race, sex, education, income, and age of a population that is being studied. The statistical information of the population’s socioeconimic data is known as demographic data.
68. Dependency Ratio - The number of people under the age 15 and over age 64 compared to the number of people active in the labor force
ex: Japan’s dependency ratio is 0.53, meaning there are 53 people over the age of 64 for every 100 working-aged adults in Japan.
69. Doubling time - The number of years needed to double a population, assuming the constant rate of natural increase
ex: Canada’s net population growth was 2.7 percent in 2022, dividing 72 by 2.7 gives an approximate doubling time of 27 years.
70. Ecumene - The portion of Earth’s surface occupied by a permanent human settlement
ex: Highly populated ecumene areas include megacities like Tokyo, New York, and Mumbai. Lesser populated ecumene areas include the western regions of the U.S.
71. Elderly Support Ratio - The number of working-age people (15 - 64) divided by number of people 65 and older
ex: The world’s elderly support ratio is about 9, because for every adult over 65, there are 9 people of working age.
72. Epidemiologic transition - The process of change in the distinctive causes of death in each stage of the demographic transition
ex: A study showed that obesity prevalence and body mass index increased linearly with income in devloping countries whereas in more developed countries, obesity was inversely related to income.
73. Industrial Revolution - A series of improvements in industrial technology that transformed the process of manufacturing goods
ex: The Industrial Revolution created a very large expanse of new technology; some of which including the steam engine, spinning jenny, cotton gin, telegraphy, locotmotives, iron, factory systems, and more.
74. Infant mortality rate (IMR) - The total number of deaths in a year among infants under 1 for every 1,000 live births in a society
ex: The IMR for the U.S. was 5.60 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.
75. Life Expectancy - The average number of years an individual can be expected to live
ex: 15 year olds in 1816 in France had a life expectancy of 58 years. By 2021, the life expectancy of 15 year olds increased to 83.
76. Maladaptation - an adaptation that has become less beneficial and more harmful over time
ex: A company wishing to plant trees to sequester carbon, but doing so in a location prone to wildfire. This becomes less beneficial and more harmful over time (counterproductive).
77. Malthus/Boserup Population Theories - population growth tends to outpace food production, leading to inevitable shortages and societal issues/population growth drives agricultural innovation (opposite)
78. Maternal Mortality Rate -The annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to or aggrevated by pregnancy or its managment
ex: The maternal mortality rate was 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021.
79. Medical revolution - Medical technology invented in Europe and North America that has diffused to the poorer countries and has improved medical practices and eliminated many death causes
ex: The Medical Revolution helped create vaccines, antibiotics, 3d printing, undertsanding of DNA, organ transplantation, insulin, anaesthesia, CRISPER, and more.
80. Natural increase rate (NIR) - The percentage growth of a population in a year, computed as the crude birth rate minus the crude death rate
ex: Over the course of a year in a town, 500 new babies were born and 250 people passed away. This town had a Natural Increase Rate of 2.5 percent.
81. Overpopulation - A situation in which the number of people in an area exceeds the capacity of the environment to support life at a decent standard of living
ex: China is facing overpopulation, particularly in specific areas of the country. Here, the number of people are exceeding the capacity of the environment to support life at a decent living standard.
82. Pandemic - Disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects a very high proportion of the population
ex: The Covid - 19 pandemic was a world-wide pandemic that affected a high proportion of the population and killed many people.
83. Physiological density - The number of people per unit area of arable land, which is land suitable for agriculture
ex: Austrailia has a density of only 43 people per sq. kilometer of arable land.
84. Population pyramid - A bar graph that represents the distribution of population by age and sex
ex: The United States has a constrictive population period that depicts a more developed country. It has a stationary pyramid that shows a somewhat equal proportion of population in each group. There is not a decrease or increase in the population; it is stable.
85. Restrictive population policies - government policies to reduce the rate of natural increase (NIR)
ex: China’s One-Child Polict resulted in heavily skewed male-to-female ratio because families often preferred sons.
86. Sex ratio - The number of males per 100 females in the population
ex: A sex ration of 117 means there are 117 males to every 100 females.
87. Stationary population level - level at which national population ceases to grow
ex: Suppose that 1,000,000 females are born during each year. Thereafter, they die. The result is a stationary population, that is, a population characterized by a constant annual ariival of births and an unchanging schedule of mortality.
88 Total fertility rate (TFR) - The average number of children a woman will have throughout her childbearing years
ex: High fertility means having total fertility levels above 5 children per woman.
89. Zero population growth (ZPG) - A decline of the total fertility rate to the point where the natural increase rate equals zero
ex: China reached a population plateau (zero growth) in 2022 meaning the NIR equals zero.
60. Agricultural density - The ratio of number of farmers to the total amount of land suitable for agriculture
ex: Egypt, with 36,350 square kilometers of arable land has an agricultural population density of 864 farmers per sq. kilometer. This means that for every 864 farmers, there will be 1 sq. kilometer of land suitable for agriculture.
61. Arithmetic density - The total number of people divided by the total land area
ex: If a city has a population of 1 million people and covers an area of 500 sq. kilomters, its arithmetic density would be 2000 people per sq. kilometer. 1 million divided by 500 is 2000 (dividing total number of people by the total land area).
62. Carrying capacity - The number of organisms an ecosystem can sustainably support
ex: Within a population of foxes, there is enough space and water for 20 individuals. The ecosystem can sustainably support 20 origanisms before it cannot produce enough nutrients/space to hold more.
63. Census - A complete enumeration of a population
ex: A census counts all of the women in Texas and records their ages. A sample might randomly select 1000 women in Texas and ask each of them their age.
64. Crude birth rate (CBR) - The total number of live births in a year for every 1,000 people alive in the society
ex: A crude birth rate of 9.5 (per 1,000 people) in a population of 1 million would imply 9,500 births per year in the entire population. This shows the total number of live births in a year for every 1,000 people alive.
65. Crude death rate (CDR) - The total number of deaths in a year for every 1,000 people alive in the society
ex: A crude death rate of 9.5 (per 1,000 people) in a population of 1 million would imply 9,500 deaths per year in the entire population. This shows the total number of deaths in a year for every 1,000 people alive.
66. Demographic transition - The process of change in a society's population from a condition of high crude birth and death rates and low rate of natural increase to a condition of low crude birth and death rates, low rate of natural increase, and higher total population
ex: China experienced a demographic transition with high death rate and low fertility rate from 1959 to 1961 due to the great famine. However, as a result of economic improvement, the birth rate increased and the death rate declined in China before the early 1970s.
67. Demography - The scientific study of population characteristics
ex: Examples of demographies include factors such as the race, sex, education, income, and age of a population that is being studied. The statistical information of the population’s socioeconimic data is known as demographic data.
68. Dependency Ratio - The number of people under the age 15 and over age 64 compared to the number of people active in the labor force
ex: Japan’s dependency ratio is 0.53, meaning there are 53 people over the age of 64 for every 100 working-aged adults in Japan.
69. Doubling time - The number of years needed to double a population, assuming the constant rate of natural increase
ex: Canada’s net population growth was 2.7 percent in 2022, dividing 72 by 2.7 gives an approximate doubling time of 27 years.
70. Ecumene - The portion of Earth’s surface occupied by a permanent human settlement
ex: Highly populated ecumene areas include megacities like Tokyo, New York, and Mumbai. Lesser populated ecumene areas include the western regions of the U.S.
71. Elderly Support Ratio - The number of working-age people (15 - 64) divided by number of people 65 and older
ex: The world’s elderly support ratio is about 9, because for every adult over 65, there are 9 people of working age.
72. Epidemiologic transition - The process of change in the distinctive causes of death in each stage of the demographic transition
ex: A study showed that obesity prevalence and body mass index increased linearly with income in devloping countries whereas in more developed countries, obesity was inversely related to income.
73. Industrial Revolution - A series of improvements in industrial technology that transformed the process of manufacturing goods
ex: The Industrial Revolution created a very large expanse of new technology; some of which including the steam engine, spinning jenny, cotton gin, telegraphy, locotmotives, iron, factory systems, and more.
74. Infant mortality rate (IMR) - The total number of deaths in a year among infants under 1 for every 1,000 live births in a society
ex: The IMR for the U.S. was 5.60 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.
75. Life Expectancy - The average number of years an individual can be expected to live
ex: 15 year olds in 1816 in France had a life expectancy of 58 years. By 2021, the life expectancy of 15 year olds increased to 83.
76. Maladaptation - an adaptation that has become less beneficial and more harmful over time
ex: A company wishing to plant trees to sequester carbon, but doing so in a location prone to wildfire. This becomes less beneficial and more harmful over time (counterproductive).
77. Malthus/Boserup Population Theories - population growth tends to outpace food production, leading to inevitable shortages and societal issues/population growth drives agricultural innovation (opposite)
78. Maternal Mortality Rate -The annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to or aggrevated by pregnancy or its managment
ex: The maternal mortality rate was 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021.
79. Medical revolution - Medical technology invented in Europe and North America that has diffused to the poorer countries and has improved medical practices and eliminated many death causes
ex: The Medical Revolution helped create vaccines, antibiotics, 3d printing, undertsanding of DNA, organ transplantation, insulin, anaesthesia, CRISPER, and more.
80. Natural increase rate (NIR) - The percentage growth of a population in a year, computed as the crude birth rate minus the crude death rate
ex: Over the course of a year in a town, 500 new babies were born and 250 people passed away. This town had a Natural Increase Rate of 2.5 percent.
81. Overpopulation - A situation in which the number of people in an area exceeds the capacity of the environment to support life at a decent standard of living
ex: China is facing overpopulation, particularly in specific areas of the country. Here, the number of people are exceeding the capacity of the environment to support life at a decent living standard.
82. Pandemic - Disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects a very high proportion of the population
ex: The Covid - 19 pandemic was a world-wide pandemic that affected a high proportion of the population and killed many people.
83. Physiological density - The number of people per unit area of arable land, which is land suitable for agriculture
ex: Austrailia has a density of only 43 people per sq. kilometer of arable land.
84. Population pyramid - A bar graph that represents the distribution of population by age and sex
ex: The United States has a constrictive population period that depicts a more developed country. It has a stationary pyramid that shows a somewhat equal proportion of population in each group. There is not a decrease or increase in the population; it is stable.
85. Restrictive population policies - government policies to reduce the rate of natural increase (NIR)
ex: China’s One-Child Polict resulted in heavily skewed male-to-female ratio because families often preferred sons.
86. Sex ratio - The number of males per 100 females in the population
ex: A sex ration of 117 means there are 117 males to every 100 females.
87. Stationary population level - level at which national population ceases to grow
ex: Suppose that 1,000,000 females are born during each year. Thereafter, they die. The result is a stationary population, that is, a population characterized by a constant annual ariival of births and an unchanging schedule of mortality.
88 Total fertility rate (TFR) - The average number of children a woman will have throughout her childbearing years
ex: High fertility means having total fertility levels above 5 children per woman.
89. Zero population growth (ZPG) - A decline of the total fertility rate to the point where the natural increase rate equals zero
ex: China reached a population plateau (zero growth) in 2022 meaning the NIR equals zero.
