Human - Population

Question 1

Main features of a developed country population pyramid:

Answer 1

Low birth rate in both males and females
Bulge in the middle groups, particularly 15 to 60 years which shows that most of the population are within these age groups
Large percentage of the population within the upper age groups from age 60 upwards, shows high life expectancy and ageing population

Question 2

Give reasons for the population structure of a developed country

Answer 2

Artificial birth control
Women having jobs and careers over marrying young and starting a family
Widespread contraception and couples having children much later in their marriages
High standard of living (chance to enhance standard of living through having fewer children)
High income and healthcare

Question 3

Name some of the consequences of a developed country’s population structure:

Answer 3

Fewer younger people, no future workforce
Elderly to be cared for - High LE
Underpopulation; Where birth and death rates are very low, almost the same - slow population growth/decreasing, population structure becomes imbalanced
Demand for medical/elderly care
Increased taxes

Question 4

Main features of a developing country population pyramid

Answer 4

High birth rate in both males and females
Large proportion of population between the ages of 0 and 15 years
More definite pyramidal shape
Numbers of people in aove 15 years decreasing rapidly
Few people in age groups above 60 years, low average LE

Question 5

Give reasons for the population structure of a developing country

Answer 5

Lack of social and economic development
High birth and death rate
Usually low standards of personal wealth, industrial growth, health, education, food supply etc
Families have a large number of children to account for high IMR as children can work and bring in more income for the family and when grown, look after elderly parents

Question 6

Give some of the consequences of population structures for a developing country

Answer 6

Overpopulation - A reduction in the existing population would leave an improvement in the lives of those remaining
Lack of sufficient food
Inedaquate housing in cities
People forced to live in shanty towns lacking basic facilities
High unemployment since there are far too many people for available jobs
Literacy rate low. Poverty increases.

Question 7

Reasons for the differences in death rates

Answer 7

Different living standards
Poorer health quality and hygiene
Poor quality diet leads to famine/malnutrition
Lack of investment in housing, health and general infrastructure in developing countries
Low standards of education due to a lack of schools, colleges and teaching staff leads to higher DR
Higher death rates in areas with shanty towns
Poor sanitation - infectious disease- high DR

Question 8

Immigration

Answer 8

The permanent inward movement of people from other parts of the world to a particular country. Resulting in a population increase.

Question 9

Emigration

Answer 9

The permanent outward movement of people from a country to another part of the world. Causes population size to decrease.

Question 10

Types of migration include:

Answer 10

Voluntary: When people choose to move to another country
Forced: When people are forced to move against their wishes
Long term: When people their home to live elsewhere for a long period
Short Term: A movement of people to an area for a short period eg seasonal
Rural-Urban: When people move to cities from the countryside

Question 11

Give reasons for migration

Answer 11

Forced: African slave trade
War
Mostly people move in order to improve their standard of living
Large portions of population working in rural/agricultural areas eg India, Brazil and SE Asia
Illegal migration via secret routes using human traffic systems
Refugees due to wars, natural disasters, persecution - forced

Question 12

Where do people move from generally?

Answer 12

Areas with high unemployment; low wages; poor housing, health, religious persecution

Question 13

What is rural push and urban pull?

Answer 13

In less developed countries where people move from countryside to urban areas

Question 14

What is the impact of migration?

Answer 14

Often left disillusioned
Many find themselves living in conditions which are worse than those in which they left behind
In shanty towns with only basic facilities, high disease
Leads to racial tension and cultural differences
Become targets for abuse

Question 15

What are the advantages of migration?

Answer 15

Receiving countries acquire labour which could not otherwise be filled, perhaps due to a skill shortage.
Home countries benefit from money sent back and skills acquired on return. Reduced pressures on resources whilst away.
Balance population structure.

Question 16

What are the disadvantages of migration?

Answer 16

Creates problems for the areas which lose the people, serious depopulation
Loss of young people results in a highly imbalanced population structure. Large elderly population remaining.
Community dies out.
Immigration increases pressure on existing population.
Increase in housing demand.

Question 17

Name some strategies to manage migration

Answer 17

Migration is encouraged under European law.
Freedom of movement of labour.
People leave their home country to seek employment in wealthier countries.
Immigration is strictly controlled in the USA, anyone entering the country must have a green card to work there.
Legislation which limits number of immigrants permitted to enter based on political, criminal or professional/trade qualifications.
Racial bias, housing and employment problems.

Question 18

Name some reasons for differences in level of development

Answer 18

Countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE and Brunei have prospered due to oil and gas reserves
Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan have encouraged the development of industry and commerce
Countries such as Ethiopia or Chad lack natural resources and experience recurring drought - leading to famine
Bangladesh floods and cyclones

Question 19

Describe the spreading of malaria

Answer 19

Spread by vectors which carry the disease - female anopheles mosquito
Take blood meals from infected persons and pass it on in the next through their saliva
These mosquitoes require hot, wet climates with still stagnant water
Become resistant to DDT
No vaccine

Question 20

Name the problems of carrying out data collections in developing countries

Answer 20

Data is less reliable because:
Hard to keep track of populations where people move around a great deal
Education standard is poor - people cannot read and complete forms
Conflict such as wars and natural disasters
Country size and terrain difficulty

Question 21

How does the UK gather population data between censuses?

Answer 21

Use of birth certificates
Use of electronic databases kept by the government 
Use of death certificates
Mini-censuses
Migration records

Question 22

Carrying out a census in a developed country is more reliable and less difficult than in a developing country because

Answer 22

In developing countries such as Brazil people live on the streets as they cannot afford proper housing
So they live on the streets and do not have proper addresses
In Afghanistan conflict has meant that people are hard to track - always on the move
Hard to get through language barriers such as in Nigeria where over 500 languages are spoken
Government lies to gain political advantage - North Korea
In Syria before conflict people may not trust the government and so will lie if they are suspicious