Population Flashcards
Define “population growth”
Population growth refers to the change in population size.
(This change can be positive or negative. There are also instances where there is no change in population numbers, which is otherwise known as zero population growth.)
Define “birth rate”, “death rate” and “natural increase”
Birth rate refers to the number of live births per 1000 people per year.
Death rate refers to the number of deaths per 1000 people per year.
Rate of natural increase can be calculated by subtracting the death rate from the birth rate.
Define “population density”.
Population density gives us an idea of the number of people living in a particular area. It is usually expressed in terms of the number of people per square kilometer of the land.
Explain two factors that affect population density.
Fertility of soil and access to water affects population density. People tend to live in areas with fertile soil and access to water.
Availability of technology affects population density. Technology refers to the knowledge, skills and tools that people use to meet their needs. With improvement in technology, environments which were previously unsuitable for living can be converted into suitable living environments.
Define “infant mortality rate”
The infant mortality rate is the number of deaths among infants under one year of age for every 1000 live births per year.
Define “life expectancy”
Life expectancy refers to the average number of years a person living in a particular area is expected to live.
Explain how better medical and health care lead to low death rate.
Better medical and health care have enabled babies to survive beyond the first year, decreasing the infant mortality rate. When elderly receive better medical care, they can live longer and life expectancy has increased. When people enjoy a longer life expectancy, the death rate will drop.
Explain how better hygiene lead to low death rate.
Better hygiene leads to a lower death rate. People are less prone to falling sick and contracting diseases if their living conditions are clean and hygienic. In many countries, the death rate has decreased when there is a supply of clean water and when the environment is clear of disease-carrying pests and insects.
Explain the 4 factors leading to a high birth rate.
Lack of family planning leads to high birth rates. Family planning refers mainly to how many children a couple plans to have. In many less developed countries, people are less educated and know little about family planning methods. They may also end up having many children because of deep-rooted traditional beliefs and values or religious beliefs.
Early marriages lead to high birth rates. Couples who marry at an early age tend to have larger families than those who marry at a later age. This is because the number of years that women who had married early have for childbearing is higher.
Preferences for sons lead to high birth rates. Some societies, such as those in rural areas of China and India, place a lot of importance on having sons. Sons are seen as being capable of carrying the family name or surname while daughters are not. In addition, sons are able to continue working on the farm when the parents grow old,unlike daughters, who will move away from the family when they get married. Thus, couples continue to have children until they succeed in getting sons.
Need for farm labour leads to high birth rates. People in many less developed countries depend on farming to earn a living. Farm work requires much labor and large families are therefore preferred as there will be more hands to work on the land.
Explain the 5 impacts of hig rate of population growth.
Higher demand for resources is a consequence of a high rate of population growth. With more people, the demand for resources such as food and water also increases. In fact, many less developed countries suffer from shortage of food because not enough food is being produced to feed a rapidly growing population.
Higher demand for housing is a consequence of a high rate of population growth. A rapid increase in population results in competition for housing, especially in cities of less-developed countries, which do not have sufficient housing for its growing population. For example, in some cities in India, it is common to see many people live in temporary shelters made of cardboard and wooden planks.
Higher demand for education is a consequence of a high rate of population growth. With more babies born every year, there is a need to ensure that there are sufficient schools and teachers to educate the young. Less developed countries may lack the funds to build more schools so not everyone will be able to attend school and obtain a good education.
Higher demand for jobs is a consequence of a high rate of population growth. In a country with rapid population growth, there will be a lot of people competing for a limited number of jobs.
Environmental problems are a consequence of a high rate of population growth. With a larger population, not only are more resources used by people, more waste is produced. In less developed countries, waste disposal services and other public services are lacking, which leads to water and land pollution.
Explain the 2 strategies to manage high birth rate.
Education of family planning is a strategy used to manage high birth rates. In many countries, couples are taught various methods of controlling the size of their family.
Incentive and penalties is a strategy to manage high birth rate. Rewards in the form of monetary incentives may be given to couples with fewer children. In contrast, those with more children could be penalised, for example, by having to pay higher taxes.
Explain the 3 factors leading to low birth rate.
Later marriage leads to a low birth rate. More people are marrying later and having children later in their life. This could be due to the fact that more women now have higher academic qualifications than before and thus may choose to pursue a career before settling down and having children. Since most women cannot conceive a baby after they reach the age of 50, those who marry later or delay having children are left with fewer years to have babies.
Fewer marriages leads to a low birth rate. As more and more people choose to remain single, there will be fewer families and the birth rate will fall. With fewer births, the number of young people in a population decreases.
Preference for smaller families lead to a low birth rate. Increasingly, people in developed countries prefer to have smaller families. This is due to an increasing number of working women who find it difficult to balance work and family and hence choose to have fewer children.
Explain the two consequences of a low rate of population growth.
Ageing population is a consequence of a low rate of population growth. Countries with a low rate of population growth often have a growing percentage of elderly people as compared to young people in their population.
Higher taxes is a consequence of a low rate of population growth. Public projects such as the building of hospitals and community centers are funded by taxes collected from the working population. With a shrinking population, fewer people will be in the workforce. This means that each working person will have to pay more taxes to fund public projects.
Explain the 4 actions to manage low rate of population growth.
Actions to manage a low rate of population growth include encouraging marriages and childbearing. One solution to the problems of a low rate of population growth is to increase birth rates. The government can encourage married couples to have more children. For example, in Singapore, women who have children when they are younger will have more tax rebates. The government has also encouraged the setting up of more child care centres to look after children while their parents are at work.
Actions to manage a low rate of population growth include meeting the needs of the elderly. This includes building special facilities for the elderly, helping them to keep healthy and encouraging their families to care for them.
Actions to manage a low rate of population growth include extending working life. In an aging population, unless the elderly can be persuaded to remain in the workforce, the number of people in the workforce will slowly decrease. This means that the working population will face a heavy burden of supporting the elderly. One way to solve this problem is by raising the retirement age.
Actions to manage a low rate of population growth include encouraging financial planning. The elderly need to have a home and enough money to live comfortably. To ensure this, people need to have enough financial resources when they retire. With early planning, they will have sufficient resources.
