Population

Question 1

Population density

Answer 1

The number of people in a given area. The total population in a country or region divided by its area (people/km2).

Question 2

Population distribution

Answer 2

The way people are spread out in an area

Question 3

Crude birth rate

Answer 3

The number of births per 1000 people (CBR).

Question 4

Crude death rate

Answer 4

The number of deaths per 1000 people (CDR).

Question 5

Natural increase

Answer 5

The difference between the birth rate and death rate. A natural increase will occur if the birth rate is higher than the death rate. Natural increase = CBR – CDR.

Question 6

Family planning

Answer 6

Where families receive advice about how to control births and access healthcare such as contraception.

Question 7

Migration

Answer 7

The movement of people into an area

Question 8

International migration

Answer 8

When people move from one place to another

Question 9

Internal migration

Answer 9

Movement of people inside a country

Question 10

Forced migration

Answer 10

When people are forced to leave an area due to natural disasters, war etc

Question 11

Emigration

Answer 11

When people leave an area

Question 12

Immigration

Answer 12

when people move into an area

Question 13

Positive net migration

Answer 13

when more people move into an area than leave an area

Question 14

Negative net migration

Answer 14

when more people leave an area than move into an area

Question 15

Age dependency

Answer 15

Percentage of the population that depends on economic support (e.g., pension for the elderly, school for the young).

Question 16

Population pyramids

Answer 16

The age & sex structure of a population can be shown in this type of graph, factors control the shape, birth & death rates & migration.

Question 17

A population can be described as

Answer 17

Sparsely: Contains few people. Sparsely populated places tend to be difficult places to live. These are usually places with hostile environments

Densley: Contains many people. Places which are densely populated are habitable environments

Question 18

Factors affecting population density

Answer 18

Relief (shape and height of land)
Resources
Climate
Political
Social
Economic

Question 19

Uneven population distribution in China’s physical geography

Answer 19

CHINA’S PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY:
● 90% of China’s population reside in the east of China.

The East:
● Has a coastline - meaning that land is flat and easy to build on and it provides opportunities for trade.
● Receives sufficient rainfall to allow crop growth.
The West:
● Is sparsely populated due to high relief - the west contains mountain ranges such as the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau.
These areas are uninhabitable due to harsh weather conditions and steep land meaning it is
difficult to build.
The North:
● A large desert stretches The Gobi Desert is a cold desert - the climate is harsh and it is very dry meaning it is difficult to grow crops.

Question 20

Uneven population distribution in China’s human geography

Answer 20

CHINA’S HUMAN GEOGRAPHY:
● Coastal cities the greatest range of jobs and higher-paid jobs in the tertiary sector.
● Land values in the coastal regions have risen, and manufacturing production has moved further inland.
● little jobs in western China, apart from extraction (primary sector).
● China’s development is very uneven. GDP per capita ranges in inland is $4000, $40,000+ in the eastern coastal regions.

Question 21

Overpopulation

Answer 21

The resources cannot sustain the current population. Standards of living decrease because of:
Unemployment, pollution, degradation of the environment.

Question 22

Underpopulation

Answer 22

The population cannot fully utilise the resources available. Low standard of living due to lack of utilisation of resources

Question 23

Optimum population

Answer 23

The population is such that it can maximise the benefits from the resources available. High standards of living

Question 24

CARRYING CAPACITY

Answer 24

The amount of people an area can support

Question 25

Causes of overpopulation in Bangladesh

Answer 25

● Bangladesh (High population density) , 7th largest population in the world, 94th in land area.
● Few natural resources, rely on agriculture.
● High growth rate: High birth rates (23 per 1000) but death rates have fallen (5.7 per thousand),
● High birth rates due to 85% of the population are Muslim and some religious leaders do not allow contraception.
High primary labour (agriculture), birth rates are high so children can help work on farms
NOT ENOUGH RESOURCES

Question 26

Impacts (consequences) of overpopulation in Bangladesh

Answer 26

● Live in dangerous flood-prone areas. Causing more than 1 million deaths in the last 200 years.
● 40% of the population is underemployed.
low wages working for just a few hours a week. GDP per capita is low at $1700 per person, low standards of living
● Not enough schools and hospitals.
48% of the population is literate and most people have no qualifications.
● Bad excess to healthcare meaning the infant mortality rate is 5.07%.

Question 27

Causes of underpopulation in Australia

Answer 27

● (Sparsely populated) Small population size (21.7 million) and an abundant land area (7.688 million km²).
● Although a large proportion is desert, Space to host more people.
● Australia experiences high rates of emigration. geographically remote, young people often migrate to central areas e.g., Europe.
● Australia also has low birth rates and death rates, with a population increase of only 1.15% per year.

Question 28

Effects of underpopulation in Australia

Answer 28

● Large reserves of natural resources e.g., gold, copper, natural gas and uranium. Unutilized resources, export surpluses worth $200 billion annually.
● Australia’s strong economy leads to a high GDP per capita ($41,300). Good Education and healthcare, high (99.9% literacy rate)
● High living standards, could support more people.
● Small workforce of 11.6 million people. If Australia had a larger workforce, it would be able to exploit more natural resources and grow the economy. This would lead to better standards of living.

Question 29

Population explosion

Answer 29

This is an exponential growth of the world’s population that has taken place over the past 200 years.

Question 30

Natural Increase/ Decrease

Answer 30

The increase in population due to more births than deaths

The decrease in population is due to more deaths than births.

Question 31

LEDC pyramid structure
MEDC pyramid structure

Answer 31

Concave (curved in) sides indicate a high death rate

Convex (curved out) indicates a low death rate

Question 32

related to population

Population Problems in LEDCs

Answer 32

Rapid population growth. By having lots of children, they are creating a high dependency ratio.
Low Literacy Rates
Women are not taught about contraception and are unlikely to have career aspirations.

Question 33

Factors leading to a youthful population in Gambia

Answer 33

Larger families are seen as a sign of security, for example, many people still live in rural areas and rely on farming for income. More hands-on and lead to a bigger agricultural output.
The sigma and cost of contraception linked to the religious background (95% being Muslim)
1 in 10 children in Gambia dies in infancy which means families have more children to compensate.
Few people reach into elderly age range

Question 34

Dependency ratio

Answer 34

(Number of dependants ÷ population(15-64)) x 100

Question 35

Effects of a youthful population

Answer 35

Large potential workforce
Cost of schools and clinics
High rates of unemployment
Attractive to new investors
Source of innovation and ideas
Poverty
High crime rates
High rate of population growth
Development of services such as schools
Political instability due to unsatisfactory living standards
Many countries lack the economy to take advantage of extra workers

Question 36

Ageing Population

Answer 36

An increase in the proportion of older persons as they are living longer and less people are born

Question 37

CAUSES OF AN AGEING POPULATION Japan

Answer 37

Later marriages
Increase in childless couples
Cultural preference for 1 child
Women pursuing careers
Working environment is not very supportive of families e.g. lack of flexible working.
More insecure employment means people have fewer children as they can’t rely on a regular/high income.
Japan also has fewer people in the fertile age group, meaning there will be fewer births overall.
Fertility rate has fallen from 2.1 in the 1970s to 1.36 today.
One of the lowest birth rates in the world.

Question 38

IMPACTS OF A LOW GROWTH RATE/ AGEING POPULATION Japan

Answer 38

Lower potential workforce.
Lower output
Reduced tax revenue
Need for Immigration
However, the Japanese do not favour high rates of immigration and it can also be difficult for migrants to assimilate due to a difficult language to learn etc.

Question 39

Solutions to low growth rates in Japan

Answer 39

Reforms - increasing child benefits, providing tax allowances for families, making childcare more accessible
Encourage immigration
The Government has introduced new laws like the ‘Child Care’ and ‘Family Care Leave’ Laws. In which parents can receive:
-8 Weeks paid leave from work
-Shorter Working hours
-A maximum of 24 hours overtime a month
-Economic Incentives e.g. Yamatsuri, a town of 7,000 just north of Tokyo, offers parents $4,600 for the birth of a child and $460 a year for 10 years.
-Businesses have been urged to give their

Question 40

Ageing population (reasons) Japan

Answer 40

Increasing life expectancy (longest female life expectancy in the world - 86 yrs)
Long life expectancy because:
Older people stay active
Healthy diet - e.g., fresh vegetables/low meat
Good mindset/mental health
Low birth rates also contribute to an ageing population structure as there are fewer young people being added to the population. 29% of Japan’s population are over 65.

Question 41

Impacts of an ageing population in Japan

Answer 41

Higher costs for government paying pensions
Young people may have to care for elderly relatives which can be difficult and time-consuming.
Many elderly people in Japan cannot afford to retire and so have to go on working well into their 70s.
Many elderly people live below the poverty line and there has been increasing homelessness among the elderly.
If older people lack a support network, they can become depressed. 1/3 of Japan’s suicides are from the over 65 population.

Question 42

Ways of dealing with an ageing population

Answer 42

Increase birth rates to improve the population balance (but social attitudes and trends difficult to change)
Offer part time jobs for elderly population (less demanding)
Increase retirement age so they can contribute to economy
Robotic care assistants have been suggested - for example Japan has developed robot nurses that are capable of carrying and bathing elderly people (but obvious issues with this as a strategy e.g., technology can malfunction/elderly people benefit from social contact with real people).

Question 43

The impact of HIV/AIDS on the population structure in Botswana

Answer 43

Botswana has the 2nd highest rate of HIV infection in the world (35-38% of the population are infected, this compares to just 0.4-0.9% of the population in North America).
It is a social stigma to be diagnosed with the disease as people have been shunned by their communities. This means people avoid getting testing.
● Life expectancy has fallen dramatically as a result of the high rates of infection. The life
expectancy in Botswana was 58 years in 2011, having fallen from 65 in 1991.
● The most affected group is those in the age range 15-40. This is the most productive sector of the population and so Botswana is facing a labour shortage as so many of the working population are dying/too sick to work. It is thought 1/3 of Botwana’s workforce is infected with
the disease.
● Children have become orphans as their parents have passed away.
● Some children are living with the disease as they contracted it in-utero

Question 44

Causes of HIV/AIDS in Botswana

Answer 44

Only 18% of people in Botswana are married, some men are polygamous – meaning many
people have multiple sexual partners.
● Until the government awareness campaigns there was much ignorance considering HIV/AIDs.
● Lack of doctors/nurses
● Poverty led to some young women becoming prostitutes, increasing the spread of the virus.

Question 45

Solutions to HIV/AIDS in Botswana

Answer 45

Pregnant women have been given antiretroviral drugs since 2002. This has made a huge impact
on infant mortality rates (there were 56 child deaths per 1000 in 2001 and 11.1 deaths per 1000
in 2011).
● Companies, such as Debswana (the National Mining company of Botswana) provide free
healthcare and access to antiretroviral drugs for all of their employees and their wives. They also run classes about safe-sex for their employees – including the use of condoms.
● The government carries out awareness campaigns on TV, Radio and Billboards.
● Routine testing for the virus is carried out and awareness campaigns are used to promote the
effectiveness of antiretroviral treatment.
● Condoms are distributed for free and the number of people receiving antiretroviral treatment has steadily increased.

Question 46

What was China’s One Child Policy?

Answer 46

An anti-natalist policy is a policy that aims to decrease birth rates.
An example of an anti-natalist policy is China’s One Child policy (1979-2015).
The One Child Policy was a rule in China that stated that couples should only have one child.

Question 47

How did China’s One-child Policy work

Answer 47

Families were required to sign up to the one child certificate – meaning they were agreeing to have
only one child. If they did this, they received benefits.
● Contraception, family planning advice and abortions were provided for free to make it easy for couples to limit family size.
● The Chinese government used a “carrot and stick approach” to get people to comply with the
policy. This means they gave rewards for people who followed the policy (the carrot) and
punishments for those who refused (the stick).
Incentives (REWARDS) given for following the policy
● Cash payments
● Free healthcare and education for child
● Preferential (better) access to jobs
Disincentives (PUNISHMENTS) for disobeying the policy –
● Fines – can be large of up to 10-20% of annual salary.
● Job loss
● Nanny police – these were older female members of the communist party who reported people
who broke the rules of the government
● Rice rations – when food handouts were given in rural areas during times of shortages the
the government didn’t give extra rice rations to those with more children.

Question 48

What have been the consequences of the one child policy in China

Answer 48

The birth rate in China has fallen.
● 300-400 million births prevented.
● Parents able to concentrate resources on fewer children. However, there are many negative impacts of the policy:
● Against human rights
● Gender issues:
● Due to a traditional preference for boys, large numbers of female babies have ended up homeless or in orphanages, and, in some cases, killed. In 2000, it was reported that 90 percent of foetuses aborted in China were female.
● Today it is thought that men outnumber women by more than 60 million (has led to forced marriages).
● Future ageing population – China’s government is worried that the population will age before it
gets rich.

Question 49

What are the main types of migration?

Answer 49

● Internal – Movement within a country Or
● International - Moving from one country to another
● Voluntary Moving by choice Or
● Forced Having to move - reasons could include: war, famine, natural disaster, political asylum
● Permanent- with no intention of going back shortly Or
● Temporary/seasonal Moving for a short period of time
● Rural to urban Moving from the countryside to the city Or
● Urban to rural Moving from the city to the countryside

Question 50

Push factors for migration

Answer 50

Are those which force a person to move. This can include drought, famine, lack of jobs,
overpopulation and civil war.

Question 51

Pull factors for migration

Answer 51

Are those which encourage a person to move. These include a chance of a better job, better
education, a better standard of living, availability of food, peace and wealth

Question 52

Advantages of migration

Answer 52

To the host country
● Source of labour- skilled and unskilled
● Cultural exchange
For the source country
● May reduce burden on the country
● Migrants send money to support
families and friends
● Help to sustain the local and national
economy
For the migrant and family
● May earn more money and improve
standard of living
● May meet new people and broaden
cultural understanding.

Question 53

Disadvantages of migration

Answer 53

To the host country
● Strain on resources-housing, hospitals
and education
● Increase of unemployment
● May cause racial tension, violence and
discrimination
For the source country
● Loss of labour especially the skilled ones
● Can cause diplomatic tensions if migrants
are not treated properly
For the migrant and family
● High cost of living
● May result in family separation

Question 54

LOCATION AND BACKGROUND of Mexico to USA Migration

Answer 54

California currently houses 11,423,000 immigrants with Texas holding 7,951,000.
Many Mexicans from rural communities migrate to America, the majority being males who move to
America and then send money back to their families in Mexico.
Many of these immigrants enter the country illegally, which often requires them to cross a large
a desert that separates Mexico and America and the Rio Grande.
These journeys are dangerous, and many immigrants have died, or nearly died, trying to cross into the US through these routes.

Question 55

PUSH FACTORS for migration from Mexico to the USA

Answer 55

High crime rates in Mexico, for example, Murder rates come in at around 14 per 100,000 people
(world average 10.9 per 100,000) and drug-related crimes are a major concern.
It is thought that in In the past five years, 47,500 people have been killed in crimes relating to drugs.
Unemployment and poverty are major problem in Mexico and has dramatically risen in recent years.
A large portion of the Mexican population is farmers, living in rural areas where extreme temperatures and poor-quality land make it difficult to actually farm.
This is causing many Mexican families to struggle, with 47% of the population living under the poverty line.
The climate and natural hazards in Mexico could force people to move to America.

Question 56

PULL FACTORS for migration from Mexico to the USA

Answer 56

There is a noticeable difference in the quality of life between America & Mexico.
Poverty is a major issue in Mexico, with 6% of the population lacking access to “improved” drinking water.
Mexico’s infrastructure is severely undeveloped when compared to America’s.
Despite being the 11thrichest country in the World, Mexico also has the 10th highest poverty.
Existing migrant communities in states such as Texas and California help to pull people towards
migration.
Existing communities make it easier for people to settle once moved and family members & friends who have already moved can encourage others to move.
86.1% of the Mexican population can read & write versus 99% of the population in America.
There are significantly better academic opportunities in America than in Mexico

Question 57

SOCIAL IMPACTS for migration from Mexico to the USA

Answer 57

Many Mexicans can’t speak fluent English and studies show that their ability to speak English doesn’t improve due to them living in closed communities of other Mexican immigrants which reduces their need to assimilate with America.
The introduction of Mexican cultural traditions to America, have helped to improve cultural aspects of those states.
With such a large number of Mexican migrants not speaking English fluently, it is now common for Spanish to be taught in American schools, widening the skill set of the younger population and improving the potential career opportunities that students may have.
With so many young people leaving Mexico, it is developing an increasingly dependent population
as the majority of people left are the elderly who cannot work.
The majority of migrants leaving Mexico are males leaving a population with a high number of
females.

Question 58

ECONOMIC IMPACTS of migration from Mexico to the USA

Answer 58

Migrants work at incredibly low wages. Americans who are desperate for work are now often expected to work at these incredibly low wages too, which they can’t afford to do, leading to increased poverty in America.
While legal Mexican migrants are sending money they earn back to their families in Mexico, rather than spending it in America, which can affect the country’s economy.
As people move out of Mexico, pressure on land, social services and jobs is being relieved.
Unemployment will fall and health services will no longer be over capacity as the population is
reduced.
Mexico’s population is very dependent on food grown in Mexico. Unfortunately, the majority of
migrants come from rural areas, leaving a shortage of farmers and therefore the potential for food
shortages in Mexico as the economically active people from rural areas leave.

Question 59

Urban Migration Brazil

Answer 59

Urbanisation is the increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities.
● Middle-income and low-income countries have been rapidly urbanising since the 1950s.
● Brazil is no exception, with many people migrating from the countryside to cities (this is known as rural-urban
migration).
● About 20 million people live in the city of São Paulo, which makes it one of the largest cities in the world.
● Rio de Janeiro is not far behind this total.
● They both grew very quickly after 1970.
● Today about 80% of Brazilians live in cities.

Question 60

PUSH FACTORS FROM NORTH-EAST BRAZIL

Answer 60

Pressure on the land means there is not enough land to live on
● The quality of life is low – long hours, hard work and little pay
● People face hardship when the harvest is poor
● Natural disasters like periods of drought
● Many workers do not own the land so have no power or any reason to improve it
● Schools are crowded
● There is poor health care
● There is not much investment by the government in some areas
● Some farm labourers are out of work when the owner buys machines to take their place

Question 61

PULL FACTORS TO THE CITIES OF SOUTH-EAST BRAZIL

Answer 61

● Better chances of a job – jobs in cities pay more than farming
● The hope of a better quality of life with improved housing with electricity and water supply
● Better schools – this is very important as it is the only way to escape poverty
● Better hospitals
● More exciting with better access to entertainment

Question 62

Impacts of rural-urban migration on rural areas

Answer 62

Positives
● fewer people to feed
● more land per person
● more resources per person
● money may be sent home by migrants (remittances)
Negatives
● population structure upset by loss of young people
● fewer economically active men left in the rural community
● families are split up
● the elderly remain and the death rate in the community may increase

Question 63

Impacts of rural-urban migration on urban areas

Answer 63

Positives
● increased economically active population in the community
● increase in the cultural wealth
● more knowledge and skills in the city community
Negatives
● pressure on places to live (leads to the development of slums)
● tensions between older and newer residents
● pressure on services such as education and healthcare provision
● social and environmental problems associated with slum growth

Question 64

Refugees

Answer 64

A refugee is a person who is fleeing from things such as civil war or a natural disaster but not necessarily facing persecution.
The United Nations defines a refugee as:
A person who cannot return to his or her own country because of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political association or social grouping.

Question 65

Forced migration from Darfur, Sudan

Answer 65

Many refugees from the Darfur region of Sudan have migrated to the neighbouring country Chad, because of the civil war. Many have also stayed in Sudan but live in refugee camps.
Refugees are living in cramped and unsanitary conditions, and many have lost family members in the conflict or from disease. Water is scarce and most people rely on aid agencies for food, shelter and medicine.
However, the aid efforts are being hampered by the Sudanese government and refugees are dying of disease, starvation and malnutrition. Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the refugees from Sudan are putting a strain on already scarce resources.