Population Flashcards
Uneven population distribution in China’s physical geography
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.
Uneven population distribution in China’s human geography
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.
Causes of overpopulation in Bangladesh
● 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
Impacts (consequences) of overpopulation in Bangladesh
● 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%.
Causes of underpopulation in Australia
● (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.
Effects of Overpopulation in Australia
● 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.
Factors leading to a youthful population in Gambia
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
CAUSES OF AN AGEING POPULATION Japan
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.
IMPACTS OF A LOW GROWTH RATE/ AGEING POPULATION Japan
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.
Solutions to low growth rates in Japan
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
Ageing population (reasons) Japan
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.
Impacts of an ageing population in Japan
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.
Ways of dealing with an ageing population
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).
What was China’s One Child Policy?
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.
How did China’s One-child Policy work
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.
