Population Flashcards
What is Birth rate?
The number of live births per 1000 of the population per year
What is death rate?
The number of deaths per 1000 of the population per year
What is infant mortality rate?
The number of infant deaths under 1 year of age per 1000 live births a year
Natural Increase
When the birth rate is higher than the death rate leading to an increase in the total population
Fertility rate
The average number of children that a woman will have during her lifetime.
Natural Change
Birth rate- death rate. Shows whether a country’s pop. is increasing or decreasing.
Natural decrease
When the death rate is higher than the birth rate leading to a decrease in the total population
Life expectancy
The average number of years a person is expected to live
Child mortality rate
The number of infant deaths under 5 years of age per 1000 live births a year
What is net migration?
The permanent change of a residence of an individual or group of people. It is the balance between immigration and emigration.
What is a population pyramid?
A graph which shows age, gender and population numbers of a city or country in a year.
Who are the economically active population?
People of working age (16-24 years old) who contribute to the economy.
Who are the dependents in the population?
People who are <15 years and >65 years who are supported by the economically active.
What does the shape of the base of the pyramid tell us?
If the base is wide, birth rate is high but if its narrow the BR is low or declining.
What does the middle of the pyramid tell us?
About DR and migration.
What does the shape of the pyramid tell us about death rate?
If the pyramid is concave it tells us the death rate is probably quite high, if the pyramid is convex it tells us death rate is probably quite low.
What does the shape of the top of the pyramid tell us?
A narrow apex tells us the life expectancy is not that high which would be more typical of LICs.
What do population structure indices provide?
A quantitative way of comparing population structures- objective.
What does the dependency ratio tell us?
How many dependents (0-15 and 65+) are reliant upon the economically active population (16 to 64).
What is the dependency ratio formula?
Young dependent+ Old dependents / Working population x 100
What does the support ratio show?
How many dependents there are for every 100 economically active people
What is the support ratio formula?
Working population / Young dependents + Old dependents x 100
What is the sex ratio?
The number of males per 100 females.
What is a resource?
Any part of the environment that can be used to meet human needs e.g. food, water and shelter.
What is the consumption triangle?
The relationship between population growth, resources and economic development
What is malnutrition?
The result of deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in the consumption of nutrients.
Why does famine occur?
As a result of food insecurity which leads to an increase in the DR.
When does food security exist?
Where everyone has access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food enabling them a healthy and active life.
What are the 3 aspects of food security?
Food availability, food access and food use
What is food availablity?
Sufficient quantities of food available on a consistent basis.
What is food access?
Having sufficient resources to obtain appropriate foods for a nutritious diet.
What is food use?
The ability to prepare and cook food for yourself to ensure a good diet.
What does a population policy include?
All of the measures taken by a government aimed at influencing its population.
What is carrying capacity?
The largest population that the resources of a given environment can support without causing damage to the environment for future generations.
What advances in technology can increase carrying capacity?
Vertical farming, GM crops, hydroponics, machinery, transport, robots and AI.
What are some consequences of exceeding the carrying capacity?
Soil erosion, water shortage, pollution (+type), species extinction, resource depletion, war, famine, decline in biodiversity.
What can resources be classified as?
Human or natural.
What can natural resources be?
Renewable or non renewable (fuel or non- fuel minerals)
What has happened to the global economy in recent decades?
Growth has had a big impact on the environment. Many resources are running out and water sinks are becoming full.
What is happening to the natural world?
The natural world can no longer support the existing economy, much less
How is climate change affecting the natural world?
Rising temperatures, sea level rise, drought, flooding.
What is ecological footprint?
The amount of land and water a population requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its waste under prevailing technology.
What is ecological footprint measured in?
Global hectares (gha)
What does the calculation of ecological footprint take into account?
Arable land- the amount of land required for growing crops
Pasture land- resources required for growing animals for meat, milk etc.
Forests- for fuel, furniture and buildings, and also for ecosystem services like climate stability and erosion prevention.
Oceans- for fish and other marine products.
Built up land- transportation, factories and housing, based on the built up land used for these needs.
Carbon- land required for absorbing CO2 emissions and other energy wastes.
What is not taken into account in the ecological footprint calculation?
Species extinction and toxic pollution of the air, water and land are not yet taken into account.
What is the ecological footprint influenced by?
The size of a country’s population
The level of demand of goods and services in a country (standard of living)
Environmental exploitation
When does overpopulation occur?
When the available resources are unable to sustain the population living here.
What will overpopulation cause?
Low income per person
Unemployment and underemployment
Out migration (Emigration)
When does underpopulation occur?
When there are too few people in an area to use all the resources efficiently for the current level of technology.
What could underpopulation cause?
High per person incomes
Low unemployment
In migration (Immigration)
What is optimum population?
The population which, given available resources and skills in a particular area, produces greatest GNP.
What is Standard of Living based on?
Based primarily on income and what that level of income will allow a person to buy in the way of neccessities and luxury goods.
What is quality of life?
The general wellbeing of individuals and societies so includes factors that contribute to people’s happiness.
What is development?
An increase in the total value of goods and services produced by a country, leading to an improvement in the people’s welfare, quality of life and social well-being.
What is the Brandt line?
A line which separates countries in the rich north from the poorer south.
Why is the Brandt line no longer used?
It is too simplistic as countries like China and India are no longer seen as poor. middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE are also developed and rich.
What was Malthus’ view?
-That the availablity of food is the main limit to population growth.
-The human population, if not controlled, would increase to a level beyond which the land could support it.
What are ‘positive checks’?
Checks that serve to increase death rates, keeping the population balanced with the resources available.
What are some examples of ‘positive checks’?
Famine, poverty, disease and even war, as humans resorted to fighting to gain acess to diminishing food supplies.
What are ‘preventative checks’?
Measures involving ‘moral restraint’ that reduce fertility through the practice of abstinence and delayed marriage.
