POPULATION

Question 1

Define Birth rate

Answer 1

Number of live births per 1000 of the population per year.
Birth rate is usually high in less economically developed countries as there is less thought over family planning and contraception.

Question 2

Define Death rate

Answer 2

Number of deaths per 1000 per year.
. Death rates are usually high in LEDCs because of a lack of health care and the amount of disease. It can also be relatively high in countries with an ageing population.

Question 3

Define Infant mortality rate

Answer 3

The number of children that die before their first birthday per 1000 of the population per year. Also usually high in LEDCs because of the small amount of healthcare and vaccines that children will receive in MEDC.
Considered the most important as any money is usually invested in healthcare are protection for children

Question 4

Define Fertility rate

Answer 4

The average number of children a women will have between the ages of 15 and 44. Normally high in LEDCs as there is a lack of contraception and sometimes it is vital to have a large family to work on the farms.

Question 5

Define Life expectancy

Answer 5

The average age a person in that country can expect to live to. This is higher in MEDCs as there is a smaller death rate and a smaller infant mortality rate.

Question 6

Define migration rate

Answer 6

The difference between the number of people who immigrate(in) and emigrate(out) per 1000 of the population per year

Question 7

Define population density

Answer 7

Number of people living per square kilometre, larger figures are found in urban areas

Question 8

Describe the demographic transition model graph.

Answer 8

Birth rate and death rate start high in stage one and population is low. moving into stage 2 the death rate drops and population increases rapidly as birth rate stays high. in stage 3 the birth rate drops and population continues to increase. The birth and death rate is low and fluctuating in stage 4 and the overall population starts to level out. The overall population starts to decrease in stage five as the birth rate drops bellow the death rate.

Question 9

Describe and explain stage 1 of the DTM.

Answer 9

High fluctuating
Birth and death rate fluctuate at a high level, the population stays stable but low. No countries are currently at this stay but some tribes in the Brazilian rainforest are. There is no birth control, family planning and education is poor which contributes to the high birth rate, as infant mortality is high at this stage people also have more children to replace ones that may have died. Death rate is high and life expectancy is low because there is poor health care, sanitation and diet which leads to disease and starvation. Birth and death rate are around 35/1000

Question 10

Describe and explain stage 2 of the DTM.

Answer 10

Early expanding
Death rate falls but birth rate remains high causing a rapid increase in population. There is still little birth control, education and family planning and children are needed for labour to tend to the family farm. However health care, sanitation and diet has improved which has increased life expectancy and reduced the death rate. Nepal and Afghanistan are countries that are in stage 2. Birth rate remains at about 35/1000 but death rate falls to about 15/1000.

Question 11

Describe and explain stage 3 of the DTM.

Answer 11

Late expanding
Birth rates decline rapidly while death rate continues to fall steadily, the population increases but at a slower rate. Birth rates decrease due to use of birth control, family planning and improvements to education. The economy moves more towards manufacturing so there isn’t advantages of having a large family for a farm. More women start to work in this stages which also see a decrease in the birth rate, but it may also be movement from the government which has reduced the birth rate. Egypt is a country in stage 3. Birth rate drops to 13/1000 and death rate falls to about 10/1000.
The rise of Newly Industrial countries like Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore have seen an increase in the number of countries in this stage.

Question 12

Describe and explain stage 4 of the DTM.

Answer 12

Low fluctuating
Birth rate and death rate now fluctuate at low levels as the population remains stable but high. Birth rate stays low because of increased access to luxuries like holidays and technology means there is less money to spend on having more children. Most of Europe and the USA are in stage 4. Birth rate continues to fall to about 10/1000 and death rate remains at 10/1000.

Question 13

Describe and explain stage 5 of the DTM.

Answer 13

Decline
For the first time the population starts to decrease as the birth rate continues to reduce. Children are becoming expensive to raise and many have dependant elderly relations to care for. The death rate remains steady as there are more elderly people dying of old age even though there are further improvements in health care. Japan and Italy are examples of countries in stage 5. They may experience problems as the workforce won’t be able to sustain the economy and large amounts of money has to be spent on healthcare.

Question 14

How is the DTM useful?

Answer 14

• Gives a good generalised picture of how a population can change over time
• It’s easy to compare a country to the DTM and analyse what stage it is in
• It can be used to forecast how a countries population might change which can help governments when deciding whether to introduce policies and immigration laws

Question 15

What are the limitations of the DTM?

Answer 15

• The original data was from developed countries and therefore may not be a valid representation for other countries who will not experience the exact same process
• The original DTM didn’t have stage 5, this has been recently added as countries no longer fitted in stage 4
• It doesn’t take into to account education and the role of women which have a large effect on birth rate
• Different customs in different countries will impact how and if they move through the DTM, for example the catholic church condemns the use of contraception
• Extreme poverty and low levels of development may cause a lack of population growth and prevent LEDCs from passing through all the stages
• The DTM can’t predict exactly when each countries will reach each stage or how long they will be in that stage for
• It doesn’t consider migration or other factors that affect a population so that it doesn’t fit, for example population control policies in china, infectious diseases like HIV/Aids in Africa and civil war in places like Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Sudan

Question 16

Describe the population structures at each stage of the DTM

Answer 16

Stage 1 - high birth rate and low life expectancy - long shallow triangle- more younger people
stage 2 - high birth rate, higher life expectancy - steeper sided taller triangle
Stage 3 - Falling birth rates, base is thinner and more people life to older ages
Stage 4 - low birth rate, lots of elderly
Stage 5 - little births compared to the amount of elderly - population decline

Question 17

What impacts does migration have on national population structures?

Answer 17

Internal migration from rural areas to urban areas within a country often affects the number of young adults that move to the cities to find jobs. This also affects birth rate as these young migrants are of reproductive age. In rural areas this gives the population structure a larger percentage of middle age/ elderly with a relatively large population of children and teens. The population structure of the city has the biggest proportion of working age young adults as well as young children.
Emigration away from countries at later stages of the DTM deceases the population. For example in the UK lots of retiring people emigrate from the UK to countries like Spain. This will reduce the number of elderly people in the population structure. In other countries emigration may be result of conflict and may see the majority of women and children fleeing the country which would change the population structure dramatically.
Immigration of people in LEDCS to MEDCs increases the number of working age individual in a country but reduces it in the LEDCs. These young adults are of reproductive age which leads to an increase in birth rate. For example immigration into the UK of young workers mainly in the agricultural services, lots of polish workers immigrate seasonally to Jersey for potato planting and picking.

Question 18

Why does migration occur?

Answer 18

Push factors 	
•	Lack of jobs 
•	Poor living conditions 
•	Political persecution 
•	Conflict 
Pull factors 	
•	Jobs 
•	Better education and services 
•	Better living conditions

Question 19

What are the impacts of an ageing population?

Answer 19

Social
- Increased pressure on public services, greater demand for hospitals and hospices. More carers are needed for the elderly and more people will have to act as unpaid carers to their own family members.
- Unequal distribution of older people, in areas where there are plenty of old people services may change and there will be inadequate facilities for the youth but in areas where there are only a few elderly people they may get lonely.
- Reduced population growth as the working population have older dependants.
- Longer working lives to be able to support the number of retired people and supply pensions.
Economic
- Reduced work force means that a smaller proportion of the population is working which may slow economic growth.
- Increased taxes to pay for pensions and services.
- The elderly have saving and pensions to spend, grey pound, specialist services like life insurance and hearing aids will benefit that most.
Political
- Elderly issues will be important to voters, changing pensions or heating allowances
Immigration laws may be relaxed to encourage people of working age to enter the country.

Question 20

What are the impacts of a youthful population?

Answer 20

Social
- Increased pressure on public services like schools and childcare.
-The large number of children will grow up to have their own families which will increase the population. This may lead to over population.
Economic
- Two few jobs leads to unemployment and dependency on the government.
- Increased poverty because children are born in to poor families and may have to help support their large family from a young age and miss out on an education.
Political
- The government may need to increase teacher salaries to encourage more people into the profession.
- Student loans and healthcare provisions will be an important issue.

Question 21

How can a ageing population be managed?

Answer 21

1. Encouraging larger families should result in a larger working population when the children grow up which can provide more taxes for better pensions and services. For example the Swedish government makes having children more manageable by giving both parents 18 months paid leave when they have children. This isn’t sustainable unless the needs of the growing population is met in a sustainable way e.g. low carbon homes and no emission transport.
2. Raising retirement age makes the working population larger so more people contribute to the state pension fund and claim pension for a shorter time.
3. Encouraging the immigration of working-age people to help support by paying taxes. In recent years Japan has increased its number of foreign workers to fill available jobs. This increases the population so again needs must be met sustainably
4. Increasing health care provisions to release pressure on the health care system.

Question 22

How can a youthful population be managed?

Answer 22

1. Controlling birth rate helps towards sustainable development as the population won’t get larger but if the needs of the current population aren’t met in a sustainable way then it just stops the problem getting worse.
2. Limiting the immigration of younger people
3. Encouraging family planning
4. Increasing child care provision to enable parents to work instead of caring for children which doesn’t manage the population but helps to address some problems associated with a younger population.

Question 23

Case study - UK

Background in to population

Answer 23

The population of the UK is ageing, people over 65 make up a large increasing percentage of the population. In 2005 16% of the population were over 65 a figure which is expected to rise to 25% by 2041. Between 1980 and 2006 life expectancy grew by 2.8 years for women and 4 years for men to the current figures of 81.3 for women and 76.9 for men. Baby booms in the 1940s and 60s have contributed to this ageing population as it is these large generations that are starting to retire. There is also a falling birth rate so that make the proportion of older people greater.

Question 24

Case study - UK

Problems with an ageing problem

Answer 24

• Pressure on the pension system – there isn’t enough working age to pay for the pensions of the retired population through taxes, 60% of the population are paying taxes that go towards the pensions of 19% of the population
• More elderly people are living in poverty – the state pension isn’t very large and many don’t have other savings
• Pressure on health care – the average stay in hospital in 2005 for someone over 75 was 13 nights compared to the UKs average of 8 nights

Question 25

Case study - UK

Management of problems with an ageing population

Answer 25

• The age of retirement has increase – this increases the size of the working population, retirement age in the UK is 65 for men and 60 for women but by 2050 the retirement age will be raised to 68 for everyone – sustainable as it doesn’t increase population however if there is demand for new jobs these must be met in a sustainable way
• Encouraging immigration of working age people – the UK has allowed unlimited immigration of people from countries who joined the EU in 2004, in 2004 around 80% of immigrants were 34 or under to increase the size of the working population – however with the rise of Brexit this is set to change in the next few years – only sustainable if needs are met sustainably e.g. providing energy from renewable resources
• Encouraging more women to have children – the new pension system means that women won’t lose out if they take a career break to have children, working family tax credits support women who go back to work once their children are born – could increase the population so needs to meet extra demands more sustainably

Question 26

Case study - Uganda

Background

Answer 26

Uganda has a youthful population, in 2007 50% of the population was under 15 and only 3% over 65. Uganda has high birth and fertility rates, every year there are 48 babies born for every 1000 people and women have on average 7 children between the ages of 15 and 44. Life expectancy is low, around 52, so there is little older people making the proportion of younger people very high.

Question 27

Case study - Uganda

Problems with a youthful population

Answer 27

• Overpopulation, current population is 40 million and is expected to grow to 56 million by 2025
• Pressure on health service – around 6000 women die a year in childbirth, a figure that could grow as the youthful population reach reproductive age – HIV/AIDS is stretching healthcare as it is passed from mother to baby it is an increasing problem
• Unemployment could increase – when the large amount of youths reach working age there won’t be enough jobs so unemployment will rise further causing poverty to increase

Question 28

Case study - Uganda

Management of problems with a youthful population

Answer 28

• Encouraging the use of contraception and family planning – use of contraception among married women is less than 25%, new policies encourage the use of contraceptives which are received for free – however since 1991 population has increased suggesting that this method isn’t working – should provide sustainability as the population is decreasing allowing a country to focus on development
• Policies to combat HIV/AIDS – late 1980s programme of education called the ABC approach was used which worked reducing HIV infection rates from 15% of all adults in 1991 to 5% in 2001 - relieves pressure on health care freeing up money to be used elsewhere

Question 29

Extra case study - Australia

Background and population structure

Answer 29

Australia has one of the lowest population densities of any High Income Country. Most of Australia’s interior is baking hot semi-desert, hostile to human settlement. Because of this some people think that Australia’s population is already too big for the environment whereas others argue population needs to be increased to help maintain economic growth.
Population structure
Australia has one of the highest standards of living in the world. Life expectancy is 81.7, birth-rate is 12.39/1000 which is bigger than china, and death rates is 6.74/1000 which is similar to china. The population is growing by about 1.3% a year, one of the fastest growth rates in HICs. At the current rate of growth there is expected to be double the population in 40 years. Half of this growing population is due to the immigration of skilled professional people.

Question 30

Australia - immigration

Answer 30

Australia has an ageing population and an increasing dependency ratio. Australians are marrying later, on average aged 32 for men and 29 for women, and having children later. In 2005 the Australian Government introduced paid parental leave and baby grants to encourage parents to have more children and help reverse the low fertility rate.
Australians government use the Boserup argument that immigration drives economic growth, supplies young skilled workers and increases the size of the domestic markets. Until the 1970s assisted passages encouraged young families to migrate to Australia. From the 1950s to the 1970s a million British citizens immigrated to Australia for just £10 a family. Since the 1970s skilled-based migration has been used. Prospective immigrants must pass a points-based skills test based on employment, educational qualifications, age and the ability to speak some English.
Australia’s environment is fragile and only able to produce enough food and resources for a limited number of people. Water supply is an issue as rainfall is unreliable and evaporation is high. Water inlands is mostly obtained by drilling for limited groundwater supplies, it is pumped up from deep aquifers using wind pump. Rural areas are suffering population decline as a result of droughts. Animal farming has been hit badly.
The Snowy Mountains scheme bean in 1950 where a number of dams were built in the mountains of wetter parts of Victoria and New South Wales. Today the scheme supplies irrigation water for 60% of Australia’s food and wine production together with hydroelectricity.

Question 31

Extra case study - China, background

Answer 31

China has the world’s largest population, 1.387 billion. Although the western half of the country is sparsely populated china has 160 cities with a population of over 1 million each. It is estimated that by 2035 china will overtakes the USA as the world’s largest economy.

Question 32

China - one child policy

Answer 32

The Chinese government introduced the one child policy in 1982 overs fears that continuation in rapid population growth would cause poverty. Parents who had more than one child either gave it away or would be denied some social services but some families were allowed more than one child allegedly due to corruption. By 2010 Chinas fertility rate had dropped to 1.54 and with an ageing population the dependency ratio is increasing.
Chinas rising prosperity has caused life expectancy to rise to 76 years and traditionally many Chinese retire as early as 51. This leaves a very small working population to support the larger dependant elderly population. Because of traditions there is also a large gender imbalance as males are to provide for their families. Therefore by introducing a one child policy there has been a strong family pressure to kill infant girls or give them away for adoption. This further decreases the birth rates and by 2020 there could potentially be 30-40 million young Chinese men who are unable to marry because of the shortage of women.
The government introduce the two child policy in October 2015. Although many people may choose to just have one child as it has become the social norm it is hoped that this relax of the rules will decrease the dependency ratio and the gender imbalance to sustain economic growth.

Question 33

How does age structure tend to change from the inner city to the rural areas?

Answer 33

Inner city - High proportion of young people, students and professional
Suburbs - Mostly families with children
Rural-urban fringe - Mostly families with children but more elderly people as well
Rural - Higher proportion of elderly people

Question 34

How does wealth tend to change from the inner city to the rural areas?

Answer 34

Poorest residents tend to live in the inner city but with some wealthier people in redeveloped areas. In rural areas there are many wealthier residents who have move away from the city but original residents may be poorer.

Question 35

How does employment tend to change from the inner city to the rural areas?

Answer 35

Inner city - High proportion of students, unemployed and unskilled workers, young professional in some redeveloped areas
Suburbs - More employment in the tertiary sector and skilled manual workers
Rural-urban fringe - Proportion of employment in tertiary sector tends to increase
Rural - Higher proportion of workers in professional and managerial sectors,
Agricultural workers

Question 36

How does provisions of services tend to change from the inner city to the rural areas?

Answer 36

Inner city - Usually not many, corner shops, but is very close to the city centre for shops and services
Suburbs - Some local shopping, good public transport routes to the city centre and good availability of public transport
Rural-urban fringe - The location for out of town shopping complexes, airports and recreational facilities such as a golf course
Rural - Village shops have closed as residents commute to shops nearer the city, Poor public transport as many residents own cars

Question 37

Case study - Canning town London - Inner city

Answer 37

Canning town is a district in the West Ham area of the London Borough of Newham in East London. Housing generally small terraced or flats with no gardens, the majority of housing is council-owned. Ethnicity is mixed, black, Asian, African, 30% of resident are non-white British. The majority of the population is young working age but life expectancy is 9 years lower than in central London. There are health services and sport facilities including a gym which is popular with the young working age. Incomes are generally low and unemployment is high within the ethnic minorities who struggle to overcome language barriers.
Social welfare is relatively low due to high crime rates and deprivation. However there is good public transport, train, tube and bus, and good access to new schools and outdoor areas which will improve social welfare of this area.

Question 38

Case study - Penryn, Cornwall - Rural area

Answer 38

Housing is very expensive so young people and low-income earners are priced out of the housing market. Owner-occupation is high as a right to buy scheme in the 1980sand 1990s allowed those in social housing to buy their own homes. However the need for social housing is increasing as more and more people are unable to buy home. 95% of residents are white British, polish and Portuguese are the biggest ethnic minorities. The area is experiencing natural decrease due to the ageing population, high inward migration of retirees and outward migration of 16-29 year olds for jobs and further education.