Population and The Environment 3.2.4.1 Introduction Flashcards
1
Q
How has the world’s population changed through time?
A
It has increased exponentially.
* Reached 1B in 1804
* 2B in 1927
* 3B in 1960
* 5B in 1987
* 7B in 2011
* 8B in 2024
don’t need to remember all the dates/numbers but useful
1
Q
explain the patterns of population change in different areas/magnitudes of wealth.
A
- Population is growing in most countries. - tends to be between 0.5-1.5% growth (per year).
- Only a few countries where population is decreasing such as Japan and China.
- Growing rapidly in Africa - over 2% per year.
- Growth tends to be highest in LDEs
2
Q
Information relevant to population change in the Niger case study
From the textbook, may not have covered in class.
A
- Poorest country in the world according to the UN human development index in 2018. (As of 2022 Niger is third poorest, with Somalia as the poorest).
- Highest total fertility rate - over 7 births per woman.
- Food insecure country - over 2.5 million have no food guarantee.
- Northern areas often recieve only 200mm of rainfall per year, with 600mm on average in the South-West. Rainfall has been declining in the last 50 years so droughts are more common - leading to food shortages.
- Food insecurity also driven by lack of infrastructure and poltiical will to implement irrigation systems, meaning crops are usually only planted Lake Chad and the River Niger.
- In other drier areas, subsistence farming is common. - generally herding of cattle, although becoming more difficult with droughts.
- Larger families are both a cultural norm (polygamy is common and there is competition between some wives to have larger families) and considered an economic neccesity for susbsistence farmers.
3
Q
General factors which affect population change
A
- climate
- resource availability
- development
- human behaviour (culture)
- soils
