Population Change

Question 1

Carrying capacity

Answer 1

The largest population that the resources of a given environment can support.

Question 2

Demography

Answer 2

The scientific study of human populations.

Question 3

Population momentum

Answer 3

The tendency for population growth to continue beyond the time that replacement level fertility has been achieved, because of a relatively high concentration of people in the child-bearing years. This situation is due to past high fertility rates which result in a large number of young people.

Question 4

Demographic transition

Answer 4

The historical shift of birth and death rates from high to low levels in a population.

Question 5

Crude birth rate

Answer 5

The number of births per 1000 population in a given year. It is very broad indicator as it does not take into account the age and gender distribution of the population.

Question 6

Crude death rate

Answer 6

The number of deaths per 1000 population in a given year. It is heavily influenced by the age structure of the population.

Question 7

Rate of natural change

Answer 7

The difference between the birth rate and the death rate.

Question 8

Census

Answer 8

An official periodic count of a population including such information as age, gender, occupation and ethnic origin.

Question 9

Natural decrease

Answer 9

When the number of births is lower than the number of deaths.

Question 10

Immigration

Answer 10

The migration of people into a country from one or a number of other countries.

Question 11

Emigration

Answer 11

The migration of people from a country to one or number of other countries.

Question 12

Net migration

Answer 12

The difference between immigration and emigration for a particular country.

Question 13

Fertility rate

Answer 13

The number of live births per 1000 women aged 15-49 years in a given year.

Question 14

Total fertility rate

Answer 14

The average number of children that would be born alive to a woman during her lifetime, if she were to pass through her child-bearing years conforming to the age-specific fertility rates of a given year.

Question 15

Replacement level fertility

Answer 15

The level at which each generation has just enough children to replace themselves in the population. Although the level varies for different populations, a total fertility rate of 2.12 children is usually considered as replacement level.

Question 16

Infant mortality rate

Answer 16

The number of deaths of infants under 1 year of age per 1000 live births in a given year.

Question 17

Child mortality rate

Answer 17

The number of deaths of children under 5 years of age per 1000 live births in a given year.

Question 18

Life expectancy

Answer 18

The average number of years a person may expect to live when born, assuming past trends continue.

Question 19

Population structure

Answer 19

The composition of a population, the most important elements of which are age and sex.

Question 20

Population pyramid

Answer 20

A bar chart, arranged vertically, that shows the distribution of a population by age and gender.

Question 21

Sex ratio

Answer 21

The number of males per 100 females in a population.

Question 22

Population projection

Answer 22

The prediction of future populations based on the age-gender structure, and with present rates of fertility, mortality and migration.

Question 23

Diffusion

Answer 23

The spread of a phenomenon over time and space.