Population Geography Flashcards
Carrying Capacity
Max population size of species that environment can sustain indefinitely with available food + water
overpopulation
occurs when # of people exceeds capacity of environment to support life at decent standard of living
Demography
study of population characteristics
Where is most of population clustered
1) 2/3rd of world population in East Asia, South Asia, Europe, Southeast Asia
2) Mainly in low-lying areas with fertile soil + temperate climate
3) Africa also has large clusters along West Coast + East Coast
4) Largest Cluster in Western Hemisphere is Northeast US + Southeast Canada
Where do humans avoid clustering
1) in regions that are too dry, too wet, too cold, too mountainous
Ecumene
Area with permanent human occupationA
Arithmetic Density
Total # objects in an area
Physiological Density
1) # of people per area of certain type of land
2) arable land = land suited for agriculture
3) # of people per unit of arable land - physiological density
Agricultural density
1) Ratio of farmers to amount of arable land
2) Developed countries = low agricultural density
Natural Increase Rate
1) Percentage by which population grows in a year, ~1.2%
2) most natural increase in developing countries
Doubling Time
1) time in years needed for population to double
Crude Birth Rate
Total number of live births in a year for every 1000 alive people
Total Fertility Rate
kids a woman would have throughout childbearing years (15-49)
Infant mortality Rate
annual number of deaths of infants under one year compared to total live births
Crude Death Rate
1) Total number of deaths in a year for every 1000 people alive in society
2) Lower in developing countries
3) Variation (especially between developing + developed countries) is due to demographic transition
Demographic Transition
4 Stage model that a population will transition through
1) Low Growth
2) High Growth
3) Moderate Growth
4) Low Growth
2 big breaks in demographic transition
1) Tech innovation –> led to sudden drop in death rate (accomplished everywhere)
2) Changing social customs –> sudden drop in birth rates (not yet achieved in many countries)
Stage 1 Low Growth
1) Very high CBR, CDR, low NIR
2) Majority of human history in stage 1
3) Now, no countries in stage 1
Stage 2: High Growth
1) Still high CBR, rapidly decline CDR, very high NIR
2) Occurred bc of IR in developed countries + in developing countries bc of medical revolution
3) med revolution = med tech invented in US + Europe given to developing countries
Stage 3 Moderate Growth
1) Rapidly declining CBR, moderately declining CDR, moderate NIR
2) Birth dramatically drops BUT country still growing since birth>death
3) Most people live in cities, work in offices, have fewer children (decline in mortality)
4) Most developed countries are in stage 3
Stage 4 Low Growth
1) Zero Population Growth = stage 4 countries
2) Very low CBR, low or slightly increasing CDR, 0 or negative NIR
3) social norms = women tend to enter labor force rather than being full-time homemakers + have more access to birth control
4) Denmark is in stage 4
Possible Stage 5
1) declining NIR, increasing CDR, very low CBR
2) very old overall population
3) CDR unlikely to reduce unless discover cure to cancer or something that affects old
4) examples = Japan
5) Inverted population pyramid
Population Pyramid
Shows age distribution (males and females) in a society
Lowering CBR through education
1) More educated women –> learn employment skills + gain economic control over lives
2) Women would make better choices + select contraception
3) Lead to child immunization + ensure higher infant survival + lead to family-planning
Lowering CBR through contraception
1) developing countries = greater demand than supply
2) most effective way to increase use = distribute cheaply + quickly
Where do population concentrate
1) Low lying areas
2) fertile soils
3) temperate climates
4) near oceans + rivers to trade with
population triangles
1) Stage 1 = weird squatty triangle
2) Stage 2 = equilateral triangle
3) Stage 3 = equilateral triangle on top of rectangle (young population)
4) Stage 4 = flares in middle (more middle aged people)
5) Flared at top (chinese fan)
