Population Geography Flashcards
Arithmetic density
The number of people living in a given unit area
Age-sex distribution
A model used in population geo that describes the ages and number of males and females within a given population: aka population pyramid
Baby boom
A cohort of individuals born in the US between 1946-1964 in a time of relative peace and prosperity; allowed for better education and job opportunities, encouraging high rates of both marriage and fertility
Baby bust
Period of time during the 60s and 70s when fertility rates in the US dropped as large numbers of women from the baby boom generation sought higher levels of education and more competitive jobs, causing them to marry later in life
Carrying capacity
The largest number of ppl that the environment of a particular area can sustainably support
Census tract
Small country subdivisions, usually containing between 2,500 and 8,000 persons, delineated by the US Census Bureau as areas of relatively uniform population characteristics, economic status, and living conditions
Chain migration
The migration event in which individuals follow the migratory path of preceding friends or family members to an existing community
Child mortality rate
Number of deaths per thousand children within the first five years
Cohort
A population group unified by a specific common characteristic, such as age, and subsequently treated as a statistical unit
Cotton Belt
Term by which the American South used to be known, as cotton historically dominated the agricultural economy of the region; the same area is now known as the New South or Sun Belt because ppl have migrated here from older cities in the industrial north for a better climate and new job opportunities
Crude birth rate
The number of live births per year per 1,000 ppl
Crude death rate
The number of deaths per year per 1,000 ppl
Generation X
Describes ppl born in the US between 1965-1980; this post-baby-boom generation will have to support the baby boom cohort as they head into their retirement years
Geodemography/ population geography
A division of human geo concerned with spatial variations in distribution, composition, growth and movements of pop.
Demographic accounting equation
An equation that summarizes the amount of growth or decline in a pop. within a country during a particular time period taking into account both natural increase and net migration
Demographic transition model
A sequence of demographic changes in which a country moves from high birth and death rates through time
Demography
The study of human populations, including their temporal and spatial dynamics
Dependency ratio
The ratio of the # of ppl who are either too old or too young to provide for themselves to the # of ppl who must support them through their own labor; usually expressed in the form n:100, where n equals the # of dependents
Doubling time
Time period required for a pop. experiencing exponential growth to double in size completely
Emigration
Process of moving out of a particular country, usually the individual person’s country of origin
Exponential growth
Growth that occurs when a fixed percentage of new ppl is added to a pop. each year; exponential growth is compound because the fixed growth rate applies to an ever-increasing population
Forced migration/ Involuntary migration
Migration event in which individuals are forced to leave a country against their will
Immigration
The process of individuals moving into a new country with the intentions of remaining there
Infant mortality rate
The percentage of children who die before their first birthday within a particular area or country
Internal migration
The permanent or semipermanent movement of individuals within a particular country
Intervening obstacles
Any forces or factors that may limit human migration
Life expectancy
The avg. age individuals are expected to live, which varies across space, between genders, and even between races
Thomas Malthus
Essay on the Principle of Population (1798); claimed that population grows at an exponential rate while food production increases arithmetically, and thereby that, eventually, pop. growth would outpace food production
Maternal mortality rate
Number of deaths per thousand of women giving birth
Migration
A long-term move of a person from one political jurisdiction to another
Natural increase rate
The difference between the # of deaths and # of births within a particular country
Neo-Malthusian
Advocacy of pop. control programs to ensure enough resources for current and future populations
Overpopulation
A value judgement based on the notion that the resources of a particular area aren’t great enough to support the area’s current pop.
Physiologic density
A ratio of human pop. to the area of cropland, used in less developed countries dominated by subsistence agriculture
Population density
A measurement of the # of persons per unit land area
Population pyramid
A model used in pop. geo to show the age and sex distribution of a particular pop.
Pull factors
Attractions that draw migrants to a certain place, such as a pleasant climate and employment or educational opportunities
Push factors
Incentives for potential migrants to leave a place, such as a harsh climate, economic recession, or political turmoil
Refugees
Ppl who leave their home because they are forced out, but not because they are being officially relocated or enslaved
Rust Belt
The northern individual states of the US, including Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, in which heavy industry was once the dominant economic activity; in the 1960s-80s, these states lost much of their economic base to economically attractive regions of the US and to countries where labor was cheaper, leaving old machinery to rust in the moist northern climate
Sun Belt
US region, mostly comprised of southeastern and southwestern states, which has grown most dramatically since WW2
Total fertility rate
The avg. # of children born to a woman during her childbearing years
Voluntary migration
Movement of an individual who consciously and voluntarily decides to locate to a new area–the opposite of forced migration
Zero population growth
Proposal to end pop. growth through a variety of official and nongovernmental family planning programs
