Population Structure Flashcards
What is population structure and what is one way of showing the composition of the population in a country or region
The composition of the people living in a country
Population Pyramid
What are the main characteristics that the population pyramid shows
Age
Gender
How does the population pyramid display information
Male population on the left
Female population on the right
Age up the middle column
Numbers along the bottom represent the percentage of people in each category
How do LEDC pyramids compare to MEDC pyramids
-LEDC has a wider base (High Birth Rates)
-Rapidly decreasing sides indicating a lot of infant deaths (high death rates)
-very sharp point indicating small elderly population. Population has grown so fast that the proportion of elderly people is tiny.
-The bulk of the population is young
How do MEDC pyramids compare to LEDC pyramids
-Narrow base which indicates the population is growing very slowly or not at all (birth rates and death rates are the same so basically cancel each other out)
-Their sides are not steep as their populations are not growing and they have low levels of infant mortality
-Don’t taper off until older age as there is generally a long life expectancy
What is a dependency rate
Describes the proportion of people in a country that are dependent on other people in that country for support
What are three age groups within a population and describe them
Youth-dependent:
-Ranges from 0-14
-unlikely to be big earners and they DEPEND on the economically active
Economically active:
-independent population
-most likely to be wage earners and those who pay taxes
Aged-dependent:
-65+ age category
-likely to have stopped working and are perhaps starting to rely on pensions and other savings
-likely to need more social and health care
What is the calculation for dependency rate
Youth dependent + aged dependent / working population X 100
MEDC: dependency ratio of between 50 and 75
LEDC: dependency ration over 100
What are the advantages, disadvantages and solutions for an aged dependent population
Advantage:
-There may be an increase in those participating in voluntary work as a substantial portion of volunteers are made up of retirees
-a society may become more stable, younger generations benefiting from the experience and advice from senior members of society
-retirement opens up jobs
Disadvantages:
-Loneliness,Many people end up living alone when their partner dies
-Residential care
Solutions:
-Euthanasia may have to be introduced as legal
-The government may have to pursue policies to entice younger people to have more children
What are the advantages, disadvantages and solutions for a youth dependent population
Advantages:
Labour supply- a large youth dependent society may provide and adequate labour supply and market
Disadvantages:
-Care for young people will be difficult as many are made orphans by diseases such as MIV, Tuberculosis and AIDS
-lack of opportunities due to large population
What are PUSH factors for migration
Something that would encourage someone to move away from an area
Political factors
Not enough jobs
Wars
Food shortage
Natural disasters
What are PULL factors for migration
Something about an environment that attracts people to move to a place
Medical care
Family links
Improved living
Education
What are some human and physical barriers to migration
Human: Visas and laws, economic (can’t afford it), culture (new language)
Physical: rivers, mountain ranges, deserts, sea and government built barriers
What is an asylum seeker and a refugee
Asylum seeker: A person who crosses a border to another country to seek protection or shelter.
They apply for asylum in another country but their application has not yet been concluded
Refugee: someone who has had their claim for asylum approved by the government.
They are protected from being sent back to their country
What is an economic migrant
A person moves to improve their chances of getting employment and earning money
They are often young single men
