UK in the 21st Century Flashcards
What are the human characteristics of the UK?[3]
- Population of 67 million
- London population density is 5500 people/km2
- This population density is highest in cities and on the areas around cities, like in the Midlands, but lowest in mountainous areas; East Cumbria has 24 people/km2
Note that only 12% of UK is urban because a lot of land is protected by Green Belts and private land
What are the problems of such a high population density? [3]
- Leads to housing shortage; UK needs up to 240,000 new houses a year
- This leads to an increase in house prices, so people can’t afford to live there.
- It also puts pressure on healthcare and education services.
Increase in house prices is also due to Greenbelts and empty properties(over 1 million in UK) as landlords have high rent
What are the physical characteristics of the UK? [3]
- North and West UK get a lot of rainfall while the South and East get less
- This is because of relief rainfall; prevailing wind blows from the SW, forcing air over the mountainous North and West, causing lots of rain on the mountains but very little on the shallow areas behind them.
- London is on a frontal rainfall boundary(between warm and cold air)
North-West receives up to 1470mm of rain a year
What problems are caused by the physical characteristics of the UK? [3]
- There is more rain in the North and West, but the greatest population density is in the South East
- This causes water stress in the South East, as there is a water deficit there but a water surplus in the North West
- The demand for water therefore uses up most of the rainfall, and when water demand exceeds rainfall for a long time, droughts can occur
The demand uses up most of the rainfall because of increased use of it in farming due to climate change, increased domestic use(washing machines, etc.), and growing UK population
What is being done to solve the water deficit in the South East UK?
Water Transfer Schemes, like the Cambrian Mountains to Birmingham scheme.
What is the distribution of land use in the UK like? [3]
- 64% of land is agricultural
- 12% of the UK is urban
- 13% of the UK is covered in forest
Of the 64% agricultural, 20% is arable land, and 44% is used for grazing
IMPORTANT NOTE: Of the 12% Urban land, around half of it is green spaces in cities anyway, so only 6% of the UK is actually built on.
What are the population trends in the UK? [4]
- The UK is still growing in poulation, and is predicted to reach 70 million by 2027
- So far more than 5 million people gained in the 21st century
- Up until the 1990s, the most growth was due to natural increase; now the most is due to net migration
- By 2015, the highest number of people were aged 40-49, due to the 1960s baby boom
- The number of people over 39 also increased by 18%, showing that the UK has an ageing population
What is the reason for the population trends in the UK? [2]
- Net migration; assumed to account for 51% of projected increase over the next 25 years
- Expansion of the EU between 2004 and 2007
Immigrants account for 27% of UK babies born
Where is the UK on the Demographic Transition Model(DTM) and why? [2]
London is at stage 4 of the demographic transition model because:
- Birth and death rates have fallen over the past 300 years, showing that it has been through stages 1-3
- The birth rate is 12 per 1000, and the death rate is 9 per 1000, showing that the UK population is slowly growing, so it is at stage 4(low and fluctuating birth and death rates).
What are the causes of an ageing population? [3]
- Low birth rates as couples are having fewer children; there is a decrease from 2.9 children/family to 1.8/family by 2014 over 50 years
- More women are choosing not to have children than in the population
- People are living longer due to better medical care and a healthier lifestyle( e.g. not smoking), so life expectancy has increased from 72 years in 1964 to 81 years in 2014
Around 18% of the UK population is over 65.
What is the spatial distribution of older people in the UK?[3]
- Fewer older people in Northern Ireland and Scotland, and more in England and Wales
- Generally lower in big cities like London and Manchester, as people live in cities to be closer to their job, so more of the population is of working age.
- The percentage of older people is higher in coastal areas , particularly South-West and East England, as people move there when they retire.
2 social points, 2 economic point
What are the effects of an ageing population in the UK?[4]
Social:
- Pressure on healthcare services due to greater demand for medical care
- Some people act as unpaid carers, so they have less leisure time and are more stressed
- People may not be able to afford to have lots of children if they have older relatives, so there may be a further drop in birth rate
- Many retired people do voluntary work, which benefits the community.
Economic:
- Taxes for working people rise to pay for healthcare and services like pensions and retirement homes
- Older people who don’t work pay less tax, so their economic contribution decreases
- However, some older people look after their grandchildren, so their children can work
- Many older people have disposable income, which they spend on goods and services that boost the economy/
What are the responses to an ageing population? [3]
- The Govt. may need to increase taxes or cut spending to fund more support or medical care
- The government is raising the age at which people can claim a pension, so people work longer to contribute to tax longer
- The government is encouraging people to save more money to pay for retirement
- The UK currently offers a winter fuel allowance to all older people, although in future this may be given only to people who can’t afford their heating, to spend less money/
How has Boston, Lincolnshire’s ethnic diversity changed between 2001 and 2011? [3]
- The Boston population increased by 15.9% during 2001 and 2011, and England increased by 7.9%
- Annual increase of 1.6% during this time
- 10.6% of the population during this growth were from the new Eastern European countries(Latvia, Lithuania, Poland)
- 13% of Boston’s population was born in Eastern Europe by 2011
- Homeless Charity shelter set up which helped 46 migrants in 2001-2011
- 20-30 age bracket in Boston was 5,800 in 2001, went up to 8,500 in 2011
This is largely due to the 2004-2008 EU accession, which gave membership to Eastern European countries whose people could freely migrate to the UK to live and work.
How have UK politics affected the economic changes since 2001? [1, 2, 2]
- Political priorities encouraged investment in new technologies and University education, leading to more computing industries and a more skilled workforce
However the 2008 recession meant that they changed their priorities: - Supporting businesses so that they didn’t collapse, which would have increased unemployment
- Decreasing taxes on goods to encourage spending and international trade
- Borrowing and money from private companies and overseas investors
Post-recession, after 2009: - Cut in spending on public services like education to raise money
- Providing training for job seekers and support for new businesses to decrease unemployment
