Population - Revision World



Population

Contents

• The distribution of population over space

• Physical influences on the distribution of population

• Economic, social and political influences on the distribution of population

• Spatial variations in birth and death rates and in age and sex structures

• The demographic transition and its application and limitations

• National Population Policies

• Migration at local, national and international scales

• The cause of migration and its consequences

The distribution of population over space

The worlds population is growing at a rate of 2.7 people per second.

Population distribution is the way in which people are spread over an area.

Population density is the amount of people living in a specified area.

The distribution of the world’s population is often attributed to several factors.

Physical influences on the distribution of population

Relief- In areas of high population density, the land is often flat and low lying which encourages settlement development. Land like this is easier to build on and goods are easier to transport. In areas of low population density, the land is often rugged, steep and high above sea level. It is often extremely difficult to settle in areas of this style.

Climate- A climate which is not too extreme in either direction often encourages the greatest settlement growth. In areas of low population density, the climate is often either far too cold (e.g. Antarctica) or far too hot (e.g. Sahara Desert).

Vegetation- If the vegetation is low lying; it is easy to remove so encourages settlement. In areas of dense vegetation (e.g. the Amazon Rainforest) it is often difficult to settle.

Water- Access to a fresh supply of water is vital for determining the density of an areas population. Where the water supply is good, high population densities will be found. Where the water supply is poor, low population densities will be found.

Soils- If the soil is rich and fertile; the population density is often high as people are able to yield good crops. If the soil is thin and unproductive, few people will live in the area.

Economic, social and political influences on the distribution of population

Economic- Some of the biggest growth regions in the UK, have grown as a result of the excellent economic conditions. A poorly developed economy is often unable to support large populations and people end up living in poor housing (e.g. Brazil).

Social- Areas will have a high population density if they are located close to good communications links. If links between cities and towns are poor, then areas will have a low population density. Access to resources is also vital to the density of a population as people will locate in areas where they have access to the appropriate resources. People will also often locate in an area where the culture is not to different from their own, as language barriers are often something which people are keen to avoid.

Political- Areas that receive a large level of investment often have high population densities. Rural areas often have very little investment and therefore become run down and have low population densities.

Spatial variations in birth and death rates and in age and sex structures

Birth rate- the number of births per 1000 people per year

Death rate- the number of deaths per 1000 people per year

Natural Change- the difference between the birth rates of a country and the death rates

Birth rates can vary over space from country to country. Areas in some parts of Africa, for example, still have extremely high birth rates due to a lack of education and access to contraception. However, in some parts of Europe, the birth rate has rapidly declined due to women deciding not to begin a family in favour of a career.

Death rates can also vary over space. This is due to the fact that countries in the majority of LEDC’s have poor access to good quality medical care and therefore the spread of disease is high. However, in MEDC’s the health care system is often more effective and this result in lower death rates.

Many countries in Europe have now reached the stage where the population is rapidly ageing. As people are now choosing to take the career path as opposed to starting families, birth rates have fallen. Good health care has led to death rates decreasing. Therefore, the population pyramid of these types of countries is very top heavy and this has put immense pressure on the governments of these countries to devise plans which mean that they can cater for growing numbers of OAP’s. The same cannot be said for a majority of the countries in LEDC’s. Due to high birth rates and high death rates, the population pyramids are often very bottom heavy. As a result the pressure on the education system is immense, as there is not provision to educate all of the children. This leads to a poverty cycle.

The shape of a population pyramid is dependent on the sex, age, birth and death rate of a country. The stage at which the country has reached in the Demographic Transition Model can often be judged by the shape of the population pyramid.

The demographic transition and its application and limitations

The DMT shows how birth and death rates change as country goes through different stages of development.

The model has five stages.

Stage 1: At stage 1 the birth and death rates are both high. So the population remains low and stable. Places in the Amazon, Brazil and rural communities of Bangladesh would be at this stage. High death rates would be attributed to poor water supply, poor health care, a reliance upon subsistence farming, disease and pests and an unreliable economy. High birth rates would be attributed to a lack of knowledge of family planning, the need to have large families to help with work, and the women’s traditional role as a mother in these societies.

Stage 2: At this stage the death rate falls but the birth rate remains high. Natural increase is greater so the population begins to grow rapidly. An example of a country at this stage would be Sri Lanka or Peru. The death rates often fall due to medical breakthroughs and new hospital services opening. Improvements may have also been made to accommodation or food and water supply. Birth rates remain high for religious or cultural purposes and people are still not educated to using contraception.

Stage 3: Birth rates now fall and death rates continue to fall. Natural increase remains high and population growth is rapid. An example of a country at this stage would be Chile or China. The birth rates fall as there is better access to family planning and people have begun to appreciate the fact that families are expensive and that women are able to work. Death rates continue to fall as medical care, water supply and accommodation are improved.

Stage 4: Birth rates and death rates level out. The population now stabilises as the natural increase is low. An example of a country at this stage is Australia. Birth rates are low as the society is advanced and therefore, women choose for careers and smaller families to ensure that they have a better quality of life. Death rates remain low.

Stage 5? The model was designed to only incorporate four stages, however, in recent years there has been call for a fifth stage to be added to the model. At this stage the birth rate falls below the death rate and this result in a negative population increase. An example of a country at this stage is Italy.

Italian women are deciding that a career is more important than a family and many decide to not have children at all by being sterilised. Death rates remain low and the population begins to rapidly age.

However, as with all theoretical models, the DTM does have its limitations and the model has failed to predict several occurrences. Firstly, the model failed to predict the falling birth rates in many MEDC countries. Secondly, the model assumes that all countries will pass through the same four stages, however, countries in Africa, for example, will never become industrialised. And finally, countries such as Australia, USA and Canada, never went through the first stages as their populations grew due to emigration.

National Population Policies

Due to the pressures of population change, some countries have devised population policies which they hope will enable them to make the relevant changes to their population.

China- the problem of a rapidly increasing population

The population of China rapidly increased during its industrial revolution. It is now said that 1 in 6 people in the world is of Chinese origin. Due to this the Chinese Government, decided that they would limit couples to having one child as opposed to the original policy of two children per couple. The government introduced the policy in the hope that the population would stabilize in the 21st century. The policy is very strict and it is illegal for couples to have more than one child. It is reported that families have been fined and forced abortions and sterilisations have been performed. The policy has been successful in the city but not so in the rural areas, as farmers want to have larger families so that children can help out with work. The government offered lots of incentives to families such as free education, priority housing and pension benefits.

The Shetlands- the problems of a decreasing population

People in the Shetlands have been so worried about the dwindling population that they have actually advertised for people to move to the islands. They advertised for younger families as they felt that this would help encourage future population growth. They encouraged people to move by advertising the benefits such as no pollution, fresh air, crime free and low taxes.

Migration at local, national and international scales

Migration is the movement of people from one place to another.

People choose to migrate for a variety of reasons and migration can either be voluntary or forced. Voluntary migration is when people choose to move for a better life. Forced migration is when people have to move because the conditions they are living in are no longer safe.

Migration at local scale involves people moving from one area to another within the same region.

Migration at a national scale is when people move from one area of the country to another. Rural migration is a classic example of this, when people move from one the country to the city often in search of employment.

Migration at an international scale is when people move from one country to another.

The cause of migration and its consequences

There are several causes of migration and these can often be categorized into either push or pull factors. Push factors are the things which make people want to leave a place. Pull factors are the things which make people want to move to a place.

|Case study |Voluntary |Temporary |National |Economic, environmental, |

| |Or |Or |Or |socio-cultural or political|

| |Forced |Permanent |International | |

|Transmigration, Indonesia |Voluntary |Permanent |National |Economic as people were |

| | | | |encouraged to move to get |

| | | | |jobs. Also environmental as|

| | | | |there was a great pressure |

| | | | |on the environment from the|

| | | | |growing population of Java |

|Rwanda |Forced |Temporary |International |Political as the people |

| | | | |were forced to leave due to|

| | | | |a corrupt government and a |

| | | | |fear of persecution |

|Calcutta Bustees |Voluntary |Permanent |National |Economic as people moved in|

| | | | |urban areas for employment.|

| | | | |Socio-cultural as people |

| | | | |moved to get access to |

| | | | |better health care and |

| | | | |education |

Migration has impacts on the source and host countries, as well as the migrants themselves.

|Factor |Source |Host |

|Economic |Loosing population can be good for the |The workers are seen as a good cheap source|

| |source country as it relieves the pressure |of labour. |

| |on unemployment and there is always the |Large numbers of migrants can put massive |

| |hope that migrants will send money back to |pressures on the economy of some areas |

| |their original country. | |

| |However, the most skilled and intellectual | |

| |people often leave. | |

|Socio-cultural |Large populations of women are often left |Can lead to tension between different |

| |behind. The culture of a country can also |groups. |

| |be diluted if people continue to move away |Adds to the cultural diversity of a country|

|Environmental |Migration can ease the pressure on the |Generally increases the pressure on the |

| |environment. |environment as people need more land for |

| | |homes, etc. In an under populated country, |

| | |an influx of migrants can lead to better |

| | |usage of services. |

Consequences for migrants

In a positive light, migration can lead to a better quality of life for migrants. They may have a better job, larger homes and better access to services. However, they may also become victims of racial discrimination or be forced to live in squalid conditions.

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