FRQs – Human Populations



FRQs – Human Populations

1. A certain fictional country called Industria is tracking its population data. In 1855, the first year vital statistics were reported for the country, the population was 1.6 million, with a crude birth rate of 43 per 1,000. At that time the population of Industria was growing quite slowly, because of the high death rate of 41 per 1,000. In 1875 the population began to grow very rapidly as the birth rate remained at it 1855 level, while the crude death rate dropped dramatically to 20 per 1, 000. Population growth continued to increase in the small country into the late 1800’s, even though birthrates began to decline slowly.

In 1895 the crude birth rate had dropped to 37, and the death rate to 12 per 1, 000. In that year (1895) a complete census revealed that the population of Industria had grown to 2.5 million. By 1950 population growth gradually began to decline as the death rate remained at its 1895 level, while the birth rate continued to decline to 22 per 1,000. In 1977 vital statistics revealed that the death rate was 10 per 1,000, and that population growth had slowed even more to an annual rate of 0.4%. By 1990 Industria had reduced its birth rate to that of its now constant, low death rate, and the population transition was complete.

a. On a graph, plot the crude birth-rate data from 1855 to 1990. Now plot the crude death rate data on the same graph. Clearly label the axes and the curves.

b. What was the annual growth rate of Industria in 1950? What was the birth rate in Industria in 1977?

c. Indicate TWO factors that might have accounted for the rapid decline in the death rate in Industria between 1855 and 1895. Indicate one specific reason why the birth rate might have been so high in 1855 and was so slow to decrease between 1855 and 1950.

d. Determine what the population size of Industria would have been in 1951 if the population had continued to grow at the annual rate of growth recorded for Industria in 1895.

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2. Some scientists estimate that by 2025 over 60 percent of the global human population will live in urban areas. Urban residents experience a variety of problems related to the physical environment.

a. Describe how the temperature of urban areas like Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Chicago differs from that of surrounding rural areas.

b. Identify and describe TWO differences between urban and surrounding rural areas that contribute to the temperature difference between them.

c. Urban areas typically have levels of air pollution that are significantly higher than those found in surrounding rural areas. Identify a characteristic of the urban microclimate that leads to higher levels of air pollution and describe how that characteristic contributes to the increase.

d. Identify and describe TWO actions that local governments in urban areas could take to reduce outdoor air pollution.

e. Identify and describe TWO ways in which the local hydrological cycle of urban areas differs from that of nearby rural areas.

3. Read the following article from the Fremont Examiner.

Diseases on the Rise!

4. Despite the fact that many old diseases have been effectively controlled by the use of antibiotics and vaccines, it appears that the world today is becoming more vulnerable to the outbreak of relatively new diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and West Nile Fever, and the reemergence and spread of old diseases such as malaria, cholera, and tuberculosis. According to epidemiologist Dr. Amodie, “It is not possible to protect the health of Americans without addressing the problems of infectious diseases on a global scale.” The threat of the emergence and spread of newly arising infectious diseases has become a dangerous reality. These new diseases could become the endemic diseases of tomorrow.

a. For one new disease and one old disease named in the article above, explain how the disease is transmitted through the human population and describe an effective method for controlling the spread of disease.

b. For one of the two diseases you chose in part (a), identify one environmental factor that contributed to the emergence or reemergence of the disease and explain how that factor influenced the increased incidence of the disease.

c. Provide a rationale to support Dr. Amodie’s statement as quoted in the article.

5. Between 1950 and 2000, global meat production increased from 52 billion kilograms to 240 billion kilograms. During this period, the global human population increases form 2.6 billion to 6.0 billion.

a. Calculate the per capita meat production in 1950 and in 2000.

b. Use the values from part (a) to calculate the change in global per capita meat production during this 50-year period as a percentage of the 1950 value.

c. Discuss why it is more efficient to produce grain for human consumption than to produce meat for human consumption. In your answer, consider both land use and energy use.

d. Describe TWO environmental consequences of the increase in the production of meat for human consumption.

e. Identify and explain one potential advantage and one potential disadvantage for human health of a diet that contains very little meat.

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