Perth Academy. Geography Department

Transcription

1 Perth Academy Geography Department Human Environments Population

2 POPULATION Introduction The population of the world is over 7 billion, which is the highest it has ever been. In this unit we will investigate world population. We will look at how population is unevenly spread throughout the world and the reasons for this. We will find out why people move from one country to another, or within a country from the countryside to the city. We will find out how population is counted and how it changes over time and from place to place. We will also compare a rich country like Britain (a developed country) with poorer (developing) countries. 1 How do we know the world population? Where do all these people live? Developed and Developing Countries Development is a measure of the standard of living in a country. It is often simply referred to as rich or poor countries but wealth is only one measure of the standard of living and a countries development also includes other indicators of development such as health, education, energy and employment. Countries like U.K., U.S.A. and Japan have advanced medical care, compulsory secondary education, many doctors and good access to nutritious food. As a result these countries have a high standard of living and are called developed countries. Developing countries therefore have a lower standard of living and have few doctors, basic medical facilities, mainly agricultural jobs, little access to electricity and poor education. Social and economic indicators are used to determine how developed a country is. The map on page 2 shows the location of developed and developing countries around the world.

3 Figure 1: The location of developed and developing countries 2 Where are the rich countries? Where are the poor countries? Stick your map of the world into your jotter and then shade it in to clearly show the location of the developed and developing countries of the world. Draw a line to highlight the divide between the rich north and the poor south. Make sure you include a key and the main lines of latitude. Social and Economic Indicators Social indictors show how a country uses its wealth to try and improve the quality of life of its people. These include: Health number of people per doctor Life expectancy average age people are expected to live to, calculated from birth Education percentage of adults who can read and write Education percentage attendance at secondary school Food number of calories consumed per person per day Death rate number of deaths per 1000 people per year Birth rate number of births per 1000 people per year Infant mortality rate - number of babies born per 1000 who die before the age of 1

4 Economic indicators are related to the wealth of the country. The most commonly used are: Gross National Product (GNP) per person, the value of goods and services produced in a country divided by the total population (includes exports) Average income per person per year, measured in US dollars ($) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person, the value of goods and services in a country divided by the total population Summary Development Indicator Wealth GNP per capita Food Calories per person per day Health Number of people per doctor Education Percentage of people who are literate Industrialisation Percentage of people in agriculture Problems with Using Only One Indicator Reasons Used Shows how much wealth is available to give people a high standard of living Shows how much food is available Shows how good the health service is Shows how good the education service is Shows how industrialised the country is 3 There are problems with just using one indicator to judge how developed a country is, such as: Indicators are averages which are unreliable as they do not take into account regional differences, variations between urban and rural areas or differences within an urban area such as favelas beside rich inner city apartments e.g. in Rio de Janeiro GNP can be easily skewed by a few very rich families while the majority of the country lives in poverty Subsistence farming is not taken into account as there is no economic value GNP does not take into account purchasing power i.e. how much goods cost vs. income The wealth of a country does not take into account how the money is used How can we get an accurate measure of development?

5 Make a note of some social and economic indicators of development and summarise why more than one indicator should be used to determine the level of development of a country. 4 Global Population Distribution Write down the population of the world at the start of the lesson. Check again at the end of the lesson to see how this has changed. - Brainstorm Do you know the answers to the following questions? Have a guess if you don t know, writing the answers in your jotter. Share your answers with the person sitting next to you and discuss your choices. The population of the world? The population of the U.K.? The population of Scotland? The population of Perth? The population of Perth Academy? The Population of this class? Do all countries, settlements, schools etc. all have the same population? Why?

6 Figure 2: Global Population Distribution 5 Empty Crowded Population distribution is the spread of people across the world i.e. where they live. From figure 2 above, is the population of the world spread evenly? Are there more empty or crowded areas? Population density is the number of people living in an area and is measured as number of people per square kilometre. Crowded areas have lots of people living there and are known as densely populated areas. Empty areas have few people living there and this is known as sparsely populated. Scotland has a medium population density (moderately populated) overall as it has some large cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh which are densely populated, while other large areas like the Highlands are sparsely populated. Write the meanings of the following terms into your jotter: Population distribution Population density Densely populated Sparsely populated

7 Continent Total Population Total Area (km 2 ) Africa Asia Australasia Europe North America South America Average population density (people per km 2 ) Copy the above table into your notes and complete it by calculating the average population density for the remaining continents. 6 Use this data to draw a bar graph to show the total population, total area and the average population density for each continent on the same graph. Hint: Use the same colour for each population statistic! Answer the following questions in sentences: 1. Which is the most densely populated continent? 2. Which is the least densely populated continent? 3. Is there a relationship between the size of the continent and the population density? Give reasons for your answer, using information from the table to help. 4. Compare the map on page 2 showing the location of developed and developing countries with the table of global population distribution above. Do you see any patterns between population density and development? Give detailed reasons for your answer. Why is the population of the world unevenly distributed i.e. why do people live where they do? Physical and Human Factors Influencing Population Distribution Write down any reasons you can think of why people may choose to live in an area or why they may avoid living in an area. Write your answers in your allocated space on the placemat on your desk. This is an individual activity and you should be prepared to share your thoughts with the group. Population

8 Read pages 128 and 129 of Key Geography for GCSE, put a heading of Human and Physical Factors then copy the summary from page 129 into your notes. Answer activities 1 and 2 in sentences, then copy diagram B. World Population Change In 2011 the world s population passed 7 billion and is predicted to increase to 9 billion by the year 2040, yet in early 1900 the world s population was only 2 billion. Indeed it had taken 100 years to double from 1 billion people. So why has there been such a rapid increase in the world s population (population explosion) since 1900? 7 Year Population (billion) Number of years taken to increase by 1 billion n/a n/a Copy and complete the last column of the above table and use the information to draw a graph of world population. Answer the following questions: 1. Describe how population has changed over time. 2. Why has a line graph been used to show this information?

9 The majority of the world population growth is taking place in the developing world (as shown in the graph below) with the population of some developed countries even starting to decrease. Developing countries Developed countries 8 Population Change Population change depends on the balance between the birth rate (average number of live births per 1000 people per year) and the death rate (average number of deaths per 1000 people per year). Natural increase (or decrease) is the difference between the birth and death rate. What happens to the population if birth rate is greater than death rate? death rate is greater than birth rate? Birth rates have historically been higher than death rates, however, it is not always the case. Can you think of any reasons why death rates may be higher? Factors Affecting Birth and Death Rates There are many factors which either raise or lower birth and death rates and these vary depending on whether a country is developed (e.g. UK) or developing (e.g. India). The population of the developed world is fairly stable and neither rises nor falls considerably. In developed countries birth and death rates are low. In developing countries, population is growing rapidly due to high birth rates and lowering death rates. Discuss with your neighbour, any factors that you think will: Lower birth rate Lower death rate Raise birth rate Raise death rate

10 Developed Country (UK) 9 Ask the person sitting beside you, how many brothers and sisters they have and write down the answer. Ask them if they know how many brothers and sisters their parents have (i.e. the number of aunts and uncles they have). In your pairs, compare how many brothers and sisters you have with the number your parents have is it different or the same. Why do you think this might be? Watch the following video clip: Read pages 10 and 11 of this workbook and then take notes on the reasons for these birth and death rates in developed and developing countries from the powerpoint.

11 Developed Country (UK) improved women's status family planning careers availability of contraception Low Birth Rates later marriage 10 desire for material possessions children are economic liability advances in medicine enhanced food production vaccinations good geriatric care Low Death Rates free health care (NHS) balanced diet good sanitation

12 Developing Country (India) poor status of women male virility religion no contraception or family planning High Birth Rates early marriage 11 no pensions or elderly care economic asset war lack of clean drinking water lack of doctors and medicine High Death Rates drought, famine mean lack of crops malnutrition and starvation high levels of disease e.g. malaria poor sanitation

13 Model of Population Change Demographic Transition Model Demographic means it is related to population Transition means that change is taking place Model a way of showing how it happens A country s population will increase through births and immigration and decrease when people die or emigrate. For a country s population to grow naturally, each couple must have more than two children to replace their parents. The fertility rate refers to the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime. In developed countries this is often very low as many women have few children whereas in many developing countries the fertility rate is high as the majority of women have many children. 12 Figure 3: Demographic Transition Model Birth rate Death rate Population change Countries at this stage Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Rapid Low and High Very low decrease fluctuating Still falling Rapid Low and but less Low decrease fluctuating quickly High and fluctuating High and fluctuating Steady little change None. Tribal communities e.g. Amerindians Rapid increase Ethiopia, Peru Still increasing but less quickly India, Kenya UK Before Steady little change UK, USA 1940 onwards Small decrease Germany, Italy Not reached yet

14 The Demographic Transition Model is a model of the ways in which population changes over periods of time at different stages of a country s development. It shows five separate stages of population change, and uses multiple line graphs to indicate changes in birth, death rates and total population over time. The demographic transition model summarises patterns of population change in various countries throughout the world and is based on the relationship between births and deaths. The map below shows the location of places at various stages on the demographic transition model. 13 Read pages 132 and 133 of Key Geography for GSCE. Complete the following: Put a heading of Demographic Transition Model Copy the summary from page 133. Answer activity 1 in sentences.

15 Population Pyramids Within any country the structure of its population will be determined by the birth rate, death rate, infant mortality and life expectancy. Population pyramids are useful in predicting population change and also highlight differences between developed and developing countries. The population structure shows the number of males and females within different age groups in a population. Information, usually collected through a census, is plotted as a double bar graph. Because of the traditional shape of the graph, and the information shown, it is referred to as an age-sex or population pyramid. Population pyramids show: 14 the total population of a country divided into five-year age groups the percentage of people in each of those age groups the percentage of males and females in each age group trends in the birth rate, death rate, infant mortality rate and life expectancy the proportion of elderly and young people who are dependent upon those of working age (the economically active) the result of people migrating into or out of the country The population structure for a developed country like the UK is: The population structure for a developing country like India is: Low birth rate Low death rate Low infant mortality High life expectancy High birth rate High death rate High infant mortality Low life expectancy

16 Using the information below, draw the population pyramids for the UK and India. With help from Key Geography p. 136 and 137, add detailed labels to each diagram to show: Elderly dependants Young dependants Economically active Birth rate Death rate Infant mortality Life expectancy 15 UK India Male Female Age Male Female Developed or developing country??

17 Effects of Rapid Population Growth 16 In many developing countries, birth-rates are much higher than death-rates and the population is rising rapidly. In these countries the population structure is similar to that shown in the graph above. There are many children because birth rate is high - often 50% of the population is under 14 years old. Due to illness and disease there are very few people over 65 and likewise few people of working age. With a high death-rate few children survive into their teenage years! This population structure brings problems. Less than half the population is of working age, and they have to provide for the rest of the people. As there are so many births, the country has to spend a lot of money on healthcare such as hospitals, doctors etc. and once the children have reached school age there is the expense of providing schools, teachers etc. Benefits Countries with a large population can be more powerful and less vulnerable to attack as they have a large number of people available for the armed forces. There are an increasing number of workers, which should increase production on farms and in factories and offices. More workers also lower wage rates, which in turn attracts multi-national companies wanting to reduce their labour costs. Problems A rapidly-rising population, however, does bring many problems. In rural areas, the farms are becoming smaller and farmers have to farm the land more intensively in order to grow enough food. This only makes the soil poorer. More trees are being cut down to create additional farmland or to provide fuel and building material. This allows the soil to be blown away or washed away. The land becomes even more infertile, fewer crops grow, the people become poor and hungry and many move to the cities. Here, the authorities cannot build enough house for everyone or create sufficient jobs. Services cannot cope with the extra people, so schools and hospitals are overcrowded and not everyone has access to them.

18 Measures to Reduce Growth Most developing countries wish to slow down their population growth. Measures used to reduce birth rates include: Laws limiting family size e.g. the one-child policy in China since More information given out on how to reduce births e.g. more family planning clinics. Greater education of females, as evidence suggests that regions in which female education is higher are also areas where birth-rates are lower. More opportunities for abortions and sterilisation. Incentives given to limit family size e.g. free health care, education and preferential housing 17 Use the information on pages 16 and 17 of this workbook to complete a table with the following headings: Benefits Problems Solutions Effects of an Ageing Population Most developed countries have the opposite problem too many elderly dependants. The birth rates and death rates are low and their populations are rising only slowly, if at all. The population structures are similar to the graph below. There are few children in the population because the birth rate is so low. There are many adults because in the past the birth rate was high and many of the children have survived into adulthood. There are also many old people because the death rate is so low and most people live to an old age.

19 Benefits and Problems This structure has advantages over the one for developing countries. There are more people of working age and less need be spent on education due to fewer children. The structure, however, is not ideal. The number of old people in the population is increasing rapidly so more money is needed to pay for pensions and geriatric care such as care homes and meals on wheels. There may be closure of services such as nurseries and schools if there are fewer young dependents which would lead to job losses. Elderly people make more use of medical services, so costs rise. The costs are paid for by taxes but as fewer and fewer people are of working age in each successive generation, unpopular solutions such as later retirement ages and tax rises are implemented. 18 Solutions Many developed countries are concerned about slow or declining population growth. In order to boost birth rates and the number of people of working age, the following strategies have been attempted: More paternity leave to encourage parents to have more children e.g. UK fathers have 2 weeks of paid leave More maternity benefits e.g. free or subsidised nursery places Raise retirement age, to increase the number of tax payers and reduce pensions e.g. UK has raised the retirement of women to 65 and is planning to raise everyone s retirement age to 67. Encourage more women to work which increases the workforce and number of taxpayers. Encourage immigration to increase the number of taxpayers and workforce. Encourage people to take out private pension schemes to reduce costs of providing public pensions. Use the information on pages 17 and 18 of this workbook to complete a table with the following headings: Benefits Problems Solutions

20 Migration The rate at which a population grows depends not only on the birth and death rates, but also on the number on immigrants moving in and the number of emigrants moving out. Migration movements which involve many people affect the total population and the population structure in the gaining and losing areas. Migration into Britain has been taking place for over 2000 years. Roman, Viking, Angle, Saxon and Norman invasions have all influenced the make up of British society. There were large movements of Irish into the UK during the potato famine and many Scots moved away to start a new life in North America during the Highland Clearances. In the 1950s, there was a large influx of migrants from former British colonies such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the West Indies. Most large cities have a prominent Chinatown and within the last 20 years there has been a large growth in Eastern Europeans moving to Britain. All of this gives Britain a multicultural society. 19 This is not unique to Britain, people have always moved between countries. In recent years people have been migrating either as economic migrants (for a higher standard of living) or as refugees (forced to move for safety reasons). The people who are most likely to move are young adults (18 to 30) and mostly male. Conditions which cause emigration are known as push factors and those resulting in immigration are termed pull factors. What might a push factor be? What might a pull factor be? Complete the following: Read pages 146 and 147 from Key Geography. Copy the summary from page 147 into your notes, under the heading of Migration. Copy the advantages and disadvantages tables from diagrams C and D on page 147. Complete activities 1 and 2 in sentences.

21 Summary To test your knowledge of the population unit and to develop team working and communication skills, we are going to play the Jelly Baby Population Game. Follow the instructions on the powerpoint. 20 Is the World Too Full? Many scientists continue to discuss this question. Is there a finite number of people that the world will be able to sustain or will human ingenuity lead to improvements e.g. in farming methods to allow us to feed the population and with making synthetic materials to take the place of natural resources for energy, heating and cooking purposes? What do you think??