population geography. demography -statistical study of human populations demographers study pop....

Population Geography

• Demography -statistical study of human populations

• Demographers study pop. patterns & trends• Use these statistics to predict future

population changes

• Why do we (city planners or other leaders) need to know about our population in the future?

• Schools• Roads• Police & Fire Services• Jobs• Nursing Homes, Home Health, Housing

for elderly• Daycare• Entertainment

• Knowing pop. trends (either increasing or decreasing) can help govts. plan for future.

• Population Density -avg. # of people per square mile

• Pop Density = number of people land area

Pop. Density in U.S. Counties

Loving, TXForest, WIBlue Earth, MNHonolulu, HISan Francisco, CAManhattan, NY

0.10 p/sq. mi.10751,44816,25667,255

Case Studies

• Canada8/sq.mi.31.6 mil. pop3,851,806 sq. mi.Most people live

along s. border

• Bangladesh2,361/ sq. mi.131 million pop.55,599 sq. mi.Pop. evenly

distributed

Population Distribution

Pop. is unevenly distributedMajor pop. Clusters• East Asia (China)• South Asia (India)• Europe• Eastern North America (BOSWASH)

Why is the world’s population so unevenly distributed?• People tend to live in areas that are

favorable to settlement• 90% live in N. Hemisphere- 2/3 in mid-

latitudes • Many cluster on fertile plains, near

water. What areas would people avoid?

Top 10 Most Populated Countries

1. China2. India3. U.S.4. Indonesia5. Brazil

6. Pakistan7. Russia8. Bangladesh9. Nigeria10.Japan

Population Change

• The # of people in any place is the result of 3 major factors

1. Birthrate -# of births each year for every 1,000 people in an area

2. Death Rate -total # of deaths each year for every 1,000

3. Migration -the process of moving from one place to live in another.

a. Emigrants -People who leave a country to live somewhere else

b. Immigrants -People who come to a new country to live .

• Geographers study migration by looking at push & pull factors

1. Push factor -things that make people leave a location (become an emigrant)

2. Pull factors -things that attract you to a new location (become an immigrant)

Push Factors

• Lack of jobs• Discrimination• Lack of religious

freedom• War• Famine

• Natural Disasters• Unpleasant

climate

• Refugees -People who are forced to leave their homes because of war or political unrest.

–Ex: Albert Einstein – a Jew who fled Germany during the Holocaust.

Pull Factors

• Jobs• Political

Freedom• Religious

Freedom• Education• Reunite w/

Family

• Good Climate

Population Pyramids

• Shows the age & sex distribution of a population• Shows the history of a country’s

population growth—Ex. Baby Boom Generation in U.S.

• Country’s pop. Pyramid can show 1 of 3 types of growth

1. Rapid growth-wide at the base (Ex: Haiti) …looks like a true pyramid

2. Slow growth- straight up and down or a little wider at base than top (Ex: US)

3. Negative growth-broader at top than bottom (Ex: Germany)

Brainstorming

• Reasons why some countries have high birth rates? (Have lots of children?)

• Reasons for high death rates?

• Reasons why some countries have low death rates? (Have few or no children?)

• Reasons for low death rates?

Stages of Population Growth

• Countries experience three stages of population growth as their economies develop.

• • *Stage One: Birthrate and death rate are equally high• • *Stage Two: Birthrate remains high while the death rate

declines• • *Stage Three: Birthrate and death rate are equally low