Population Geography

Population Geography is the study of spatial variations in distribution, density, composition, and growth of human numbers on earth. It is important because it links all other aspects of geography together. Demography Demography is the study of population characteristics. It is significant because: 1. There are more people living today than any other time in history. 2. Theres been a population explosion since World War II. II 3. There is an inverse relationship between population growth and resources, resources i.e., there are too many people in places without enough resources to support them and too few people in areas with over abundant resources. Thomas Malthus Thomas Malthus, Malthus was a British clergyman/economist. He came up with the Malthusian Theory of Population Growth. The salient points of his theory were 1. Food production increased at an arithmetic ratio (1, 2, 3) while population increased at an exponential ratio (1, 2, 4, 8, ). 2. Population growth would outstrip food supply, and mass starvation would follow. 3. Man is incapable of controlling his own numbers, so natural calamities such as floods and epidemics serve to control/reduce his numbers. His theory was wrong in a number of ways: 1. He failed to foresee the agrarian revolution that would greatly increase food production. 2. Man has proven he is capable of controlling his numbers, such as in China with the one-child per family policy. 3. The population has not grown as rapidly as he predicted. Components of Population Change Components of population change are births and deaths, deaths immigrants and emigrants. emigrants P (people) + B (births) D(deaths) + I(immigrants) E(emigrants) = population. Fertility and Mortality Fertility is the number of live births in a defined population. It is calculated using two main indices: Crude Birth Rate (CBR): (The total number of live births/the total population) 100 Total Fertility Rate (TFR): (The total number of live births/women of childbearing age (15-49)) 100

Mortality is the number of deaths in a defined population. It is calculated using two main indices:

Population Geography
Crude Death Rate (CDR): (The total number of deaths/the total population) 100 Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): (The number of infant deaths/the number of live births) 100

Factors Affecting Fertility 1. Religion: Religion most major religions favor family development so very religious populations usually have a high fertility. 2. Social customs and taboos, taboos with regards to contraception 3. Education: Education There is an inverse relationship between education level and the number of children. children Factors Affecting Mortality 1. Endogenetic processes: These refer to internal/bodily factors, such as disease. disease 2. Exogenetic processes: These refer to external factors such as environment. environment Other indices to gauge components of population change are: Life Expectancy: Expectanc y: This is the number of years a child can expect to live under current conditions. It is also the average length of life of a defined population. The Natural Increase: Increase It is calculated by the formula (CBR CDR/ Total Population) 100

Migration Migration Migratio n is the movement of people. It is classified by such indices as: Distance traveled Reason fort ravel Period of time of travel Volume of migrants

Consequences of migration include: Increased understanding between people of different cultures Increased animosity between people of different cultures Changes in numbers of people at the destination and origin Creation of ghettoes in urban areas InterInter -marriages

Ravensteins Laws of Migration Ravenstein came up with his laws of migration in the 1880s based on studies carried out in the United Kingdom. The laws are as follows: 1. The greatest body of migrants travel short distances.

Population Geography
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. This produces currents directed toward great commercial centers. Each current has a compensating countercounter- current in the opposite direction. Both currents display similar characteristics. Long-distance movements are directed towards greater commercial centers. People in urban areas migrate less than people in rural areas. Males migrate more over long distances and females migrate more over short distances.

Additions to these laws: 8. Most migrants are between 2020- 34 years of age. 9. People mainly move for economic reasons. 10. Urban housing development is inadequate for the influx of migrants so ghettoes/shanties are formed. Zipfs Inverse Distance Law The volume of migrants decreases with distance from the origin. Stouffers Law of Intervening Distances The number of migrants moving from one town (a) to another (b) is directly related to the opportunities available at (b) but inversely proportional to the number of intervening opportunities between (a) and (b). Push-Pull Theory Any migration is a result of push forces at the origin and pull forces at the destination. destination Examples of push forces are famine, war, and poverty. Examples of pull forces are availability of food, peace, and wealth. Gravity Model This theory states that larger towns are more attractive to immigrants than smaller towns.

Consequences of Migration These can be subdivided into three categories: 1. Demographic Consequences: The numbers and distribution of people within a region are changed. Intermarriages are created, leading to a new group of people. 2. Social Consequences: Migration brings different people together leading to conflict. conflict

Population Geography
Migration can also create understanding between different groups. Rural-urban migration creates ghettoes in cities. 3. Economic Consequences: This depends on the quality of the migrants and the economic needs of the origin and destination. Quality refers to skills, age, educational attainment, health, etc. In overpopulated areas, emigration is beneficial because it reduces the pressure on the land. In underdeveloped areas, emigration may slow down development. development Sex Structure The sex structure refers to the proportions of the 2 sexes in a defined population. It is expressed as the number of males to every 100 females. females Male births usually exceed female births, but males die off more quickly in infancy, so by the time children are one year old, there are more females than males. The sex structure may be affected by the following: Where women are considered subordinate beings, they suffer a higher mortality rate and a lower life expectancy. expectancy Migration. Migration There is usually a dominance of males in populations dominated by immigrants. In difficult environments there is usually an imbalance in favor of males. males Select populations, such as military towns, may have an imbalance for either of the sexes. Urban areas in developing regions have more males. males

Age Structure There are three basic age structures: 1. 2. 3. Progressive (Brazilian) Type Stationary (American) Type Regressive (European) Type

Progressive Type It has a wide base that quickly narrows upward to a point. It indicates a large birth rate rate but poor conditions mean people rapidly die off, hence the triangular shape of the structure. The population is increasing. increasing Stationary Type The shape of this structure is more square. All age groups are well represented.

Population Geography
It indicates that the birth rate is moderate, moderate and few people die off as they get older. The population is stagnant. stagnant Regressive Type The structure has a fairly wide top with a bulging middle and narrow base. The birth rate is low, low hence the low base, and there are more adults than children. The population is decreasing. decreasing The Dependency Ratio This is the ratio between the nonnon -working population (children and aged) and the workers (adults). It is lowest in regression populations and highest in progressive populations. It is calculated using the formula (children + aged)/adults) 100 In developed countries, the DRs range from 50-70. In most developing countries the DRs are over 100. The Old Age Index This is the proportion of aged to adults. adults It is calculated using the formula ((aged)/(adults)) 100 Theories of Population Change These are theories to explain the patterns of population growth in different countries of the world. 1. Biological Theory: Theory: This theory states that man is like any other living thing. He is incapable of controlling his growth in numbers. 2. Cultural Theory: Theory This theory states that man is rational and uses his intellect to control his growth in numbers; the one-child policy in China China. na 3. Economic Theory: Theory Based on MarxistMarxist- Leninist theories, it supposes that growth in population is a result of a demand for labor. labor