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,

Or Or Or environmental,
Forced Permanent International socio-cultural
or political
Transmigration, Voluntary Permanent National Economic as
Indonesia 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 Voluntary Permanent National Economic as
Bustees 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 The workers are
can be good for the seen as a good cheap
source country as it source of labour.
relieves the Large numbers of
pressure on migrants can put
unemployment and massive pressures on
there is always the the economy of some
hope that migrants areas
will send money back
to their original
country.
However, the most
skilled and
intellectual people
often leave.
Socio-cultural Large populations of Can lead to tension
 women are often between different
left behind. The groups.
culture of a country Adds to the cultural
can also be diluted if diversity of a
people continue to country
move away
Environmental Migration can ease Generally increases
the pressure on the 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.