ENST202 Introduction to Population

1. During this unit, we will examine global population trends and the impact of growing populations
on the environment and resources. While the focus of this course is on the environmental impact
of population, it is important to remember to be sensitive to the fact that population is greatly
affected by cultural norms and religious beliefs. As you saw in the UN Sustainable Development
Goals, reducing poverty and improving education are keys to stabilizing population growth trends.
Start this unit by watching the first 54 minutes of “World in the Balance-the People Paradox”.
This video is available through the CWU library. Although it is not a new movie, it is a good
introduction to population.
https://video-alexanderstreet-com.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/watch/world-in-the-balance-the-people-paradox

2. Countries have approached population control with varied methods. China and India are the two
most populous countries in the world. India has used a national family planning program since
the early 1950’s. China imposed a government-controlled program promoting one child per family
due to impending mass starvation. This policy is no longer in effect. The documentary “One
Child Nation” is available from the CWU library and on Amazon Prime. I encourage you to watch
it to understand the impact of the One Child Policy. However, there are some very disturbing
images, so viewing it is optional.

3. Go to https://www.census.gov/popclock/ , answer the following questions and submit your

answers on Canvas by 4/20/2020.
 Global Population
Name _________________________________ Due 4/20/2020

1. Open https://www.census.gov/popclock/ .

2. List the ten most populous countries as of 1 July 2019. (2 points)

i. China

ii. India

iii. USA

iv. Indonesia

v. Pakistan

vi. Brazil

vii. Nigeria

viii. Bangladesh

ix. Russia

x. Mexico

3. The two most populous countries make up __36.31___% of the world’s population. (1 point)
4. List the ten most populous states in the United States. (2 points)
i. California

ii. Texas

iii. Florida

iv. New York

v. Pennsylvania

vi. Illinois

vii. Ohio

viii. Georgia

ix. North Carolina

 x. Michigan

5. List the three largest U.S. cities. (1 point)

i. New York

ii. Los Angeles

iii. Chicago

6. Return to the previous page.

a. Open the “International Data Base”.
b. Open the “International Map Viewer”.
7. Answer the following: (notice that you can pan in different directions)
a. Open the Total Population layer to see the color key. Make sure you can locate the 10
largest countries on a global map.
b. Open the Growth Rate Layer. Which continent has the highest growth rates? (1 point)
Note: a steady growth rate of 2.5% would lead to a population doubling in 28 years.
Africa
c. What areas have the greatest life expectancy? What areas have the lowest life expectancy?
(2 points)
Hong Kong with the highest life expectancy and Central Africa Republic with the lowest

d. Name two major countries that have a similar infant mortality rate to the U.S. rate. Name
two major countries that have a lower infant mortality rate than the U.S. (1 point)
According to UN data of 2018 US has infant mortality rate of 6.5 and there is no country with similar

infant mortality rate with it. Antigua and Barbuda are the ones close to US with infant mortality rate of

6.4.

Two countries with infant mortality rate lower than US are Andorra with 2.9 and Austria with 3.5