Geo Test

More populations bring about more problems:

- More living space may be needed
- Many parts of the world will become more crowded
- Need for food and drink
- More waste to dispose of
- More roads, railway lines, and airports need to be built.

Optimum population: A situation where the number people living in an particular area far
exceed the resources available to support the local community living there.

Overpopulated: Situation when the number of people living in an area is greater than the
resources and technology available to maintain an adequate standard of living for the
population.
Consequences:
- Not enough housing
- Water and air pollution
- Shortage of food and water
- High crime rates
- Not enough health care and education
- Lack of employment
- Poverty

Underpopulated: Situation when the number of people living in an area is less than
needed to make full use of the resources available.
Consequences:
- Shortage of workers
- Low level of production
- Resources underused
- High taxes
- Lack of government income
- Small market for goods and services
- Low value of exports

Calculating Population Change

- Birth Rate -> The number of live births per year per 1000 population.
- Death Rate -> The number of deaths per year per 1000 population.
- Natural population change can be calculated by subtracting the death rate for the birth rate
Example: Malta’s birth rate was 10.3 per 1000 and its death rate was 8.8 per 1000 so its natural
population change was 10.3 - 8.8 = 1.5 per 1000 people
- Overall population change is calculated by considering not only the natural population
change but also the net migration as well.
- Net migration is the difference between the number of people moving into a country
(immigrants) and the number of people moving out of a country.
(+) if more people move into the country than move out of the country
(-) if more people move out the country than into it
- Growth rate: (birth - deaths) + (immigration - emigration)/10
Falling birth rates are caused by:
- Availability of contraceptives
- More women go out to work
- Girls are educated and marry later
- Reduction of infant mortality
- More family planning
- Less need for children as a labor source.

Falling death rates are caused by:

- Improvements in health care
- Increased availability of medicines
- More and better quality food
- Improvement of water supplies
- Improvement in sanitation and hygiene
- Reduction in wars and conflicts

LEDCs
- Rapid growth
- High birth and death rate
- Low life expectancy
- Very triangle in shape
- Extremely wide base

MEDCs
- Slow growth
- Low birth and death rate
- High life expectancy
- Barrel shaped
- Narrower base
Voluntary Migration: When someone chooses to leave home/country.

Involuntary Migration: When someone forced to leave home/country,

Internal Migration: The movement of people from one defined area to another within a country.

Refugee: A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war,
persecution, or natural disaster.

Asylum seekers: People who left their country and are seeking protection from persecution and
serious human right violations in another country.

Economic immigrant: People from one country to another to benefit from greater economic
opportunities in the receiving country.

Illegal immigrant: Foreign born people who do not possess a valid visa or other immigration
documentation.

Migration Factors:
Push factors from rural areas:
- Unemployment
- Low paid jobs
- Poor housing
- No electricity and water supply

Pull factors from urban areas:

- Work
- Better paid jobs
- Higher education
- Join family
- Better housing
- Electricity and water supply

Population issues needs to be managed:

- An aging population with people living longer
- A diminishing workforce
- A reduced birth rate
- A workforce that lacks the skill that the country needs

(+) impacts:
- Can send more money to family
- More resources for people left behind
- Learn new skills which may be used if the immigrant returns home

(-) impacts:
- Loss of contact with family and friends
- Away from home for long period of time
The role of government
- Collect taxes as a form of income which essential public services are paid for.
- Produce policies for country’s future
- Influence the natural population growth by bringing in policies that affect birth and death rate

Policies to control population:

- Legal abortion
- Voluntary sterilization
- Extra taxes for a third child
- One child policy

Population Pyramids:
Dependents: Age 0-4
Working age: Age 15-64 (young and elderly groups are dependent on them)
Eldery group: > 65

Population distribution: The pattern of where people live

Population density: The average number of people living in a given area (total population/the
area of land)

Factors influencing where people live:

- Employment
- Flat land
- Good communications/transportation
- Natural resources
- Reliable water supplies
- Fertile soil