Population

Geography
An Overview
 What factors influence population
distribution?
►Environmental factors--
►What type of natural resources are in
the area? Does it have oil, or arable
land or access to water?
 What is the climate like?
 Does it have capital resources such
as transportation and technology?
►Economic factors--
 What is the economic
development like?
 What are the resources like?
►Political factors--
 What is the government policy?
 Are there many conflicts?
 Is it a rural/urban area?
 What are the characteristics of
human populations?
►Birth and Death rates-
 How many people per 1000 are
born or die in a year?
►Age Distribution--
 How many people are in each
age category?
►Male/Female distribution--
 Are there more males or more
females? Why?
►Life Expectancy--
 How old can you expect to live?
►Infant Mortality--
 How many children die before
their second birthday?
►Urban /Rural--
 Where do most people live? In the
city/country?
►GDP--
 Is the country’s GDP high or low?
►Ethnicity--
 Does the population have one
dominate ethnicity or many and do
they get along?
►Language--
 Do the people speak one language
or do they have multiple languages?
►Religion--
 Do the people share the same
religion or do they have multiple
ones?
►Education--
 Are the people highly educated?
 What factors influence population
growth rates?
►Does the country have modern
medicine and hygiene practices?
►What is the level of the average
education?
►Is the country industrialized and do
the people live in urban areas?
►What is the level of economic
development? Does the country have
a primary, secondary, or tertiary
economy?
►What is the government’s policy
toward growth? Are there any
restrictions?
►What role do women play in the
society?
 Push factors of immigration
►Push factors are factors which
force people to move.
Overproduction
religious persecution
lack of job opportunities
agricultural decline
conflict
Political persecution
Natural hazards--droughts,
floods, famines, volcanic
eruptions
Limits on personal freedom
environmental degradation
(decline)
 Pull factors of immigration
►Pull factors attract people to an
area
Religion
Economic opportunity
Land availability
Political freedom
Ethnic and family ties
Arable land
What is the impact of migration on
regions?
►Language--multiple languages
►Religion and religious freedom
►Customs/traditions--exchanged
►Cultural landscape--diffusion
►Diffusion--is the spreading of
ideas and traits
 What is some evidence of cultural
interaction?
►The spreading (diffusion) of US
culture to other regions of the
world
►popularization of other
cultures’ traditions in the US
 Spatial Divisions as Forces of
Conflict and Cooperation
Spatial divisions are regions of
the Earth’s surface over which
groups of people establish social,
economic and political control.
Spatial divisions may generate
conflict and/or cooperation.
Examples of Spatial Divisions
►Neighborhoods
►School districts
►Cities and Counties
►Election Districts
►Regional Districts
►States
 Reasons for Spatial Divisions
Why are spatial divisions necessary at
the local and regional levels?
1) Desire for government to be closer
to home;
2) need to solve local problems and
3) need to administer resources more
efficiently
 Reasons for Conflict
►How do spatial systems generate
conflict?
►1) Citizens may argue over boundaries;
2) Citizens may have low tolerance for
different cultures;
3) Citizens may fight/compete
over scarce resources and
4) Citizens and/or politicians
may try to gain political
advantage
 Political Advantage?
►Yes, spatial divisions can be created in
order to manipulate an electoral area,
usually by altering the boundaries.
This is known as gerrymandering.
This is done to gain an unfair
political advantage in an election.
 Reasons for Cooperation
1) Natural disasters
2) Economic advantages (attracts
new businesses)
3) Cultural similarities—ethnic
backgrounds
4) Addressing regional issues like
waste management, magnet
schools and transportation.
 Urban Development
►Urbanization, or the growing of
cities, was triggered by
industrialization.
►Patterns of urban development
occur according to site and
situation.
 Site and situation
►Site and situation are
important geographic concepts
when studying the growth of
cities.

►Site is the actual location of a

city.
►Situation is another name
for relative location—the
location of a city with respect
to other geographic features,
regions, resources, and
transport routes.
 Site

►Harbor Sites: NY City, Alexandria,

Egypt; Istanbul Turkey
►Island sites: Paris, Hong Kong,
Singapore
►Fall line sites: Richmond, VA
►Confluence sites: Khartoum,
Sudan; Pittsburg, PA
►Hilltopsites: Rome, Athens,
Jerusalem
►Oasis Sites: Damascus, Syria
►Sites where rivers narrow:
London, Quebec City
 Situation
►Istanbul—Command of straits and
land bridge to Europe
►Mecca, Saudi Arabia; Varanasi
(Benares), India—Focal point of
pilgrimage
►Samarkand, Uzbekistan; Xi’an,
China; Timbuktu, Mali; Singapore
—Cities that grew up around
trade routes
►Capetown, S.Africa—Supply
station for ships
►Omaha, Nebraska;
Sacramento, California—Cities
that grew up along the U.S.
Transcontinental railroad
►Novosibirsk,Vladivostok-Cities
that grew up along the Trans-
Siberian Railroad
 Functions of towns and cities
►Security and defense
►Religious centers
►Trade centers (local and long
distance
►Governmental administration
►Manufacturing centers
►Service centers
 Examples of a city changing functions
over time
►Rio de Janeiro—was the capital
but now is a tourist attraction
(Brasilia)
►Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—early
function was for frontier
defense, then shifted to steel
manufacturing, and now is the
home to many diverse services
►New York City—has changed
from a center of coastal and
transatlantic trade to a center
for the Great Lakes and Erie
canal region to worldwide trade
and finances
►Mining towns– once the
resources were gone, many
towns became “ghost towns”
 What influence does urban areas have
on their region and country?
►They are the home to monuments
which help bring pride and develop
nation-building.
►They are transportation and
communication centers.
►They are natural attractions for
immigrants.
►They are the seed beds for
new ideas and technologies.
►Their diversity helps lead to
creativity in the arts.
►Many are the home to major
Universities which provide
educational opportunities.
►They are the headquarters and
regional outposts of major
corporations.
►The major media outlets have
their centers there
(newspapers, radio, and
television).
 What problems are associated with
growth of urban areas?
►Transportation problems, especially
since the automobile.
►Rich and poor neighborhoods are
usually isolated from one another.
►As overcrowding occurs, providing
essential services (water, sewage,
electricity) is a problem.
►Air, water, and noise pollution
►Sprawl (spreading) of urban
areas takes agricultural land
out of production.
►Rapid migration results in
“shantytowns” on the edge of
Latin American, Asian, and
African cities.
►In developing countries, major
cities are more connected to
the outside world than to less
developed regions in their own
countries