Transcript GEO 201 Cultural Geography

Chapter 3
Population Geography
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Demographers study population and its
impact on the earth.
Are we overpopulated or just unevenly
distributed?
Families in developed countries have fewer
members than before.
In less developed countries, the number of
children per family is still very high.
Less developed areas of the world tend to be
poor and unable to provide adequate food,
clothing and shelter for all its citizens.
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As of 2010, there were 6.9 billion people on
this earth.
Can the earth support that many people or
more?
We need to look at resources and lifestyle
Westerners, including us, use more resources
and non-renewable resources than others in
this world: fossil fuels, farmland, clean
water.
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If every one of the 6.9 billion people lived as
we do, those resources would be gone,
leaving air & water pollution, little potable
water, soil depletion, and erosion in its wake.
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Demography looks at population
characteristics:
◦ How people are distributed spatially
◦ They look at distribution by age, gender,
occupation, fertility, health, birth rates, and death
rates.
Look at map pp. 66-67. You see that ¾ of the world’s
population live on 5% of the earth’s surface
We have 6.9 billion people on earth. If they were
evenly distributed, there would be about 112+
people per square mile.
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We are not evenly distributed.
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Densities vary from place to place:
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Greenland – 0.1 per sq. mile
Bangladesh – 2300 per sq. mile
India – 812 per sq. mile
Canada – 8 per sq. mile
Australia – 6 per sq. mile
Egypt – 181 per sq. mile, but 9,000 per sq. mile in
the Nile River Valley
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By Continent:
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Eurasia -- 72.7% of world’s people
North America -- 7.9%
Africa -- 13.2%
South America -- 5.7%
Australia & the Pacific -- 0.5%
21% of humans live in China
17% live in India
4.6% live in the United States
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When you consider these numbers, you are
looking at a region examining one trait,
population
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This is then a Formal Region you are
considering.
Population geographers also look at
standards of living.
◦ Thickly populated areas can have the highest
standards of living. Ex: New York City
◦ Sparsely populated areas may put too much
pressure on the land if there aren’t enough
resources
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You must look at the carrying capacity of the
land -- the population beyond which a
given environment cannot provide support
without becoming significantly damaged.
Many avert damage by bringing in resources
from another area. Ex: water piped in or
shipping in oil.
◦ Americans use 26% of the world’s oil
◦ Our lives would change if we couldn’t use resources
from other areas.
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Demography of various places can and do
change over time.
If we look at population numbers, there are 3
things that affect the numbers:
◦ Birth Rates
◦ Death Rates
◦ Migration
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The number of live births per year, per one
thousand of the population
CBR – crude birth rate; crude means you are
looking at society as a whole
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) -- is the average
number of children born per woman during
her childbearing years (15-49 years).
TFR attempts to predict the future and can
vary from place to place
TFR for the world as a whole today is 3, and
can vary from region to region.
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Europe -- less than 2
◦ Any country with a TFR of less than 2 will
experience population decline
◦ Southern and Eastern Europe -- 1.3
◦ Bulgaria -- 1.2 and is expected to lose 38% of its
population by 2050
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Sub-Saharan Africa -- TFR of 7 or higher
Niger -- TFR of 7.38
Mali -- TFR of 7.37
TFRs have fallen in Sub-Saharan Africa in the
last 20 years. Why?
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Also referred to as CDR or Crude Death Rate;
using the term “crude” means looking at the
society as a whole
Death Rate is the number of deaths per year
per 1000 people
In developed world, people die from agerelated degenerative conditions, HIV, heart
disease, stroke, and the effects of pollution
In the developing world, people die from civil
strife, poor health care, and diseases like
malaria, HIV, and dengue fever.
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Death Rates are often broken down into
male/female and age-specific groups.
The highest death rates are in Sub-Saharan
Africa
◦ 25 to 30 people die per 1000 people
◦ Other areas: Ecuador - 4 deaths per 1000 people
European Union – 10 deaths per 1000
Canada - 8 deaths per 1000
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Infant Mortality Rates or IMR is the number of
deaths before age 1 per 1000 live births per
year.
The highest rates are in Sub-Saharan Africa at
100+ deaths per 1000 live births per year.
The lowest rates are in Western Europe with
fewer than 10 deaths per 1000 live births per
year.
The IMR reflects a country’s health care
system.
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In the U.S. there is a higher IMR among the
poor who can’t afford health care. Perhaps
that will change with the new health care law.
In other countries, like England, health care is
provided.
U.S. is #37 in health care as ranked by the
World Health Organization. France is # 1
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Why is population increasing at different
rates in different countries?
◦ Countries have gone through different demographic
changes over time.
◦ Countries don’t go through the same changes at
the same time.
◦ The process of change in a society’s population is
called the Demographic Transition.
◦ p. 72 Chart
◦ The demographic transition happens in several
stages – 5 stages.
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Stage 1 -- Low Growth
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both birth rate and death rate are high
this can vary from year to year
but the rate of natural increase is low
people are concerned with survival: war, poor
harvests, climate, hunting and gathering, and
diseases
Every country has moved on to at least Stage 2.
See p. 72, chart
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Stage 2 -- High Growth
◦ a lowered death rate
◦ birth rate remains high as in Stage 1
◦ rate of natural increase is high because of lowered
death rate
◦ the first part of Stage 2 is when population grows
◦ the second part of Stage 2 is when the population
growth rate begins to slow down, but there is still a
big gap between birth and death rates
◦ See p. 72, chart
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There are new products, more food, better
medical care and better sanitation coming in
to Stage 2.
Europe and the United States entered Stage 2
in the late 18th or early 19th centuries.
Asia, Africa, Latin America entered Stage 2 in
the 20th century.
Latin America entered in 1950.
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Stage 3 -- Moderate Growth
◦ crude birth rates drop dramatically
◦ crude death rates continue to fall but at a slower
rate than in Stage 2
◦ Population still continues to grow because crude
birth rate (CBR) is still higher than the crude death
rate (CDR)
Europe and North America entered Stage 3 during the
first half of the 20th century.
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Some in Asia, Africa, and Latin America
entered only recently while others still remain
in Stage 2.
Birth rates decline in Stage 3 because of
social custom. It is seen as beneficial to have
fewer children.
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Stage 4 -- Low Growth & ZPG (zero
population growth)
◦ crude birth rates (CBR) decline enough to equal the
crude death rates (CDR)
◦ the rate of natural increase approaches -0Sweden, Germany, and the United Kingdom are in
Stage 4
The U.S. hasn’t completely entered because birth
rates among recent immigrants is still high.
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Social customs again account for movement
into Stage 4
◦ Women are working outside the home and are
having fewer children.
◦ Birth control is available and used.
◦ There are economic conditions and lifestyles that
have changed, so that fewer children or no children
are desired.
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Stage 5 is a new stage
◦ for post-industrial society
◦ ZPG truly takes hold
◦ there is a population decline
Are there any problems with population decline?
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Some countries have a very young population.
in Africa
in Latin America
in some parts of Asia
In these areas, half the population is younger
than15.
◦ In Uganda, 51% of the population is younger than
15.
◦ In Sub-Saharan Africa, 44% of the population is
younger than 15.
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Other more developed nations have large
numbers between the ages of 15 and 65.
Countries like Sweden have aging
populations: 17% are older than 65.
In less developed nations, many don’t live to
be 65.
In Italy where the TFR is 1.3, 18% are older
than 65
Some elderly there can apply for adoption by
families in need of grandparents.
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A useful way to show age and sex distribution
is with a population pyramid, p.80.
This graphically shows: age distribution, sex
ratios, and dependency rates (the young and
the old).
pp. 78 & 79 and pp. 82 &83
It can help predict what will be needed in the
future.
This information is gathered in a census.
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Migration
◦ affects the size of population
◦ definition: a permanent move to a new location (a
change of residence)
◦ definition of mobility: the ability to move from one
location to another, to work, to school, to the store,
without a permanent change of residence
◦ The United States is the result of migration. We can
all trace our ancestry to another area of the world
◦ From the G-nome Project, it is thought we all
evolved in Africa.
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Humans have migrated to and adapted to
different kinds of environments
We tend to stay away from areas that are too
cold, too hot, too wet, or too dry
Most migrate in search of economic
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There are 2 forms of migration:
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opportunity, political freedom, or
environmental comfort.
◦ Emigration – migration from a location
◦ Immigration – migration to a location
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19th Century – 50 million Europeans left
Europe to find a better life.
Today – about 160 million people live outside
the country of their birth.
Reasons for leaving one place and going to
another are called push/pull factors
◦ Push Factors: induce people to move away from a
location
◦ Pull Factors: attract people to a particular new
location
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3 Major Kinds of push/pull factors:
◦ Political
◦ Economic
◦ Environmental
Political Push Factors:
1. People who have fled their homes and country
and cannot return for fear of persecution because of
race, religion, nationality, membership in a social
group, or their political opinion.
2. People who are forced to migrate for this reason
are called refugees. There are about 16 million today
◦ Political Push Factors: the lure of freedom usually
found in democracies, like Hitler and World War II.
◦ Economic Push Factors:
 1840s millions of Irish were forced to leave Ireland
because of the potato blight, mass starvation, and
little to no help from their English landlords.
 1980s ¼ of Irish labor force left because they couldn’t
find jobs. Most were young and well-educated.
◦ Economic Pull Factors:
 Many came to U.S. for economic opportunity
 19th century – U.S. businessmen advertised in Europe
for workers
 People migrate to areas where they think they can find
jobs
 Ex: Houston, 1970s – boom, 2002 – Enron – bust.
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Environmental Push Factors:
◦ People leave a place because of adverse conditions
in the environment
◦ Water is the most common reason for the move:
too little or too much
◦ 40% of world’s natural disasters are flood
◦ 20% of world’s natural disasters are storm related
◦ People move to find water.
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Environmental Pull Factors:
◦ 1. small towns – made easier with technology
◦ 2. temperate climates – no harsh weather
◦ 3. dry climates – for those with allergies
◦ Disease can be a push factor (get away from it) or a
pull factor ( no disease in new area).
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How many people can the earth support?
Should people have fewer children?
Is there a population explosion?
There has been a dramatic increase in
population since 1900.
There have been large numbers of births and
a decline in the death rate.
People are living longer.
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Our population has been doubling in shorter
periods of time.
From the beginning until 1800: 1 billion
people
From 1800 to 1930: 2 billion people
From 1930 to 1975: 4 billion people
June 2010: 6,852,472,823 people
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Doubling Time, p. 90.
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Thomas Malthus
◦ was the first to examine the problem of population
size
◦ said population will outrun our ability to produce
food
◦ said population grows at a much faster rate than
the earth’s food supply
◦ He was writing about this in 1798 before the
industrial and agricultural revolutions and before
many modern birth control methods had been
discovered.
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Malthus named Positive and Preventive checks on
population
◦ Positive Checks: malnutrition, famine, disease, and war.
◦ Preventive Checks: late marriage and abstinence
Critics of Malthus are called cornicopians, and they believe
if we curb our numbers, we may be preventing geniuses
from being born.
Neo-Malthusians say that the earth cannot support more
and more people, especially if they all want the Western
lifestyle.
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As of 2001, our population growth has
slowed somewhat.
Some demographers believe that we will only
have 11 billion people by 2100.
Lifestyles may have to change when looking
at available resources.
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Rule of 72 is used for calculating doubling
time
◦ take a country’s rate of annual increase as a %
◦ divide % into the number 72
◦ the result is the # of years a population, growing at
a given rate, will take to double
 Guatemala is growing now at 2.7% per year. Its
population is doubling every 25.7 years.
 India is growing 1.7% per year which means that its 1
billion people will be 2 billion in 42 years.
 China’s will double in 120 years. They now have 1.3
billion people.
 Are there enough resources, jobs, health care for all?
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Population Control:
◦ Overpopulation results when an area’s population
exceeds its physical, social, and economic
resources.
◦ Population geographers say there are 2 main ways
to solve overpopulation:
 1. Reduce the size of population OR
 2. Increase resources
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Increase Resources:
◦ emphasize economic development
◦ increase scientific inventions (new manufacturing
and agricultural processes)
◦ share resources more equally; don’t let one nation
use most of them.
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Reduce Population:
◦ Increase the death rate
◦ How? Ideas?
◦ Reduce the birth rate
◦ How? Hurdles?
 Government policies
 Abortion
 Support parents in old age
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Problems with a population that is too small:
◦ Defense : Are there enough people to guard the
borders?
◦ Support: Are there enough people to provide
benefits to older generation?
 In U.S. – Social Security
 In Germany – pensions, health care
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Climate influences where people live.
Very dry, very high, very wet, very cold/hot
areas are usually not heavily populated.
These regions also cannot support large
populations.
Most humans prefer the lower elevations
where it is not too cold or too warm.
Those who live in the tropics seem to like the
higher elevations where it might be a lot
cooler and not so humid.
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Humans like to live near the sea.
Populations seem clustered near the coasts;
Ex: Australia – half the total population lives
in only 5 port cities.
Disease also influences where people live.
Illness can affect livestock and therefore,
people’s food supply. Then people migrate.
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Diseases that affect humans can influence
where people choose to live
◦ away from mosquitoes or contaminated water
◦ Love Canal – contaminated land and high number of
cancer victims
◦ Jefferson County, Colorado – near nuclear test site –
resulting in high numbers of leukemia victims.
Perception also plays a part in where people choose
to live.
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Germans immigrating to U.S. Wished to find
land similar to what they left behind.
People’s perception of a place may change
over time:
◦ Florida - swamp land, buggy
◦ Florida – a haven for those escaping cold weather;
air conditioning and screening alleviate problems.
Many move for a better climate, jobs, beautiful
scenery, or to be near water.
Different age groups have different preferences.
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People alter their environments
◦ Large populations can devastate an area by using
up all the resources.
Overpopulation isn’t the only reason for an ecological
crisis.
A small percentage of the earth’s people control
much of the technology and consume a very high
percentage of the earth’s resources each year.
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Americans make up less than 5% of the
world’s population and account for 25% of
the natural resources consumed globally each
year.
Houses are bigger and hold fewer people; Ex:
2002 compared to 1975.
If everyone on earth lived as Americans do,
the earth could only support around 500
million people.
As living standards in other countries
improve, what will happen?
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Demographic factors are displayed on the
landscape: shapes of human settlement.
◦ Rural Settlement Patterns had farm villages with
fields outside of the village OR dispersed
farmsteads, pp. 96, 97.
 Farm Villages - clustered settlements with fields,
pastures, meadows outside of the village. Farmers left
village to work the land. Common in Europe, Latin
America, parts of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East
 Street Villages – E. Europe & Russia
 Green Villages – N. & NW Europe
 Checkerboard Villages – use grid pattern like Mormons
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Why settle in villages?
◦ Security
◦ Water communal ties
◦ Less isolation
There are also Unit Farmsteads and Courtyard
Farmsteads, p. 97.
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Isolated Farmstead
◦ found in Anglo-America, Australia, New Zealand,
and S. Africa
◦ areas colonized by Europeans
◦ also called dispersed settlement
◦ found in areas with peace, security, water, and
individual families
◦ most began since colonization
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Historical Factors Shape Culture/ Landscape
◦ Mayans of the Yucatan lived in “wet point villages”,
villages around a water source, before the Spanish
arrived.
◦ After the Spanish took over, Mayans had to live in
“checkerboard villages” set up by the Spanish.
◦ The village pattern may have been a Spanish
victory, but Mayan culture prevailed. There were
few wheeled vehicles used, and traditional housing
was kept.
◦ There are remnants of both Spanish and Catholic
influence.
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Political and Economic Factors Shape
Cultural /Demographic Landscape.
◦ Politics affects population geography with its
government policies:
 Birth Rates
 Forced Migration
 Ethnic Cleansing – removal of an unwanted minority in
nation-states: Balkans, Darfur, Jews during World War
II
 Governments restrict voluntary migration and
immigration to other countries.
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Economics is often intertwined with politics
and affects the landscape
◦ Industrialization caused great voluntary migration
as people looked for jobs.
◦ World War II women took over factory jobs as men
left for the war
Gender and Cultural/Demographic Landscape:
- women seen as desirable for certain jobs causing
them to move: Irish domestics in 19th century
Sex industry in 20th and 21st centuries