Secondary 2 Geography Population

Secondary 2 Geography Population

1. Terms and Definitions for Population

   • Population Growth - An increase in the number of population in a specific area, city or country.
   • Death Rate - Number of Deaths per 1000 people
     • Rate of Natural Increase - The difference between Birth Rate and Death Rate; result shows whether a population is increasing (positive), zero or negative
       • Birth Rate - Number of Births per 1000 people
   • Population Distribution - How a population is spread out over an area
     • Factors
       • Physical Environment - Favourable conditions (Fertile Land, availability of water, etc.) means that people might live in such areas. (Eg. Bangladesh has lots of rainflal and fertile land for agriculture)
       • Level of Technology - Technology enables people to live in undesirable environments. Such as by allowing water to be piped into deserts (Eg. Las Vegas uses piped water from the Great lakes to supply water in a desert environment
   • Population Density - gives us an idea of the number of people living in a particular area. It is usually expressed in terms of the number of people per square kilometre of land
     • Formula = Population / Land Area in km square

2. High Rate of Population Growth

   • Population Pyramid - Has a wide base showing High Birth Rate and thin or broad top showing Low Death Rate.
   • Causes
     • High Birth Rate
       • Lack of Family Planning - People are less educated and know little about family planning. They may end up having more children because of deep strong beliefs.
       • Preference for sons - Sons as an important part of passing down the family name. Sons are able to work on farms unlike daughters who will move away when married.
       • Early Marriages - Couples who marry at an early age tend to have more children as compared to couples who marry later. Hence birth rates tend to be high.
       • Need for farm labour - Large families seen as a source of labour as people in less developed farm for a living. Therefore there will be more hands to work on the land.
     • Low Death Rate
       • Better Medical Care - This has enabled many more babies to survive beyond their first year. Also the elderly will receive better medical care and they are able to live longer.
       • Better Hygiene - People are less prone to falling sick and contracting diseases if their living conditions are clean and hygienic. Therefore deaths occuring due to unhygienic conditions is reduced.
   • Consequences
     • Higher Demand for Resources
     • Higher Demand for Housing
     • Higher Demand for Education
     • Higher Demand for Jobs
     • Environmental Problems
   • Actions taken
     • Education on Family Planning - couples are taught how to control the size of their families
     • Incentives and Penalties - Rewards the couple for having less children, and punishes them for more.

3. Low Rate of Population Growth

   • Actions taken
     • Encouraging Marriage and Child Birth - Through incentives such as baby bonus and more Childcare centres to help parents look after their children.
     • Meeting the needs of the elderly - building facilities such as liftrs and encouraging them to stay healthy.
     • Keeping the elderly healthy - Promotion of healthy living towards the elderly.
     • Building special facilities - More clinics and hospitals that soecialise in the care of illnesses. EG. St Luke's Hospital in Bukit Batok
   • Causes
     • Low Birth Rate
       • Later Marriages - People are getting married later and hence could have lesser children later. Women are now more academically qualified as compared to the past. Women also could have trouble conceiving as they get older.
       • Fewer Marriages - More people are choosing to remain single instead of getting married. Therefore birth rates will fall.
       • Preference for small families - Due to increasing number of working women, it is difficult to balance between work and family. Hence couples will choose to have fewer children. Cost of raising children has increased as well.
     • Low Death Rate
       • Higher standards of Hygiene - Cleaner environment means people are less prone to contract disease such as cholera.
       • Higher levels of Income - People are able to afford better nutrition and better medical care due to their affluence/wealth.
       • Better Medical care and health care - People are able to live longer and healthier lives due to easy accesibility to medical care.
   • Consequences
     • Ageing Population - A growing percentage of older people as compared to the younger people int hte workforce. Therefore there is an increasing burden on the working population
     • Higher Taxes - Required to better support the falling tax incomes of the government to continue funding the public projects.
     • Smaller Talent Pool - Smaller amount of people available to lead the country, opening up for foreign labour.
   • Population Pyramid - Population has a relatively thinner base indicating lower birth rate and a wider top indicating a lower death rate.