Population

Population

1. Population

   • Distribution
     • Spread of people across an area - Uneven - Drawn to comfortable climate
       • Physical Factors that influence Distribution/Density
         • Relief
           • Low land: Highest pop - 80% altitude of less than 500m - hot areas, high altitude as cooler
         • Climate
           • Harsh climates too extreme
         • Soils
           • Flat, fertile areas attract settlement
         • Human Factors
           • History (Famine)
           • Government (Syria - 2011, 400,000 killed, 4.5 million fled and 6.5 million displaced)
   • Density
     • Average number of people per km2 - Densly populated: 500 or more

2. Factors that influence Birth/Death Rates

   • Education and social status of women
     • Educated women, less children - Focus more on career - Underdeveloped countries, not educated on family planning - High infant mortality - No access to contraception - ‘As many kids as God blesses you with’ - Men have full control of how many children - Zambia: one-third of girls under 18 have given birth
   • Standard of living
     • Higher standard of living, lower birth/death rates – Many children as possible to ensure someone around to take care of elderly – Average age of raising a kid to 21 in Ireland: €105,000
   • Government Policy
     • Intervened to control the birth rates - China's Old Child Policy
       • Chinas One Child policy - 1979. Fines, termination of employment and withdraw of Govt assistance. Exceptions: Not as strict in west, both born from one child families and couples could apply for second child.
         • 117 boys to every girl, Govt banned scans to determine gnder, went from stage 2 to stage 4 of DTM and removed in 2016. Can now have two. By 2030, China will have 219 million people over 65

3. Ireland's Population Over Time

   • Historic Factors
     • Before famine - pop 8 million - economy agriculture - population density of 113 per km2. Famine, 1 million died and 1 million emigrated.
   • Physical Factors
     • Wet climate, unproductive soils and upland relief makes West unattractive. Pop densities of less than 25km2.
   • Economic Factors
     • Economic policies introduced in 1960s by Sean Lemass attracted MNC. Drew people to cities. Settlements surrounding cities have densities in excess of 75. Dublin is a primate city. More jobs, higher wages and better range of services. The commuter zone has spread to Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and Laois
   • Changing Birth Rates
     • 1950s and 1960s
       • 1950: 100 years of emigration had reduced pop to just 2.8 million - birth rates remained at over 20 per 1000 - no contraception - 4 births per women - children economic asset
     • 1970s
       • Increase of population by 360,000 - Ireland joined EU - more immigration than emigration - decade of high birth rates - 74,000 babies in 1980
     • 1980s
       • Economic recession - decline in birth rates - 200,000 young workers emigrated - Contraception became available - couples delayed having kids
     • 1995 - 2008
       • Increase in population during Celtic Tiger Era - 25% of babies born were from foreign-born mothers -