Population

Population

1. Population density

   • population density refers to the number of people living in a particular area.
     • It varies from place to place
       • Example: Bangladesh has a population density of 1042 people per square kilometer
         • Singapore has about 6000 people per square kilometer. *one of the highest population density in the world
   • Formula: total number of people/total area of land
     • Usually expressed in terms of the number of people per square kilometer of the land

2. High rate of population growth

   • Consequences
     • High demands for resources, housing, education and jobs
     • environmental problems
   • Actions to control
     • education on family planning
     • Incentives and family planning
   • Causes
     • factors that lead to low death rate
       • Better medical and healthcare
       • Better hygiene
     • Factors that lead to a high birth rate
       • Lack of family planning
       • Early marriages
       • Needed for farm labour

3. Low rate population growth

   • Causes
     • Factors that lead to a low death rate
       • higher standard of hygiene
       • better nutrition
       • Better medical and healthcare
     • Factors that lead to a low birth rate
       • Later marriages
       • Fewer marriages
       • Smaller families
   • Consequences
     • Ageing population
       • Example: France, Germany and Japan
     • Higher taxes
     • Smaller talent pool
   • Actions to manage
     • Encouraging marriage and childbearing
     • Meeting the needs of the elderly
     • Helping elderly to stay healthy
     • Extending working life
     • Encouraging families to look after the elderly

4. Population growth

   • Factors affecting world population growth rate
     • Natural increase
       • formula: BR-DR per 1000 people
       • how fast a population grows depend on the rate of the natural increase
     • Birth rate
       • Birth rate refers to the number of live births per 1000 people per year
     • Death rate
       • refers to the number of deaths per 1000 people per year
   • Rates of population growth
     • low rates
       • Developed countries usually experience a low rate of population growth
         • example: Japan and UK
     • High rates
       • LEDCs
         • Africa, South America
       • India =high population explosion
   • Population pyramid
     • Highly populated= triangle shaped
       • LEDCs
     • Lowly populated = bee hived shaped
       • MEDCs

5. Population distribution

   • Physical environment
     • few people live in places such as deserts as the climate is hot and dry
     • It is common to see farming villages at the base of volcanoes as volcanic ash provides fertile soil for growing crops