GCSE GEOGRAPHY UNIT 3: SECTION A: POPULATION

(YOU MUST ANSWER THIS QUESTION IN THE EXAM)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

� Describe and explain the growth of world population and how it has changed.

� Main reason for rapid growth in population (reduction in death rates in LICs).

� That world population distribution is uneven.

� Definitions of ‘sparsely’ and ‘densely’ populated.

� Human and physical factors explaining population distribution.

� Definitions of ‘birth rate’, ‘death rate’ and ‘natural increase’.

� Medical, economic, social and political causes of changes in birth and death rates.

� Characteristics of the demographic transition model.

� Case Study example of the physical and human factors affecting population density and

distribution of people in China and the UK.

� ** Case Study** example of what two countries are doing to cope with contrasting (different) population problems i.e. China and Singapore.

� Understand the characteristics of population at a local scale i.e. ward data.

� Recognize and interpret different population pyramids and the links with different levels of development.

� Positive and negative consequences of youthful and ageing populations.

� **Case Study** examples of the advantages and disadvantages of an ageing population i.e. Japan.

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Population distribution means where people are located or how spread it is.Population density: How many people there are in a given area, usually expressed as people per km2. It basically tells how crowded a place is.

Factors affecting population density include: the availability of water the availability of housing the availability of education the availability of health care

A certain number of people are represented by a dot or symbol, in the map below each dot represents 100,000 people and gives an impression of how numbers of people vary from place to place.

It is very common for the exam to test your knowledge of population distribution at a global or national scale. At the global scale you will have to describe the global distribution of the population. Often a maps is provided to help.

Look for general patterns and refer to things like continents, countries, areas and hemispheres. Remember you cannot describe all of the distribution so you are trying to give an overview. On the exam, judge the amount of detail by the marks available. Remember there are usually marks for naming examples.

Areas (parts of continents, parts of countries, or whole countries) with high population densities are usually much easier for people to live in (e.g. flat lowlands or areas with a reasonable climate.) They may also be areas with important resources e.g. coal, oil, metals. Or they may be in easily

accessible positions (e.g. near major rivers.) o The main countries that are densely populated are Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, UK, the

Netherlands, Germany, the Philippines, South Korea and Vietnam. Most of these countries have sub-tropical to temperate climates and abundant flat

lando Examples of sparsely populated areas are Canada, Bolivia, Australia, Russia, Namibia,

Angola, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Greenland. Sparsely populated means there are few people per unit area. Densely populated means there are many people per unit area

Population density and economic development are not closely linked. People are unevenly distributed around the world based on environmental and human factors

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Another popular question, you will have to be able to explain why the population is distributed the way it is. For example: Why are there large populations at X and a low population at Y?

Be sure to explain any unusual patterns (for example a significant population in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest.)

A checklist of factors is given below. Make sure for each that you can explain the factor and an example to go with it. The list starts with physical factors that are more significant in the developing world.

Factor: Explanation for high population: Explanation for low population:Relief Low lying, flat areas will encourage settlement.

Flat land is likely to have a deep soil layer. For example, The Nile Delta.

Rugged high mountains are a particularly difficult place to settle. For example, The Himalayas.

Water A fresh water supply will encourage settlement. In the UK we are lucky not to have to think about this.

Areas where the water supply is inconsistent, in short supply or polluted will have difficulty maintaining a population. For example, Ethiopia.

Climate A temperate climate avoids extreme so encourages settlement. Sydney has a temperate climate.

Harsh climates will discourage settlement. The harsh climate of the Australian outback has prevented any major settlement.

Vegetation Temperate areas have easily manageable vegetation. For example, The South East of the UK.

Vegetation such as that found in the Amazon rainforest can be a very physical barrier to settlement.

Soils Deep humus filled soils or those enriched by silt deposits allow a good agricultural yield so can support a larger population. For example, The Nile Delta.

Thin, unproductive or damaged soils cannot produce high yields so fail to support a large population. For example, The Soils of the Sahel.

Disease and pests A country can have sufficient finance to Many countries particularly around

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eradicate diseases and pests. For example, in Southern Italy malarial swamps were drained removing the disease.

the tropics still have huge problems with diseases and pests. The Bilharzia Snail is one of the biggest killers in Egypt.

Political Factors Political decisions can have a major effect on population distribution. Areas that receive high levels of investment are more likely to have a large population. Brasilia is an excellent example of this. (in the Amazon Rainforest)

Rural areas in Mid and West Wales have had very little investment therefore have a low population density.

Investment in infrastructure will

stimulate the economy.

Economies Some of the biggest growth regions in the UK are due to the healthy state of their economies. Silicon Glen in Scotland and Silicon Fen in/near Cambridge in England are both densely populated because of the success of the IT industry, which attracts migrants.

A poorly developed economy will be unable to support major populations such as Mozambique.

Communications Natural or later man made communications will have a big influence on size of settlement. Rio de Janeiro has developed around a port. Manaus' population is a consequence of the communication link provided by the Amazon.

Population growth in northern parts of Scotland has been hinderer by poor natural communication and a lack of investment since.

Natural resources The UK was able to sustain a large population because of the discovery of easily accessible, high-grade coal.

Many areas in Africa lack natural resources or more significantly the finance or technology to exploit them. Again you could use Mozambique as an example.

Remember: Any population distribution is likely to result from a combination of factors!

Table to explain the distribution of population:(Why do some places have a lot of people and some places do not?)

Densely populated Sparsely populated

Areas rich in resources (e.g. coal or oil) Areas with few resources (e.g. The Sahel)

Good job opportunities encourage high population densities in HICs (eg New York) and LICs (e.g. Nairobi).

Limited job opportunities e.g. The Amazon rainforest

Low land which is flat and easy to build on e.g. Ganges valley in India.

High land that is mountainous and inhospitable (e.g. Himalayas)

Countries with stable governments e.g. Singapore

Countries with unstable governments as people migrate (e.g. Afghanistan).

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Areas with temperate climates as there is enough rain and heat to grow crops e.g. UK

Areas with extreme climates of hot or cold tend to be sparsely populated (e.g. Siberia and the Sahara desert)

Coastal areas that are good for fishing, trading etc. and/or areas that are close to a good supply of water e.g. River Thames in London. Water is important for fishing, drinking, washing, etc.

Areas that flood a lot e.g. Mekong river delta and/or suffer from frequent natural disasters(e.g. volcanoes or droughts)

Areas with good developed transport linksGood communications e.g. internet and mobile phone networkAvailable electricity and water supply

Poor supply of electricity, gas and water, poor communications, no schools or hospitals

Good quality schools and hospitals

Areas that are close to good fertile agricultural land

Another chart showing factors affecting the distribution and density of population Natural factors Physical

Relief (slopes) Rivers Climate (precipitation and temperatures) Biological Soils Vegetation

Human factors Economic Minerals Energy Industries Services

Social Type of community: urban or rural

Technological Ability to exploit resources

Political Governments may try to change the distribution

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Historical factors • The present distribution of population has evolved over many centuries.

• Factors that are no longer significant may have made an impact that still lingers on in the present distribution. (e.g. spring lines at the base of hills were attractive to early settlement, those settlements are still there and may have grown, but the nearby springs are now irrelevant because, like all settlements today, they rely on water piped in at some distance.

The carrying capacity is the maximum number of people that can be supported by the resources and technology of a given area. So this particularly affects population density. The greater the carrying capacity, the higher the population density can be.

You should be able to describe the distribution of population on a national scale. Make sure that you can draw a sketch map of population distribution, annotate and describe it with reference to places. You will also have to explain reasons for distribution. As in the global distribution there will be physical and human factors. You will also have to refer more specifically to places and their history.

For example, the population of Brazil is largely on the coast and in the southeast. Inland the climate, relief or vegetation prevents settlement. Manaus is a heavy populated settlement situated inland and in the Amazonian rainforest. This is an anomaly because it does not fit the general pattern. To explain it we have to refer to its history as a center for the rubber industry that first initiated settlement and its continued development as a 'free port'. This encourages industry to locate as there are no taxes on imports or exports.

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CASE STUDY: The distribution of population in China

The eastern belt of high population densities roughly coincides with the main lowland areas – which probably have the best soils too (they are fertile). High mountains (over 5000m) may well explain the low population densities elsewhere. The eastern belt coincides with the highest rainfall, the rest of the country appears to be an area of very low precipitation. Given the high mountains, that precipitation there is likely to be snow.

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Distribution of relief

• Population is concentrated in the eastern half of the country, where densities exceed 25 per km2, and in places exceed 1 000 per km2.

• There is a very sparsely populated belt to the west, where densities are less than 5 person per km2.

• To the northwest of that there is another belt where densities are between 25 and 250 persons per km2.

• The South East coastal area has experienced rapid economic development: In the 1970s the Chinese government introduced a strategy for coastal economic development which drew in workers now making it the most densely populated region based around Shanghai.

Relief and climate have an important influence on the distribution of population

We can conclude that population distribution in China is strongly influenced in a positive way by lower land and adequate rainfall, and in a negative way by mountains and drought.

Distribution of Population in the UK

Coastal towns attract retired people. They are warmer here than in

other parts of the UK.

East Anglia – fertile agricultural land and so too valuable to be used for urban growth.

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The most sparsely populated areas are:

• The Highlands and Islands of Scotland

• The uplands of Northern Ireland

• Wales

• The north of England.

The influence of relief affects the distribution of population since these are the most mountainous areas of the UK.

Cold, wet and hilly area, remote so it is difficult to transport goods.

The distribution is dominated by two areas of high population densities

• The south east of England • The north west of England.

Main concentrations of urban population in the • central Scotland, • South Wales, • Northwest of England.

**The key factors here are HISTORICAL factors.

Apart from London, all the highest population densities coincide with the coalfields. Although coal is no longer mined, in the past coal was the energy resource that attracted huge amounts of industry. Despite deindustrialisation, these old coalfield areas still retain large urban populations. Today however, people tend to make their living in the tertiary (service) sector.

Changing birth and death rates Birth rate = number of live babies born per 1000 people per yearDeath rate = the number of deaths per 1000 people per year. Natural change is the difference between the birth rate and the death rate. If the birth rate is higher than the death rate this is called population increase. If the death rate is higher than the birth rate this is called population decrease. Population change is produced by two processes: natural change and migration. Natural change depends on the balance between birth rates and death rates.

If there are more births than deaths the population will increase. If there are more deaths than births the population will decrease.

Migration is the movement of people into and out of an area or country. If there are more immigrants (incomers) than emigrants (out goers), there will be a gain in population. If there are more emigrants than immigrants then there will be a loss of population. Natural change in usually expressed as a percentage each year Natural increase (%) = Birth rate – death rate 10

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CHARACTERISTICS of POPULATION People can be grouped according to:

• physical qualities: such as gender (male or female) or age (young, middle aged, or old) • ethnicity: most of us belong to one group based on skin color. • religion: Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist. • occupation: Professional, Managerial, Clerical, Skilled manual, unskilled manual, unemployed,

student, etc. These are all characteristics of population. This information is collected in a census. A census involves counting everyone in a region or a country and recording their characteristics. Most countries do a census every 10 years, and then compare the results with previous years to see how population is changing.

POPULATION PYRAMIDS Two of the most important characteristics of a population – age and gender – can be shown in a single diagram known as a population pyramid. The population pyramid can be very useful when making forecasts about future population totals and population growth rates.

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Consequences of an ageing population Ageing populations tend to be found in high income countries because of the advanced medical care available to all. An ageing population is often deemed to be a negative situation to be in. However, there are also some benefits to an ageing population:

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Plus Minus

Economic •

•

Good health and paid-up mortgages, plenty of disposable income and ‘empty nests’ mean many people in their 60s and 70s are helping the boom in the leisure business. That disposable income is also welcomed by UK retailers. Play an important part in the community - able to provide their time and expertise free of charge, such

• Fewer people in the work force, there is challenge of raising enough in taxes to be pay for a growing number of state pensions. Possibility of either (1) Increase taxes (2) Raise the age of retirement.

• There is growing demand for health care and support services. People may have to sell their homes to pay for their care - deprivation is being experienced by a growing number of pensioners.

Social Creation of retirement resorts (providing employment) in popular locations – opportunity to shake off loneliness many old people face. The resorts can be equipped with the social and medical facilities that are required by the elderly.

With people living longer, who will look after them when they become too frail? They are being shut away in care homes and sheltered accommodation.

Consequences of a youthful population Youthful populations tend to be in LICs since the healthcare is not very good, so people have many children and do not live until old age.

Negative Positive

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• Strain on many economies to provide for large numbers of children adequately. Many countries (LICs) education is not free. Low numbers of young people attending secondary school means that the workforce is largely unskilled, many of whom end up on the streets begging.

• The Gambian government made it free for girls to attend secondary school and become educated, rather than leaving school, marrying young and having many children.

Children are able to look after their parents and so less money needs to be spent on care for the elderly. The is a potential large labor force which can be very beneficial if governments can invest in their education.

• Disease among children is widespread. There is a lack of doctors to be able to treat them.

There is a large active workforce available for economic growth.

Political The political priorities of youthful and ageing populations are different

Priorities lie in pensions, healthcare services and age discrimination.

Priorities lie in education and job creation.

USEFUL VOCAB YOU NEED TO KNOW: Economically active People aged between 16 and 64 years old, capable of earning a living.

Zero population growth When natural change and migration cancel each other out and there is no change in the total population.

Ageing population A population in which there is a high percentage of people aged 65 or over.

Youthful population: A population in which there is a high percentage of people under the age of 16 (or sometimes 19).

Life expectancy The average number of years a person might be expected to live.

Demographic transition model

A model of population change over time, based on the variations in a country’s birth rate and death rate, in a series of stages.

Dependent population: The people (e.g. children and elderly) who are not working and

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therefore rely on others to provide for them.

A country decreasing the birth rate: China

A country increasing the birth rate: Singapore A country with an ageing population: Japan

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A COUNTRY TRYING TO INCREASE ITS BIRTH RATE:

CASE STUDY: SINGAPORE

In the 1960s Singapore had a high birth rate and a lowering death rate (i.e. stage 2 of the Demographic Transition Model).

Singapore's government saw rapid population growth as a threat to living standards and political stability, as large numbers of children and young people threatened to overwhelm the schools, the medical services, and the ability of the economy to generate employment for them all. So the government introduced a ‘two is enough’ policy in mid-1960s. This policy was very successful and the birth rate fell to 9 per thousand. In the late 80s, the government realised that if the birth rate continued to fall they would not have enough workers and the economy would stop growing (this is a bad situation that should be avoided). So they adopted more pro-natalist policies - in 1987 they introduced the ‘Have three or more, if you can afford it’ policy which gave people incentives to have more children. It has not been very successful. The birth rate is still declining. In December 2007 the Prime Minister of Singapore stated: ‘To sustain growth and vitality in our economy, we need a growing population in Singapore with talents in every field’. However, despite its failure, Singapore encourages families to have more children and has implemented a series of incentives. Parents now get many cash incentives for example: A cash gift of $3000 dollars each for the first and second child. The cash gift increases to $6000 dollars each for third and fourth child. The second to fourth child have a savings account called a Children Development Account (CDA) this is a special savings account, where saving is matched by the government. Parents can save in the CDA anytime until the day before the child’s sixth birthday. The savings will be matched by the government up to a total $6000 for the second and $12 000 each for the third and fourth child. But it wasn’t only financial incentives that were introduced; a mother’s maternity leave was increased to three months. Paternity leave was introduced - three days paternity leave was permitted for the first four children. Priority in school enrolment was given to children from large families. With more children, parents are entitled to upgrade to a bigger flat. If couples only have one child then they can buy only a three room flat. With two children they can buy a three or four room flat. Couples with no children are not entitled to buy anything more than a three room flat.

Singapore has also used immigration as a way of increasing its population. But it has only encouraged graduates to come and settle in

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the country. Immigrants who are not graduates take much longer to become Singapore citizens. Once an official resident then they may benefit from the incentives offered by the ‘have three or more, if you can afford it’ policy, otherwise you must still abide by the ‘stop

at two policy’. The reason for this is the government wants to maintain the ethnic make-up of the population.

Notes on China’s one child policy: DECREASING BIRTH RATE CASE STUDY Throughout the 1970s politicians sought to bring about a drastic reduction in family size as they realized that a huge

population threatened to outgrow the available resources.

What emerged was the 'one child policy', which has been

very successful in reducing birth rates.

The implementation of the policy was harsh and there

were strict penalties: the 'Granny Police' watched over

couples of childbearing age, and if a couple had more

than one child, both parents would lose their jobs.

The local government would issue a fine large enough to

bankrupt the family and worse, the 'illegal' child would

not be given a 'household register' which was necessary

for school enrolment and applying for jobs.

Usually, a married couple would fulfill the policy out of

fear alone, although due to industrialization and

improved education, people were becoming more receptive to new ideas.

Contraception was widely practiced throughout China in order to reduce pregnancies and widen the spacing between

births. A steady reduction in the birth rate resulted.

Couples obeying the policy were given a 5 to 10 percent salary rise and would have priority housing, pension and family

benefits, including free education for the single child.

By 2007 the BR had dropped to 12/1000, the same as the UK. It is estimated that 400 million fewer people have been

born.

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KS4 Independent Study | Revision | Geography

KS4 Independent Study | Revision | Geography

CASE STUDY : the advantages and disadvantages of an ageing population in Japan

Introduction and key statistics:

• In 2006, 20% of Japan’s people were over the age of 65; in 2055 the percentage will be 41% • Japan’s total population peaked at 127.8 million in 2005 and is predicted to fall by 30% to just

under 90 million by 2055.

What are the disadvantages of an ageing population? Workforce:

• The percentage of economically active people will fall from 66% in 2006 to 51% in 2055 • Businesses have difficulties finding new recruits; the labour force in the 15 – 24 age bracket

which stood at more than 8 million in 1990 will fall to 5.3 million by 2015. Pensions:

• By 2025 there will be only two workers paying taxes for every pensioner compared with nearly 6 workers in 1990.

• The age of retirement is rising from 60 to 65 by 2030. • Higher pension contributions from employees, employers and the government.

Healthcare

• The number of people living in care homes or nursing homes is increasing. • Half of Japan’s health budget is spent on care for the elderly putting pressure on the nation’s

economy. • A tax for people of the age of 40 was introduced in 2000 which will help pay for

equipment such as wheelchairs.

What are the advantages of an ageing population? The greying yen:

• Historically, pensioners saved so that they would have plenty of inheritance for their children when they died. However, society’s traditions have changed and children are doing less of the caring and Japan’s pensioners are now spending their savings and buying luxury goods and expensive goods. With so many people spending their incomes this could lead to a growth in the service industry.

Technology: • There has been technological explosion; it has

inspired a range of gadgets. This includes an online kettle that automatically sends emails to up to 3 people when it is switched on allowing people to check up on their without having to visit them,