Download Deciphering Demographics

Deciphering Demographics
1. What is the definition for landlocked?
A. Which countries are landlocked?
B. How might a landlocked nation have difficulties?
2. The most important resources for industrialization are iron ore, coal & petroleum.
A. What countries have little or no important resources?
B. What problems might Japan encounter due to lack of resources?
3. What is arable land?
A. If you have a large percentage of your population working in agriculture – do you
need more or less arable land?
B. How are developed nations able to produce more agricultural products on less land?
4. How might a large population below the age of 15 or over the age of 65 cause problems in
a country?
A. What countries have more than 40% of the population below the age of 14?
B. Why might the % of people 65+ be lower than 10% in many countries?
5. What is infant mortality?
A. What might a high infant mortality tell you about a country’s development?
B. What countries have 70 or more babies out of 1,000 (7%) die before the age of 1?
C. What country has the lowest infant mortality?
6. How can urban percentage be a good indicator of development?
A. How might these numbers be misleading?
B. What is the main occupation for people who live in rural areas?
7. Keeping current trends – Will a female baby born today in most countries live a longer or
shorter life than a male baby born today in the same country?
A. What country has the highest life expectancy? Lowest life expectancy?
B. What might life expectancy tell you about a country’s development?
8. What is literacy Rate?
A. What might cause low literacy rates?
B. What countries have a notable difference between male and female literacy rates?
(10% or more)
What might this tell us about the role and importance of females?
C. What might literacy rates tell you about a country’s development?
9. What is per capita income?
A. At the minimum wage in the US ($7.25) if you work 40 hours a week for 52 weeks
how much would you make?
Are there countries where the per capita income is lower than this amount?
How many?
B. What might you have to give up on this salary?
C. Why might some countries have very low per capita incomes ($3,000 or less)?
10. What causes children to be malnourished?
A. What might countries do to improve this situation?
B. What is the connection to malnutrition and per capita income?
11. What is inflation?
What does inflation mean to the average person?
At the British rate of 2.2% how much will a $1 cup of coffee cost in 5 years.
12. Are the countries with the lowest per capita income the ones that receive the most aid?
A. Why or why not?
B. Why do countries like Israel and Mexico receive a large amount of aid?
13. What is the major labor force activity for countries that have money to donate?
A. What might a large labor force in agriculture tell about development?
B. What might a large labor force in industry tell about development?
14. Are there any countries that do not have at least one import partner that is also an
export partner?
What might this tell you about world trade?
15. What is population density?
A. Explain how China has a lower population density than the UK, but has 100 times
the population.
B. How might population density figures be misleading? (Think about deserts &
mountains)
16. What countries have a negative population growth?
A. Where are these countries geographically?
B. What problems might be caused by a negative population growth?
C. Why do countries strive for a zero population growth?
D. What problems might be caused by a high population growth?
17. Which countries have a high birth and death rate?
A. What might large numbers in these categories tell you about development?
B. What is the connection between life expectancy and high birth and death rates?
18. Why do Australia, Germany, and the US have high net migration rates?
Why might some countries have negative net migration?
19. Generally speaking – Are large exchange rates in poor or rich countries?
A. What country has a currency that is stronger than the US?
B. Why is there no official currency exchange with Cuba or Iraq?
20. How might a large number of ethnic groups affect government policies?
A. How many countries have one ethnic group that is 90% or more of the population?
B. How might a government protect minority groups?
C. How might this one large ethnic group influence politics?
21. How might a large number of religious groups affect government policies?
A. What countries have more than 90% of the population practicing one religion?
B. How might minority religious groups have problems?
C. How might religion influence politics in countries with one main religion?
22. Does the US have an official language?
A. How might a large number of languages affect government policies?
B. Why might the official language in Nigeria be English?
23. What might government type be able to tell you about control of the government?
Is the US a democracy?
24. Which country is the most recent to gain independence?
A. The majority of countries gained independence from the UK in which century?
B. The majority of countries gained independence from Spain in which century?
C. How many countries were unified rather than granted independence?
25. Do all countries have a constitution?
A. Why not?
B. In which century did most countries adopt their constitutions?
26. What is suffrage?
A. Why might suffrage be compulsory?
B. Why might suffrage be later for singles than married persons in Bolivia?
C. Why is there no suffrage in Saudi Arabia?
27. Which countries would be considered developing nations? Explain why you ranked each in
this category.
28. Which countries would be considered developed nations? Explain why you ranked each in
this category.