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Chapter 3
Population
Introduction

Late 1700’s Thomas Malthus warns of
the growing population in Great
Britain. He issued warnings of
massive famine and widespread
suffering. Although it did not take hold
in England, his predictions would
follow suit in the growing world.
Focus of Chapter

Where?

Geographers 1st study
population problems by
describing where people
are found across Earth’s
space.
• = population distribution

2nd issue is the places
where population is
growing

Why?

3rd issue is why
populations are growing
at different rates in
different places

4th issue =
overpopulation?
Demography

Definition:



Study of the characteristics of human
populations
Vital Records

• Births, deaths, marriages, divorces,
and certain infectious diseases
• Collected at all levels
Censuses

Definition: straightforward count of the
number of people in a country, region,
or city.
• Not usually simple


The #’s are important, they determine
government funding
Limitations
• Expensive, labor
• Undercounts
•
Many protest that not all of the population is counted
– homeless
• India- biometric census

Most nations repeat every 10 years
• U.S. since 1790
•
1985- quinquennial (5 years)
report:

Other organizations
• WHO, Immigration Bureau
Key Issue 1:Where is the
world’s population distributed?

Important because:

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
More people are alive!
World’s population is
increasing at a faster
rate
Almost all the population
growth is located in
LDC’s

If distributed evenly, the
world’s population density
would be 108 persons per
square mile.

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
World Population –
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POP CLOCKS
Greenland= .1 per square mile
Bangladesh= 2300 per square
mile
7 billion!!!
About 77 million per year
since 1990
China and India = 38% of
world pop
Population Distribution

Degree of accessibility, topography,
soil fertility, climate and weather,
water availability and quality, and type
and availability are some factors that
shape population distribution.


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
Ex. Brazil’s high pop concentration
along the coast dates back to the
Portuguese control in the 16th and 17th
centuries.
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Example: Mecca/ Medina
Population clusters

A country’s political and economic
experiences and characteristics can
shape the population as well.

Another important factor is culture as
expressed in religion, tradition, or
historical experience
All world’s inhabitants live on 10% of land
Most live near edge of landmasses, near
water
90% live North of the equator
Most of world’s pop lives in temperate, lowlying areas with fertile soils
Asia most populated continent


2nd = Africa
3rd= Europe
Continent
# in millions
Total %
Asia
 Africa
 Europe
 L. America
4,216
1,051
740
596
60%
15%
11%
8.5%
346
37
5%
.05%

+ Caribbean
N. America
 Oceania

Sub-Saharan Africa is fastest growing
population in the World!

2011 Data
Population Concentrations

2/3rds of the world’s
population clustered in four
regions!
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East Asia
South Asia
SE Asia
Europe
All four regions have:
-
-
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An ocean or river nearby
Low-lying areas
Fertile soil and average
climate
In the Northern Hemisphere
- Between 10 degrees and 55
degrees North
East Asia

1/4th of world’s population
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Distribution
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Region includes:
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Border to Pacific Ocean
Eastern China
Japan
Korean Pensinsula
Taiwan
5/6ths live in People’s
Republic of China

Clustered near Pacific Ocean
Japan and South Korea
• 40% live in 3 larges Metro
areas :
• Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul
• Only 3% land area
South Asia

1/4th world’s population
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Region includes:

India
• Contains 3/4th of South Asia Pop.
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Pakistan
Bangladesh
Sri Lanka
Largest concentration of people
in 1,500 mile corridor from
Lahore, Pakistan to the Bay of
Bengal
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Indus/ Ganges River plains
Also coastline
•Most are farmers, live in
rural
areas
•Region contains 18 urban
areas
•Only 1/4th urban population
•Two physical barriers:
• Himalayas
• Taklimakan Desert confine
the growing population.
•There is more pressure on
the land in this region due to
high densities!
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Southeast
Asia
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600 million people
Mainly islands
-including Java (4th most populous)
- 100 million people
High Percentage of people live in rural
areas along river valleys and deltas.
Europe
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1/9th the world’s population
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Four dozen countries

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3/4th live in cities or metro
areas
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Monaco to Russia
Less than 10 % farmers
Dense network of roads/ rail
lines
Highest population near
industry

Coalfields
Other Population Clusters
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Western Hemisphere
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Northeastern U.S. +
Southeastern Canada
2% of world’s population
Mainly urban
West Africa
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South-facing Atlantic coast
½ of population concentration in
Nigeria
• Africa’s most pop. Nation
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Work in agriculture
• 5 urban areas
Sparsely Populated Regions
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Ecumene

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portion of the earth’s surface
occupied by permanent
settlement
Areas once considered too
harsh to live has diminished
and ecumene increased

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7,000 years ago population
clustered in River Valleys
500 years ago North America
outside of ecumene

Ecumene today

3/4ths world population lives on
only 5% of earth’s surface
• Oceans 71%
Dry Lands

20% of earth’s surface too
dry for farming

Largest desert region:
• North Africa to Southwest and
Central Asia
• Sahara, Arabian, Thar, Takla
Makan, and Gobi
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Not enough water to sustain
a population/ crops BUT:
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Adaption = camels
Irrigation systems
Natural resources
• oil
Wetlands
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Located primarily near equator
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Between 20 degrees North and
South latitude
Rainfall averages more than 50
inches per year
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Most receive 90 inches +

Combination of heat and rain
rapidly depletes soil of nutrients

Seasonally rainfall = more
agriculture
Cold and High Lands
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Cold Lands
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Near North and South poles
Massive ice coverage
Less precipitation but
snow/ice piles up over time
Unsuitable for crops/
humans/ animals
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High Lands
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High elevations
Usually steep, snow-covered
Example: Switzerland
• ½ of land above sea level
• Only 5% live there
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Exceptions:
• Latin America
• Mexico City
• Africa
Population Density
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Definition:
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Several ways to determine
Population Density
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A numerical measure of the
relationship between the number
of people and some other unit
expressed as a ratio
Arithmetic (Crude)
Physiological/ Agricultural
Helps geographers describe
distribution of people in
comparison to available
resources.
Arithmetic Density
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Definition
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enables geographers to
compare # of people
trying to live on a given
piece of land in different
regions of the world
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One dimensional
Total # of objects in an area
Total # of people divided by
total land area
• Example: United States
• 310 million people / 3.7 million
square miles =
• 84 people per square mile
• Example: Bangladesh = 1,127
ppsm

used to compare conditions
in different countries

Tells us very little for about
the variations in the
relationship between people
and land
Problems with Arithmetic Density

Arithmetic Density does not
always accurately portray
population distribution.

Example: Egypt had a
population of 73.3 million
in 2004, and an arithmetic
density of 190 per square
mile. However, 98% of the
population lives on only
3% of the land making the
density meaningless.
Physiological Density

Definition:

# of people per area of arable of
land in a region
• Example: United States
• Physio density of 175 ppsm of
arable land
• Example: Egypt
• Physio density of 2,296 ppsm

the higher the physio density,
the greater the pressure that
people may place on the land
to produce enough food

insight to the relationship
between size of population
and availability of resources
in a region
Agricultural Density

Definition:
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ratio of farmers to the amount of
arable land
Measures economic differences
MDC’s/ Core nations have
LOW agricultural density
because of technology.

Putting Agricultural and
Physiological densities
together allows you to look at
the relationship between
population and resources

Example: Netherlands vs.
Bangladesh
• Both have high physiological
densities
• Dutch have low agricultural density
• What does this mean?
• both put pressure on land but
Dutch utlizes less famers
Population Composition

Another way to explore population
patterns of distribution

Addresses challenges
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Looks at subgroups:
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# of males/ females
# senior citizens/ children
# active in workforce/ not active
Baby booms
Aging population
Women of childbearing age

Understanding population
composition not only tells us about
future demographics of regions
but also is useful for the present

Geodemographic analysis

Definition: assessing the location and
composition of particular populations