Population

What is population?
• A group of people in a geographical
area, city, state country is called a
population.
• A census tells how large a population
is. Governments use information
from censuses to determine:
✔ Birth & Death rate.
✔ Number of males to females
✔ Number of employed.
✔ Number of unemployed.
✔ Dependency ratio.
✔ Migration ratio.
✔ Education and skills of the
population.
Other uses for census information
▪ Employment creation
▪ Land use.
▪ Determine how much to
spend on social welfare.
▪ Provide resources for
the most needy.
 Population Pyramids
❑ A population pyramid is a
representation of the make of a
population.
❑ The age-sex distribution is
shown in the pyramids. West
Africa’s 0-4 age group is larger
than Western Europe's. With
such a high growth rate, West
Africa’s government must
concern itself with providing
healthcare and education for a
large youthful population.
Europe’s government must
concern themselves with
providing healthcare for a
ageing population
 Pop Q
▪ What does the broad base represent?
▪ What does the conical tip represent?
▪ What type of country( developed or developing) is
represented by a broad base pyramid?
▪ What are the effects of a large youthful population on
a country?
▪ What priorities must be considered when planning for
the youths of a country?
▪ What special provisions must be made for the age
group over 65 years of age by the government?
 Population characteristics
▪ A population has a:
✔ Sex ratio of males and
females.
✔ A ethnic composition
of various races living
together.
✔ Age distribution –
youth, middle age and
senior citizen.
✔ Religious composition
of various faiths living
together.
 Population terms
❖ Crude birth rate – the number of live
births per 1000 for a year.

❖ Crude death rate- the number of

deaths per 1000 persons over a year.

❖ Natural increase – population

increase caused by birth rates
exceeding death rates.

❖ Infant mortality rate – the number of

infants (children under 1 year old)
per 1000 persons who die annually.

❖ Life expectancy – the average years a

person in a population is expected to
live
Life expectancy is affected by
Diet and
nutrition.
Cost and
availability of
health care.
Sanitation levels.
Stress levels.
Levels of salary.
Availability of
jobs
Dependency
ratio.
✔ Explain the terms: birth rate,
death rate, natural increase.
✔ Make a statement about the
birth rate of country X.
✔ Name two factors that may
cause the birth rate to
increase or decrease in your
country.
✔ Name two factors that
caused the birth rate to
decrease between
1991-2000.
✔ What are the implications
for a country in which there
is a rapid increase in birth
rate?
✔ What would you suggest to
the government of a country
for reducing its high birth
rate?
 What is Over Population?
▪ When the resources in an
area aren’t enough to
support the population.
▪ Causes of Over population
✔ Fall in death rate.
✔ Lack of physical resources.
✔ Slow development of
resources.
✔ Lack of population
education ( family
Planning).
 Problems caused by over population

❖ reduction In wages.
❖ Low standard of living.
❖ High levels of
pollution
❖ Increased poverty &
disease.
❖ Increase in crime &
drug abuse.
❖ Lack of development.
 Under-population
• This occurs when the
population is too small to
utilize its resources.
• Causes:
✔ Inadequate social and
health facilities.
✔ Famine, poor soil, deserts,
mountains.
✔ Distance from trade
routes, ports
✔ Lack of communication
with the world.
 Optimum Population
• This a population that
produces a high out put of
goods from its resources.
If a country is below
optimum its
under-populated; above
optimum and its
over-populated.
•
 Pop Q
• Define the terms : over population,
under-population, optimum population
• What indices must be examined to determine
whether an area is over or under-population.
• In which of the following categories would you
place your country? Justify your answer.
• What proposal would you suggest to
overcome the problem identified in response
to above question?
 Growth of population
• The graph shows the growth
of the world’s population in
the 19th & 20th centuries.
• The population is exploding
and by 2040 the it will almost
double. Population growth is
more predominant in
developing countries in Asia,
Africa and the Caribbean.
• The population in developed
countries grow at a rate of
0.5% to 1% where as
population in developing
countries grow at rates above
2.5% annually.
 Problems caused by population growth
▪ Poor living conditions.
▪ Lack of food.
▪ Lack of clean water
▪ Prevalence of diseases
and malnutrition.
 Population control
• Population control serves
to limit the world’s
population and if we are
not successful in reducing
our numbers, social
turmoil will ensue.
• Birth rates double death
rates in most countries
and the availability of
contraceptives have not
have a desired effect on
reducing population
growth.
 Pop Q
❖ Why are the demographers concerned about
population growth?
❖ What can be done to reduce this trend of the
world population?
❖ What factors account for population growth?
❖ What factors account for the reduction in
mortality rates.
❖ What is meant by annual growth rate of a
population?
 Population density
• This refers to the
average number of
people living on every
square kilometre in a
country.
• PD = total Population
Area
 Factors that affect population density
• Climate – a large number of
persons will live in areas where the
climate is hospitable, e.g. warm or
cool areas. Areas that are too hot,
cold or has too much vegetation are
sparsely populated.
• Availability of Resources – more
people live in areas close to jobs,
e.g. Mandeville is populated
because of its closeness to bauxite.
• Physical features of land – flat
lands are more desired for
settlement than mountains or
swamps, e.g. few people live on
blue mountain, while kingston is
populated because its located on
flat lands (liguanea plains)
 • Availability of Infrastructure
- people live in areas
because of
✔ Good roads
✔ Schools
✔ Electricity
✔ Medical facilities
✔ Police stations
✔ Postal services
✔ Adequate entertainment
✔ Piped water.
 Pop Q
• Define the term “density of population”.
• What is the formula used for calculating density of
population?
• Explain the factors that may have caused your family to
settle in the area where they are presently.
• Describe the factors that may influence the density of
population in any given area.
• Which area in your country has the highest density of
population?
• What recommendations would you make to encourage
more people to settle in those areas of your country
where the density is low?
Population Movement
Immigration and Emigration
 Migration
• The movement of people from
one place to another in order to
settle.
• After the arrival of Columbus,
the Dutch, Spanish, Africans,
Chinese and French settled in the
Caribbean. They were seeking
riches on the tobacco and sugar
cane plantations.
• After 1900 people began moving
from one island to the next in
order to improve their way of
life.
• Through out 20th century the
caribbean people began
migrating to Canada, USA and
England. This was due to the
availability of better paying jobs,
education and healthcare.
 Push factors affecting Migration
❑ Natural disasters
❑ Un-employment, low
wages.
❑ Poor infrastructure –
housing, health care.
❑ Political instability
❑ High cost of living
❑ Lack of natural
resources.
 Pull factors affecting Migration
❑ High wages
❑ High standard of health
care.
❑ Proper infrastructure.
❑ Political stability.
❑ Low crime rate.
❑ High employment
opportunities.
❑ High standard of
education.
 Pop Q
▪ Explain the terms push and pull factors as used in migration.
▪ Identify the push factors that exist in jamaica.
▪ List the countries to which people migrate from Jamaica.
Identify the pull factors that exist there.
▪ Which part of the world has attractive climatic conditions?
▪ What are the most important considerations a person must
take into consideration before migrating to another country?
▪ What qualification must a person posses in order to qualify
for migration into a country.
▪ What were the pull factors that brought the east indians to
jamaica in 1845?
▪ How can migration help and hinder a country?
 Migration – the permanent movement of an individual
or family from area to another in order to settle.

• Types of migration:
o Internal Migration – this
involves a change of residence
in a country, e.g. relocating
from montego bay to Kingston.
o International Migration – when
a person moves from one
country to another in order to
settle, e.g. relocating from
Jamaica to England.
o Immigrant – a person who
arrives in a country to settle.
o Emigrant - a person who leaves
a country to settle in another.
Net migration- the difference between the amount of
immigrants and emigrants in a country for a particular year.
• When net migration is • Country A
Positive a population will Immigrants: 450
increase. When net Emigrants: 30
migration is negative, a
population will decrease. Net Migration= + 420
• People migrate to developed
countries in order to have a • Country B
better life. Developed Immigrants: 30
countries have put in place Emigrants: 450
requirements such as: Net Migration= - 420
• High academic qualifications.
• Wide rage of experience.
• Good health.
• Posses adequate finances.
 Emigration
Advantages
▪Lower levels of
unemployment.
▪Boost in foreign exchange
earnings.
Disadvantages
▪Loss of skilled workers.
▪Money spent on educating the
work force will be lost.
▪More money must be spent to
educate more skilled workers.
 Immigration
Advantages
▪More Skilled workers are available
in the work force.
▪The culture of the receiving
country is enhanced.
Disadvantages
▪Racial and religious conflict, e.g.
Muslims & Christians.
▪Immigrants are treated poorly.
▪The culture of the host country
may be lost.
▪The host’s infrastructure and
resources is put under pressure to
support an increasing population.
 Urbanization
• The migration of people from
rural areas to cities and towns.
Pull factors:
▪ Availability of high profile jobs.
▪ Proper infrastructure
▪ Availability of parks, police
stations, hospitals.
Push factors:
▪ Scarcity of jobs.
▪ Lack of roads
▪ Irregular water and electricity
supplies.
▪ Lack of entertainment and
recreational facilities.
 Issues caused by Urbanization

• Over crowding
• Shortage of housing.
• Rising unemployment
• Rising pollution
• Pressure on
infrastructure, e.g.
schools, hospitals,
roads.
• Increase in crime and
violence.
 Reducing Issues caused by Urbanization
• Build factories and
improve infrastructure
in rural areas.
• Provide or improve
social facilities such as
schools, hospitals,
parks in the rural
areas.
Build bigger houses.
More energy efficient houses
 Pop Q
• Would you recommend the intake of immigrants in
your country? Justify.
• Do you think “Brain drain” exist in your country?
Explain.
• What effects does brain drain have on a country?
• How can we reduce brain drain?
• Why are people living in rural areas unhappy with
their infrastructure?
• Why should governments be concerned with
urbanization?
• Why do you recommend that people stay in the
rural areas?