1.

0 Introduction
What is human population?
Human population refers to the number of people living in a particular
area, from a village to the world as a whole. A secondary meaning of
population is the inhabitants themselves, but in most uses population
means numbers.
No one knows the population of the earliest humans, but there may
have been only a few tens of thousands of individuals when the species
Homo sapiens first emerged 200,000 years ago. Today more than 6
billion human beings inhabit the earth. Three-fifths of them live in one
continent, Asia, with the rest occupying every continent except
Antarctica.
The overwhelming increase of human population growth has occurred
since the Industrial Revolution and more than half since 1950.

2.0 Why study human population?

 Teaching purposes
 Research purposes – why there is high fertility in a certain
region as compared to another region
 Job creation
 Policy purposes - China
 Resource allocation - counties
 Commercial purposes – businessmen/women
3.0 Human Population Pattern
Refers to the spatial distribution of the human population on the earth’s
surface. Spatial means space. Human population is not uniformly
distributed. Therefore, regions are either densely or sparsely populated.

Why world population is not uniformly distributed?

a. Fertile Land:
Human settlements on large scale are at places which are more fertile
and where with less efforts the agricultural yield is more. On the other
hand, places which are less fertile have less density of population. As
such, hilly and rocky regions are less densely populated. In India, since
ancient times, the fertile Indo-Gangetic plain is one of the most densely
populated region in the world.

b. Availability of Mineral Wealth:

Every nation possesses some type of mineral wealth. As a matter of
fact, we can gauge the inequality between nations on the basis of their
mineral wealth. The regions of mineral wealth become a major source
of industrialization and employment of a country.

They attract people from far and near. At such places, the density of
population is high due to centralization of industries. The main reason
for high density of Europe is the availability of mineral wealth, because
chances of employment increase, more industries are established and
cities develop.

c. Availability of Water Supply:

Water is essential for life. The places which have abundant water for
daily consumption and for agricultural purposes are moderately to
densely populated. In the present era, even industries are established at
places which have sufficient supply of water.

In the past, human civilization originated on the banks of large rivers.

The Indus and Nile valley civilizations originated and developed along
the banks of mighty rivers. Ancient cities originated and developed
along river banks. On the other hand, due to scarcity of water and harsh
climate, there are less human dwellings in Arabia.

d. Increased facility of Transportation and Communication:

Since ancient times areas with proper transportation and
communication facilities have enjoyed large population. Means of
transportation and communication make the economy dynamic and
increase the exchange of commodities between peoples and regions.
Goods produced in one region can be made available to the whole
country in a very short period of time due to fast means of
transportation.

At places where transportation costs are low, we find localisation and

centralisation of industries and concentration of population.
Consequently, the density of population increases. In ancient times, the
main means of transportation were waterways.

Hence human population was centred at the banks of large rivers where
cities developed. On the other hand, in hilly areas and desert regions,
where transportation is difficult, human dwellings are few and far in
between.

e. Availability of Electric Supply:

Today, nearly all the countries are industrialised. Agriculture-based
economy has given way to industrial economy. Ready and sufficient
supply of electricity is an essential feature in industrial development.
Thus, places where industries are centralised develop into industrial
regions with high density of population, and the demand for electric
power increases.

Many cities in India are familiar with this process. Due to industrial
development, the previously small regions like Durgapur, Jamshedpur
and Bhillai, etc. have become large industrial areas, where the density
of population keeps on increasing. This has become possible due to the
availability of power supply among other factors.

g. Favourable Climate:
From the beginning of human civilization, favourable climate is
considered as an important factor responsible for human habitation.
The density is nearly zero in places which are extremely hot or
extremely cold. The parts which have moderate climate are inhabited
on a large scale.

h. Social Factors:
Social factors also affect the distribution and concentration of
population. Where social customs and taboos are extreme, people tend
to migrate to another place, so the density of population of that area
changes. If the cultural milieu is the same, people like to live
permanently at that place. The African population is increasing in
America because Negroes were settled there since the slavery era.

i. Migration of Population:
Every time migration of population takes place, it has an important
effect on the distribution of population. The places with more
opportunities of employment or possibilities of high income generation
attract people from different areas. In the past, people migrated in large
numbers to America, and the present day migration to Middle Eastern
countries are good examples of migration due to better employment
and income generation opportunities.

j. Educational Factors:
Individuals who want to pursue further education may move to other
countries. If the environment in the new country is adaptable to them,
they tend to settle there permanently. At present, youths from Asia and
Africa have migrated to America, Canada and European countries for
higher studies and after getting employment, they have settled there
permanently.

k. Political Factors:
If the people feel that their expectations are not fulfilled by the
government, or if the public is dissatisfied with the political system,
then they leave that country and settle in another. In the past, such
people have migrated to USA from Cuba.

l. Historical Factors:
It is a well-known fact that humans never migrate easily to a new place.
Once a person settles well at a certain place, he will never leave that
area to settle in a new area. People like to settle at places where their
ancestors have lived in the past. Sons and grandsons from generation
to generation live at a place which they do not leave so easily.

During natural disasters like earthquakes, famines, etc. people also like
to live at their native places. People sharing a cultural heritage are
united and feel proud of living in their own place of origin.

m. Economic Factors:
This has been considered an important factor affecting the distribution
and concentration of population at one place. The places which have
good opportunities for employment and possibilities of trade in
industrial products attract migrants from different areas.

Review question

 ‘Human population pattern varies internationally,

nationally, regionally’Discuss

Population Growth and Environment

Effects of Population Growth on our Environment
One of the factors responsible for environment degradation is
population growth or population density. In particular, population
density plays the most important role in shaping the socio-economic
environment. Population growth affect environment in the following
ways;

1. Generation of Waste:
Due to his destructive activities, man has dumped more and more waste
in environment. As the man-made waste is not transformed, it causes
degradation and the capacity of environment to absorb more waste is
reduced. Further, waste leads to air and water pollution.

2. Threat to Biodiversity:
Due to his destructive activities, man has extracted more and more
minerals from the earth. Animals have been hunted and plants species
have disappeared. There has been loss of biodiversity. These have led
to ecological imbalance.
3. Strain on Forests:
Man has established new housing colonies. National highways and
hydropower projects have been built and forests have been wiped out.
These destructive activities have increased and led to ecological
imbalance.

4. Urbanization:
Rapid growth of population has led to urbanization which has adversely
affected environment. Due to population pressure, natural resources in
the cities are depleted at a fast rate due to population pressure.
Moreover, population does not have proper sanitation facilities and
pure drinking water. As a result, the health of the people is adversely
affected.

5. Industrialisation:
Underdeveloped countries are following the policy of heavy
industrialisation which is causing environmental degradation. The
establishment of such industries as fertilizers, iron and steel, chemicals
and refineries have led to land, air and water pollution.

6. Land Degradation:
Intensive farming and excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides have
led to over-exploitation of land and water resources. These have led to
land degradation in the form of soil erosion, water logging and
salination.

7. Transport Development:
Environmental degradation is also due to transport development in the
different parts of the world. The automobiles release huge quantities of
poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and
hydrocarbons. The development of ports and harbours have led to oil
spills from ships which adversely affecting fisheries, coral reefs,
mangroves and landscapes.

8. Climatic Change:
Climatic changes are irregular due to greenhouse gases. The thin skin
of air that surrounds the planet is being affected by human activities as
never before. Urban people are still being exposed to unaccepted levels
of toxic pollutants. Further, forests are still being degraded by acid
deposition generated by faraway industries, and greenhouse gases
continue to accumulate in the atmosphere.

9. Productivity:
Environmental degradation not only harms health but also reduces
economic productivity. Dirty water, inadequate sanitation, air pollution
and land degradation cause serious diseases on an enormous scale in
developing countries.

10. Technology:
Presently, environmental pollution is caused by old technology which
releases gases and pollutants causing chemical and industrial pressure
on environment.

Review: 3

 Describe the concepts; environment, environmental degradation

and climate change.
 How does population growth contribute to environmental
degradation?
Impact of Environment on Population:
Polluted environment also affects adversely the health of people.

Mitigation Measures

1. Control of Population Growth:

Effective family planning policy should be integrated with measures
to accelerate economic development.

2. Economic Development:
Education- reduce early marriage

3. Improving Health and Nutrition:

Improving health and nutrition levels is an extremely important factor
contributing to the social development of a developing country.
Especially the people of the weaker sections of the society who do not
take adequate advantage of health, family welfare and nutrition
services, should be made aware of these facilities so that their health
and nutrition status can be improved.

4. Reducing Poverty:
The government should expand health and family planning services
and education so as to reach the poor that will help reduce population
growth. Further, making investments in providing civic amenities like
the supply of drinking water, sanitation facilities, alternate habitats in
place of slums, etc. will not only improve welfare but also environment.
5. Removing Subsidies:
To reduce environmental degradation at no financial cost to the
government, subsidies for resource use by the private and public sectors
should be removed. Subsidies on the use of electricity, fertilisers,
pesticides, diesel, petrol, gas, irrigation water, etc. lead to their wasteful
use and environmental problems.

Subsidies to capital intensive and highly polluting private and public

industries lead to environmental degradation. Removing or reducing
subsidies will bring both economic and environmental benefits to the
country.

6. Clarifying and Extending Property Rights:

Lack of property rights over excessive use of resources leads to
degradation of environment. This leads to overgrazing of common or
public lands, deforestation, and overexploitation of minerals, fish, etc.
Clarifying and assigning ownership titles and tenure rights to private
owners will solve environmental problems.

7. Market Based Approaches:

Besides regulator measures, there is urgent need for adopting market
based approaches for the protection of environment. They aim at
pointing to consumers and industries about the cost of using natural
resources on environment. These costs are reflected in the prices paid
for goods and services so that industries and ultimately the consumers
are guided by them to reduce air and water pollution.

8. Regulatory Policies:
Regulatory polices also help in reducing environmental degradation.
Regulators have to make decisions regarding prices, quantity and
technology. In making decisions, they have to choose between the
quantity or the price of pollution or resource use of technologies.

9. Economic Incentives:
Like regulatory policies, economic incentives relate to price, quantity
and technology. Incentives are usually in the form of variable fees to
resource users for the quantity of pollutants in air, water and land use.
They are given rebates if less waste or pollution is generated than the
emission standards laid down.

10. Public Participation:

Public awareness and participation are highly effective to improve
environmental conditions. Conducting of formal and informal
education programmes relating to environment management and
environmental awareness programmes can go a long way in controlling
environmental degradation and keeping the environment clean.

MIGRATION

Migration refers to the movement from one place to another in order to

live and work. Movement of people from their home to another city,
state or country for a job, shelter or some other reasons is called
migration.

Causes of Migration

 Employment opportunities
 Better education
  Construction of dams
 Globalization
 Natural disasters e.g. flood and drought
 Crop failure

Migrants

People who move from one place to another in search of work or shelter
are called migrants.

Impacts of Migration

Migration is becoming a very important subject for the life of cities.

Many opportunities and attraction of big cities pull large numbers of
people to big cities. Migration can have positive as well as negative
effects on the life of the migrants.

Positive Impact
 Unemployment is reduced and people get better job opportunities.
 Migration helps in improving the quality of life of people.
 It helps to improve social life of people as they learn about new
culture, customs, and languages which helps to improve
brotherhood among people.
 Migration of skilled workers leads to a greater economic
growth of the region.
 Children get better opportunities for higher education.
 The population density is reduced and the birth rate decreases.
Negative Impact
 The loss of a person from rural areas, impact on the level of output
and development of rural areas.
 The influx of workers in urban areas increases competition for the
job, houses, school facilities etc.
 Having large population puts too much pressure on natural
resources, amenities and services.
 It is difficult for a villager to survive in urban areas because in
urban areas there is no natural environment and pure air. They
have to pay for each and everything.
 Migration changes the population of a place, therefore, the
distribution of the population is uneven in India.
 Many migrants are completely illiterate and uneducated, therefore,
they are not only unfit for most jobs, but also lack basic
knowledge and life skills.
 Poverty makes them unable to live a normal and healthy life.
 Children growing up in poverty have no access to proper nutrition,
education or health.
 Migration increased the slum areas in cities which increase many
problems such as unhygienic conditions, crime, pollution etc.
 Sometimes migrants are exploited.
 Migration is one of the main causes of increasing nuclear family
where children grow up without a wider family circle.
FURTHER READING ON MIGRATION:

Migration: Meaning,
Causes, Consequences and
Solutions of Migration
Author: DEVASIS CHAKMA

Introduction:
Migration is a natural process that often happens depending on the socio-economic,
demographic, cultural, political and environmental factors related to the migrant
people. Migration is not a mere shift of people from one place of residence to
another. It is most fundamental to the understanding of continuously changing space
content and space relationships of areas (Gosal, 1961). Bogue (1959) considers it an
instrument of cultural diffusion and social integration which yields more meaningful
redistribution of population. Smith (1960) has stated about three-fold impacts of
migration on (1) the area of out- migration (2) the area of in-migration and (3) the
migrants. The persons of the areas of out- migration decrease while the population of
in- migration increases. The migration from rural to urban areas has been increasing
slowlywith industrialization and modernization in India. The main
reason for migration is employment or business related migration. The male migration
constitutes the highest level of migration in India due to employment purpose. The
female usually migrates as accompanists of males through several other factors like
after marriage or family transfer, but with the recent survey single females are also
slowly increasingly moving out in search of a jobs. There are many definition of
migration.
According to Lee, ‘Migration is permanent or semi-permanent change of residence.”
According to Weinberg, “Human migration as change of place permanently or
temporarily for an appreciable duration as in case of seasonal worker.
According to Safa, “Migration is normally viewed as an economic phenomenon
through non-economic factors obviously has some bearing (Singh, 1989) [6]
Migration process has been one of most dynamic human activities from the very
beginning of human life. In early days people moved from one forest to another in
search of forest products. When most of people divorced forest life and adopted civilized
life they developed relationship with domesticated animals and fertile land. As a result,
mobility of mankind changed considerably. The people continued to move from one
region to another in search of fertile land for developing cultivation. The people moved
from early civilized area to other parts of world, partly for agricultural purposes or for
trade and partly for investigation. Migration of the people
to big cities takes from all the corners of the country with different social and cultural
background. When such people meet in cities and stop living together, a new
cosmopolitan culture develops. Such cultures are more liberal, impersonal, self-centred
and more materialistic.

Causes of Migration
Urbanization: Urbanization has been a major driver of internal migration. Rates of
urbanization influence rural-
urban wage differences. An increase in the demand for labour in urban areas can
attract urban wages and increase migration. The pull factors of better job facilities,
good salary, and more income, medical and educational facilities are attracting the
rural people to move to the cities (Kundu, 2012) [5]. The push factors of no job
facilities, low salary, less income, drought, less medical and education compel people
towards cities.
Marriage: Marriage is a very important social factor of migration. Every girl has to
migrate to her in-law’s place of residence. Thus, the entire female population of India
has to migrate over short or long distance. About 49.35 the percent people shifted their
residence after marriage in 2011.
Employment: People migrate in large number from rural to urban areas in
search of employment in industries, trade, transport and services. The rural areas does
not provide employment to all the people living there. Even the small-scale and cottage
industries of the villages fail to provide employment to the entire rural community.
About 10.22 per cent of migrants migrated for employment in 2011.
Education: Due to lack of educational facilities in rural areas, people migrate to the
urban areas for higher education. Many of them settle down in the cities for earning a
livelihood after completing their education. In 2011 census, about 1.77 percent
people migrated for education.
Lack of Security: Political disturbances and interethnic conflicts drive people away
from their homes. Large number of people has migrated out of Jammu and Kashmir
and Assam during the last due to disturbed conditions there. People also migrate on a
short-term basis in search of better opportunities for recreation, health care facilities
etc.
‘Pull’ and ‘Push’ Factors: Two principle factors- push and
pull are responsible for migration. The push factors are poverty, lack of work
opportunities, unemployment and underdevelopment, poor economic condition, lack of
opportunities, exhaustion of natural resources and natural calamities, scarcity of
cultivated land, inequitable land distribution, low agricultural productivity etc. Pull
factors attract migrant to an area (area of destination), like employment and higher
education opportunities, higher wages facilities, better working condition. Millions of
people migrated from their far-off villages to the big cities of Kolkata, Mumbai or Delhi.
The appalling living conditions like slums, lack of safe water, absence of sanitation,
overcrowding with the attendant increase in crime, insecurity for women, sexual abuse
and exposure to frequent epidemics and AIDs are the immediate outcome of this
population shift
Consequences of migration:
Migration affects both the area of origin of migration and the
areas of destination of the migrant population. The consequences of migration can be
defined as.

1. Demographic consequences: Migration changes the characteristics of the

population in regions of out migration and regions of in- migration. It changes age and
sex composition of population with rate of growth of population. The proportion of old,
children and females increases due to out- migration in source region. The high sex
ratio is found in the source areas because mostly the youthful male population is
involved in migration. Consequently, these areas are depleted of the youth population
and results in lowered rates of births and lower population growth rates.
2. Social consequences: Migration results in intermixing of diverse cultures and leads
to the evolution of composite culture. It breaks the narrow thoughts and widens the
mental horizon of the people. In history, India received migrants from different cultural
groups causing different cultures but sometimes migration creates social vacuum and
sense of dejection among individuals and people fall incrimes and drug abuse (Khullar,
2014) [4]
3. Economic consequences: Migration changes the resource-population ratio. If the
people are moving from an over populated area to an area of under population the
result is in the balancing of the resource- population ratio. If the migration is from an
area of under population to over population or optimal populated, the results are
harmful to both the areas. Migration affects the occupational structure of population.
The population of receiving areas becomes more productive causing dependency ratio
in the source areas. Brain drain is another consequence of migration. Skilled people
migrate from poorer countries to developed countries in search of better economic
opportunities. People migrating out send remittance to their families at home and add
to economic prosperity.
4. Environmental consequences: Large scale movement of people from rural to urban
areas causes overcrowding in cities and puts heavy pressure on resources. It causes
haphazard growth of cities and causes slums lacking basic infrastructural facilities
such as safe drinking water,electricity, sewage etc. Overcrowding is also responsible
for any environmental problems of air, water, land and noise pollution, disposable and
management of solid wastes.
5. Other consequences: Migration enhances remittances to the source region but
causes heavy loss to human resource, in terms of skilled labour. Leg- behind women
enjoy empowerment effects with increased interaction in society including their
partnership as workers and decision making of households.
Conclusion:
Migration is the movement of people from one place to another. People move in search
of employment, better educational and health facilities etc. The male migration
constitutes the highest level of migration in India due to employment purpose. The
female usually migrates as accompanists of males through several other factors like
after marriage or family transfer. More people migrate to urban areas because small
land holding, low income, low living standard, less agricultural productivity compels
them to migrate in urban areas where diversification of economy and urbanization
provides a lot of job opportunities. But overcrowding in cities causes many
environmental problems such as land, water, and air pollution, over utilization of
resources. So, there is a need to provide employment facilities in rural areas to minimize
the rural to urban migration and to prevent to move to cities. A large percentage of the
rural population should be able to make decent living through non-agricultural
occupations. All basic amenities like roads, electricity, safe drinking water, health
facilities (health centers), job opportunities in business and service sectors should be
develop by the government in rural areas.
References:

Migration in India: Causes and consequences by Dr. Anju Bala

Assistant Professor, Department in Geography, Govt. P.G. College for Women,
Rohtak, Haryana, India

Review question

 What is the difference between internal and international

migration?
 What is the difference between Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs) and refugees?
 What are the consequences for the refugees in the host country?
 Examine the role of migration in the spread and mitigation of
COVID-19 in Kenya
 What are the effects of migration in achievement of Kenya
Vision 2030?
TAKE AWAY
ASSIGNMENTS

1. Analyze the population

structure in developed
and developing countries.
2. Discuss the role of
population growth rate in
developed and developing
countries
TOTAL MARKS –
30MKS