IB Geography: Population Vocab
29 flashcards · Other · by Gabrielle Wong
Demography is the study of the population.
Changing patterns in demography can drive the economic growth of a country, which can be seen in South Korea’s rapid economic growth after experiencing the demographic dividend. The status of women also has a large effect – ex. Education of women in Singapore moved TFR from over 7 in the 1980s to around 1.2 and under now
Population density refers to a measurement of how closely people live, formed by dividing the number of people in a place by the area
Population density can vary greatly – in China, for example, while urban centres and areas like the Pearl River Delta have densities of over 1000 people per square km, other, more remote and mountainous regions of China, have densities of less than 4 people per square km. More globally, 75% of the population lives within 1000 km of the sea, and only 10% of the population is within the Southern hemisphere.
The crude birth rate is the number of babies born in one year for every 1000 people
Shenzhen China has a high CBR of 14.2 and a much lower CDR due to its youthful population structure.
The crude death rate is the number of deaths in a year per 1000 people
Shenzhen China has a high CBR of 14.2 and a much lower CDR due to its youthful population structure.
The rate of natural increase is found by subtracting death rate from birth rate.
The rate of natural increase does not consider the movement of humans, such as through immigration.
Doubling time is 70 divided by the growth rate. It's the amount of time needed for the population to double according to the rate of natural increase
As the doubling time of humankind has continued to shrink, there is greater fear of a population bomb (the idea that the population of the earth will exceed its carrying capacity, leading to mass starvation and inability to cope).
TFR stands for total fertility rate. It is a measurement of the number of children a woman is estimated to have in her lifetime
The replacement rate is 2.1, which is the TFR needed to ensure a population continues to grow.
The impacts of ageing societies (ex. the fact that about 25% of Japan's population is elderly) is being seen in affluent countries more and more, in part because their TFR is below replacement rate.
Population momentum refers to the tendency for a population to grow despite a below replacement fertility rate, which occurs because births will still outnumber deaths when there are many people in their childbearing years
Population momentum explains why the population continues to grow even as TFR rates globally are dropping. This usually occurs for 50 years after a drop below replacement rate.
Population projections are predictions about future trends based on current ones.
Although population projections (see below) have led to many individuals claiming we will experience a population bomb at some point, we have survived through the development of technology ex. improved farming yields and increased availability of resources (Chemicals, GMOs, fertilizers, mass production (efficiency))
GNI stands for Gross National Income. It is the total value of all goods and services produced in a country together with the balance of income from and payments to other countries
The efficacy of GNI as a measurement of wealth is limited by the fact that it does not consider debt, there is no consideration of income inequality, the black market, the fact that it relies on occasionally unreliable national stats, that it is usually reported in USD, doesn’t reflect purchasing power, and ignores other factors like social welfare.
PPP stands for Purchasing Power Parity. It is a measurement of the number of units of a country’s currency needed to buy the same amount of goods in a country as a dollar would buy in the US, which shows what people can actually afford
The demographic transtion model is a pattern of population growth as a country develops
It moves from high and fluctuating rates, to high birth rates with falling deaths, to a stabilized population, with falling birth rates that eventually equal and fall below the death rate.
Megacities are cities with more than 10 million people.
The world's largest megacity is Tokyo, with over 38 million people (in Tokyo and the Greater Tokyo Area)
Slums are the concentration of very poor people in a city
In the slum of Dharvi, Mumbai, India, 85% of adults are involved in informal work.
Urban sprawl refers to the spread of a city across large distances of land, often in an unplanned way
From Encylopedia Britannica: Urban sprawl has been correlated with increased energy use, pollution, and traffic congestion and a decline in community distinctiveness and cohesiveness. In addition, by increasing the physical and environmental “footprints” of metropolitan areas, the phenomenon leads to the destruction of wildlife habitat and to the fragmentation of remaining natural areas. ex. grew in the US in part because of the Interstate Highway System in 1956, which made urban sprawl viable.
A forced migrant is someone who had no choice but to relocate.
From the UN: The global population of forcibly displaced increased by 2.3 million people in 2018. By the end of 2018, almost 70.8 million individuals were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations.
Refugees are people seeking refuge from danger or persecution residing outside of their country of nationality, which provides them with certain legal rights
According to the 1951 UN Convention Relating to Status of Refugees “person residing outside original country, unable/unwilling to return because of well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in political/social group, or opinion”
Asylum seekers are refugees whose claims are still being considered
Asylum seekers have become a political issue in the US due to the percieved higher numbers of undocumented migrants at the border and the resulting separation of children.
IDPs, or internally displaced persons are those who are forcibly relocated within their own nation.
IDPs don't have to worry about foreign residency, but lack international recognition. They are often a result of development projects within a country: in China, the South North Water Diversion Project in China displaced around 345 000, Three Gorges Dam displaced 1.25 million
Victims of human trafficking are usually young and poor girls who are forcibly removed as a result of deception or coercion in the false hope of financial gain (this is a type of modern slavery since it involves extreme exploitation and loss of freedom, as victims often end up in the prostitution industry)
The human trafficking industry is worth 32 billion, 80% sex industry, children are 1/3 of known victims, 60% from Africa and MENA
Life expectancy refers to the average number of years a person is expected to live for.
Life expectancy can be an inaccurate picture of health becuase it doesn't account for whether people are healthy even if they are living long lives.
The dependency ratio is calculated by dividing the economically active by dependents.
Dependents refer to people under 15 and above 65.
The ageing ratio is formed by dividing the economically active with the old (those above 65).
Japan used to have 9 workers for every pensioner, and now has 2 workers for every pensioner.
The demographic dividend refers to a bulge in number of adults in a population that occurs through the time of gradually declining fertility rates
The demographic dividend is often a time of economic prosperity as the dependency ratio is very low.
HIC: country with a GDP per capita of more than $12,650
HICs are disporportinately European and/or Western.
LIC: country with a GDP per capita of less than $1000
LICs are disporportinately small island nations or African. The number of LICs has decreased by 80% over the last century.
Pro-natalist countries seek to increase the number of children born.
Pro-natalist policies are often ineffective. in Germany: despite the fact they offer subsidies and spots in daycare, plus required paternity leave for men (1 year paid), 30% of women don't want children in Singapore, cash gifts of up to $80 000 were offered for couples who had children, but fertility rate went from 1.26 to 1.2 Russia's was more sucessful, but the effects only lasted for about 5 years (cash prizes, draws, propaganda)
Anti-natalist countries seek to decrease the number of children born.
The most famous anti-natalist policy is China's one-child policy, which they have now reversed. It is estimated to have stopped 300 million children from being born.