POPULATION GEOGRAPHY

GRADE 10

CONCEPTS:

■ POPULATION GEOGRAPHY: The study of the size, distribution,

composition, migration and growth of a population.

■ POPULATION DENSITY: Number of people living in a particular

area, expressed as people per 𝑘𝑚2.

■ POPULATION DISTRIBUTION: Where people live, or how they are

spread out around the world.

FACTORS AFFECTING DISTRIBUTION AND DENSITY:

PHYSICAL FACTORS:

■ Climate: People settle where the climate is moderate and where the area receive enough rainfall to practise farming activities;

■ Water: People settle near water resources as water is essential for life and human/farming activities;

■ Soil: The soil must be fertile to ensure that people will settle there. The more fertile the soil, the bigger the yield.

■ Relief: People tend to settle on flat areas where there is enough space.

■ Natural vegetation: People need vegetated areas for grazing land.

■ Resources: People settle where there is enough resources like coal, fish, wood and minerals. The mining of minerals help with job opportunities and lead to the development of settlements.

SOCIAL FACTORS:

■ Economy: Economic developed areas attract businesses and

industries and can support a bigger population;

■ Political: People prefer to live in political stable areas. Laws can

restrict certain race groups to live in a specific area.

■ Technology: Improved technology improve the development of

secondary and tertiary sectors. This will cause a increase in the

population density;

■ Transport and communication: A good transport and

communication network will attract people to live in that area.

■ Infrastructure: Areas with good infrastructure like water supply,

electricity, sewage systems and access to internet will increase the

population density.

POPULATION STRUCTURE AND GROWTH:

POPULATION INDICATORS:

■ Birth rate (BR): Total number of live births per 1000 of the

population in one year.

■ Death rate (DR): Total number of deaths per 1000 of the population

in one year.

■ Life expectancy (LE): The average years that a person can expect to

reach.

■ Fertility rate: Average number of children each women can have.

■ Natural growth: The rate at which the population of a country grows.

FACTORS AFFECTING BIRTH RATE:

■ Status of women;

■ Culture – Polygamy (one man with many wives is likely to have more children);

■ Early marriages;

■ Religion: Some religions believe that no contraceptives may be used.;

■ Level of education;

■ Availability of contraceptives;

■ Job opportunities – Unemployed people tend to have more babies(lack family

planning);

■ Wars

■ Migration – might decrease the birth rate;

■ Natural disasters.

FACTORS AFFECTING DEATH RATE:■ Quality of medical services;

■ Natural disasters;

■ War;

■ Outbreak of severe diseases like TB, or Ebola;

■ Hygiene and sanitation;

■ Famine or droughts;

■ Poor diet;

■ Socio- economical status;

■ Inadequate basic needs like water, electricity and housing;

■ HIV and AIDS.

FACTORS AFFECTING LIFE EXPECTANCY:

■ Improvement of medical services, hygiene and sanitation;

■ Level of education increase;

■ Poverty decrease life expectancy;

■ Life expectancy is higher in countries that are developed where the quality of food is better, better medical services, clean water, less polluted air and job opportunities to look after themselves;

■ Life expectancy is lower in countries that are less developed (e.g. Mozambique) where the quality of food is inadequate, no/poor medical services, polluted water resources and air and no job opportunities to stock up on the necessities.

FACTORS AFFECTING FERTILITY RATE:■ Quality of medical care/services;

■ Religion;

■ Population policy e.g. China that implemented the one child policy;

■ Socio-economical welfare;

■ Availability of contraceptives;

■ Fertility rate is higher in areas where:

– Young marriages;

– Less education and job opportunities;

– No/Few available contraceptives.

■ Fertility rate is lower in areas where:

– Equal opportunities for women;

– Available contraceptives;

– Higher education levels;

POPULATION STRUCTURE:Structure of a population is indicated on a population pyramid.

Population pyramid: A type of graph that indicates a country’s

population according to ages and genders.

WHAT CAN BE CONCLUDE FROM A POPULATION PYRAMID?

■ High/Low birth- and death rate;

■ If the country is a developing or developed country;

■ Dependency ratio can be calculated ( 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 15+𝑎𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 60

𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 16 𝑎𝑛𝑑 59× 100)

■ If the population has a positive or negative growth;

■ The life expectancy of the population;

TYPES OF POPULATION PYRAMIDE:

RAPID GROWTH AND POPULATION EXPANSION:

■ Symmetrical shape/triangular shape;

■ High birth and death rate;

■ High percentage dependants;

■ Low life expectancy;

SLOW GROWTH AND GRADUAL EXPANSION OF POPULATION:

■ Bell-shaped;

■ Decrease in the birth and death rate;

■ Birth rate is slightly higher than the death rate (Positive growth);

■ Higher life expectancy;

STABLE AND STATIONARY POPULATION:

■ Bell-shaped;

■ Birth and death rate is declining;

■ Constant amount of people between the ages of 0 – 60,

■ Higher life expectancy rate;

■ Females life longer than the males

DECLINING, OLD POPULATION:

■ Asymmetrical shape;

■ Birth and death rate is low;

■ Death rate exceeds the birth rate (Negative growth);

■ More older people than younger people;

■ Population is shrinking

MODEL OF DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION:

■ Model to explain the growth of the population over time;

STAGE 1: HIGH STATIONARY STAGE

■ Birth and death rate is high;

■ Total population remain small;

■ Birth rate is high due to:

– Lack of contraceptives;

– Children are seen as a social status

■ Death rate is high due to:

– Diseases and plagues;

– Famine

– Poor diet

– Poor hygiene

– Poor medical services

STAGE 2: EARLY EXPANDING STAGE

■ Birth rate remains high’;

■ Death rate decrease due to:

– Improvement in medical services;

– Improved lifestyle;

– Better services and medical care

– Improved infrastructure

■ Population starts to grow

STAGE 3 : LATE EXPANDING STAGE

■ Death rate stabilises;

■ Birth rate declines due to increase urbanisation and

industrialisation;

STAGE 4: LOW STATIONARY STAGE

■ Birth and death rate stabilises;

■ Total population remains the same;

■ If the birth rate drops below the death rate, then the population

while have a negative growth rate.

OVERPOPULATION

High numbers of people that cause an area to be dense and overcrowded. This

leads to the depletion of resources and the deterioration of the environment.

MANAGING OVERPOPULATION:

1. EDUCATION:

■ Educate people about the benefits of small families;

■ Educate people about the sustainable use of resources and

conserving the environment.

2. EMPOWERING WOMEN:

■ Some women in rural areas are not given the freedom of choice over

their own bodies. They are not allowed to have an education or use

contraceptives.

3. GOVERNMENT POLICIES:

■ Some government policies that have been tried:

– Financial rewards for only having one child;

– Increased taxes if there is more than one child;

– Strict legalisation for abortions;

– Providing free contraceptives and family planning advice;

– Free schooling for one child only;

– Encourage late marriages;

– Compulsory education up to Grade 9 for everyone

POPULATION MOVEMENTS:

WHAT IS MIGRATION?

Movement of people from one place to the other.

TYPES OF MIGRATION:

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION: Movement of people over the country’s

boarder. Example South Africa to China.

EMIGRATION: When people exit the country of origin. Example South

Africa to Australia

IMMIGRATION: When people enter a new country to live in. Example

Zimbabwe to South Africa

RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION: When people move from rural areas to urban

areas.

URBANISATION: When more people live in urban areas than in rural areas.

URBAN-RURAL MIGRATION: Movement of people from urban areas to rural

areas.

RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION:PUSH FACTORS PULL FACTORS EFFECT SOLUTION

• Droughts

• Soil erosion

• Lack of infrastructure

and services

• Lack of job

opportunities

• Famine

• Services like

schools

• Medical facilities

• Job opportunities

Rural:

• Crops deteriorate

• Ageing population remain

in settlement

• More women than men

(declining death rate)

Urban:

• Overcrowding

• Lack of jobs or basic

services

• Development of informal

settlements

• Create job

opportunities

• Provide basic services

• Build schools and

houses

• Decentralise industries

to this area

URBAN-RURAL MIGRATION:PUSH FACTORS PULL FACTORS EFFECT SOLUTION

• High property

prices

• Travel expenses

• Crime

• Air and noise

pollution

• Traffic

congestions

• Expensive

standard of living

• Lack of jobs in

the city

• Cheaper land

• Less pollution

• Less crime

• Less traffic

• More relaxed

lifestyle

• Opportunities

to start own

business

• Less pressure on

urban areas;

• Rural areas are

uplifted due to

higher buying

power and more

money is invested

in small

businesses;

• Create

opportunities to

develop

infrastructure

• Increase in tourism

• Decrease the

crime rate

• Encourage public

transport to

reduce traffic

congestion and

pollution;

• Build more parks

and green areas

HIV AND AIDS

HOW IS AIDS TRANSMITTED?■ Unprotected sex;

■ Contact with HIV person’s blood;

■ Poorly controlled blood transfusions;

■ Sharing of needles with an infected person;

■ Transmission from mother to baby during pregnancy

SOCIAL IMPACTS OF HIV AND AIDS:

■ Pressure on clinics and hospitals to treat HIV patients;

■ Not enough medical personnel to assist all the HIV patients;

■ Increase expenses to stock up with medication to treat patients;

■ Pressure on medical aid to pay for treatments;

■ Increase in secondary infections like TB

■ Patients and their families are exposed to emotional trauma and

suffering;

■ Increase in the amount of orphans due to parents that die because

of HIV and AIDS;

■ Depression and anxiety will increase among patients, families

and the community;

■ Family structures are influenced as now the eldest child must

look after the younger ones and provide for them;

■ Orphans will most likely not be able to attend school as there is

no money for transport;

■ Teachers who are infected with HIV/Aids stay away from school

for a long time and it can affect the learners;

■ Grandparents must carry the burden to look after these children.

ECONOMICAL IMPACTS OF HIV AND AIDS:

■ Decrease in the BBP of the country;

■ Productivity and work performance will decrease as people are too sick to

work/concentrate;

■ Decrease in exports – lower foreign capital will be earned

■ Company profits will decreased;

■ Companies/Industries have more expenses as they have to pay the person who

is sick and temporary employ another to do the job;

■ Person who generate an income in a family may die and the rest will be poor

with no income;

■ Pressure on SASSA to provide grants;

■ Increase cost for life insurance;

■ Retirement funds will decrease;

■ Poverty will increase;

■ Unemployment will increase;

■ Skills are lost due to illness and higher wages must be paid to rent

the service of foreigners to do a specific job;

■ Medical expenses will drain the economy of South Africa.