Chapter 4

The Human WorldSections 1 and 2

Population Growth

• 6.2 billion people inhabiting about 30% of the planet’s land

• Global population is growing rapidly because birthrates have not declined as fast as death rates– Death rates have gone down due to improved

healthcare, abundance of food, advances in technology and better living conditions.

– Also seeing a low birth rate

3

Life expectancy at birth : 2005

United Nations Population Division

Source: United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects, The 2008 Revision.

World Population Growth Is Almost Entirely Concentrated in the World's Poorer Countries.

World Population (in Billions): 1950-2050

• Challenges of Population Growth– More people=more mouths to feed– Some countries will face shortages– Populations are unevenly distributed by age

More developed countries have fewer young people, relative to the elderly population

Source: United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects, The 2008 Revision.

Less Developed Countries Have Far More Young People Relative to Elderly.

Population by Age and Sex, Less Developed Countries: 2009

• Population distribution – pattern of human settlement– Uneven, related to earth’s geography

• Europe and Asia – most densely populated– Asia: 60% of world’s population

– World’s Youth Population

8

Population growth rate: 2000-2005

United Nations Population Division

9

Population growth rate: 2045-2050

United Nations Population Division

• Population density – average number of people living on one square mile/kilometer of land– Wide-open spaces vs. highly populated areas• Canada/Bangladesh

Urbanization

• Urbanization: migration of people towards cities– Half the world’s population lives in cities

• Emigrate FROM the country, Immigrate TO the country

12

Percentage urban in 2005

13

Percentage urban in 2030

Global Cultures

• Culture: group of people who share similar beliefs and customs– Language, religion, traditions

• Language: Key element in a culture’s development, allow people to communicate information and experiences– Pass on cultural values and traditions

World Languages

• Religion: important part of culture– Struggles in religious differences are a source of

conflict in many countries– Gives people a sense of identity

Social Groups and Government

• Social Groups: many cultures made up of social classes– Groups of people ranked according to ancestry,

wealth, education or other criteria– Ethnic Group: share common language, history,

place of origin or combination of these elements• Government: maintains order, provides

protection, supplies its people– Many different types of governments

World Governments

• Economic Activities: Cultures must make a living (think money!)– Ways in which people produce, obtain, use and

sell goods• Culture Regions: Several countries that have

similar traits– Economic systems, forms of government and

social groups

The Arab Cultural Region

Cultural Change

• Cultural Diffusion: spreading new knowledge and skills from one culture to another

• Agricultural Revolution: people stopped wandering, started farming, stayed in one place– Surplus of food, increased wealth from trade

• Culture Hearths: early centers of civilization whose ideas and practices spread to surrounding areas– Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, China and Mexico

Culture Hearths

GHW 1.1EXAMPLE

Primary Culture Hearths of the World

http://www.harpercollege.edu/mhealy/g101ilec/china/chh/hea/chhheafr.htm

• Cultural Contacts: Trade, travel, migration– Cultures often blended with native population

Political and Economic Systems

• World is made up of about 200 independent countries– Each with a government that makes and enforces

laws, binding all people living in its territory

Levels of Government

• Organization – most large countries have several levels of government

• Unitary System: gives all key powers to the national or central government– United Kingdom and France

• Federal System: divides the powers of government between national and state governments– The United States, Canada, Switzerland, Mexico, Brazil,

Australia and India

Types of Governments• All government systems belong to 3 major

groups:– Autocracy – rule by one person– Oligarchy – rule by a few people– Democracy – rule by many people

Autocracy• Oldest and most common forms of governments• Inheritance or military/police power• Several forms:– Totalitarian dictatorship

• Decisions of a single leader determine government policies• Usually inherit their positions

– Monarchy• King or queen exercises the supreme powers of the government• Usually inherit their position

– Absolute Monarchy: Saudi Arabia – rare– Constitutional Monarchy: monarchs share governmental powers with

elected legislatures

Oligarchy• Small group holds power• Derives power from wealth, military power

and/or social position• Usually suppress all political opposition• Can be communist countries or Theocracies– China,Iran

Democracy• Leaders rule with the consent of the citizens– People hold sovereign power– Representative democracies (Constitutional

Monarchies)• United States• United Kingdom

Economic Systems

• Make 3 basic economic decisions:– What and how many goods/services should be

produced– How they should be produced– Who gets the goods and services that are

produced• 3 major economic systems:– Traditional, Market and Command• (also add in Mixed-Market Economy)

Traditional Economy

• Habit and custom determine rules for activity• Not free to make decisions based on what

they would like to have– Defined by customs of their elders– Few places have this today

Market Economy• Individuals and private groups make decisions on

what to produce– Free enterprise• Private individuals or groups have the right to own property or

business and make a profit with limited government interference– Also called capitalism– NO COUNTRY has a pure market economy– MIXED economy: government supports and regulates free

enterprise through decisions affecting the marketplace (The U.S.)• Preserve free market by keeping competition free and fair• Supporting the public interest

Type of mixed economy

Type of System Who Owns it? Who Decides

Pure Capitalism Private Ownership

Market System

Command Economy

Government Ownership

Centralized government

Mixed Economy Some private and some government

Some private and some government

Command Economy

• Government owns or directs the means of production– Land, labor, capital and business managers– Controls distribution

• Either socialist or communist (depending on how much government is involved)

• Socialism has 3 main goals– Equal distribution of wealth and economic opportunity– Society’s control (through its government) of all major

decisions about production– Public ownership of most land and factories

Command Economies

Resources, Trade and the Environment

• Natural Resources: elements from the earth can be be used by people– Renewable: cannot be used up or can be replaced

naturally– Nonrenewable: cannot be replaced• Conservation

– Not evenly distributed

Economic Activities

• Developed Countries: Technology and manufacturing (U.S.A.)

• Developing Countries: working towards greater manufacturing technology– Subsistence farming – growing only enough for

the family– Remain Poor

World Trade

• Countries specialize in products, then trade them

• When countries cannot produce as much of a good as they want/need, they import it from another country

• Trading partners!

Barriers to Trade• Governments add tariffs• Put strict quotas on particular products• Trade Embargo: banning trade with another country

as a way to punish them politically• Free Trade: removal of all trade barriers– WTO: World Trade Organization

People and the Environment

• Water normally renewable over time– Oil spills, chemical waste seeps into groundwater

• Air pollution: Fossil fuels– Acid Rain– Ruins forests and animal habitats