POPULATION

Sacred Heart CollegeSocial Studies

Class 4B2011

Is it my business?

Population is the total number of people living in a specific area at a particular time.

World: 6,775, 235, 741(Updated 2009)

POPULATION

Demography is the population to determine its characteristics such as size, composition, structure and distribution.

Policy makers need demographic information to help them with zoning.

Health Education Housing Social services Welfare needs Infrastructural development Employment

DEMOGRAPHY

An account and an analysis of a population. Usually done every 10 years. A census provides information on:

a) Population sizeb) Number of persons in the labour forcec) Number of persons employed and unemployedd) Male-female ratioe) Age/sex ratiof) Dependency ratiog) Educational attainment of members of the populationh) Marital status of adultsi) Religionj) Ethnic compositionk) Migration levels

CENSUS

Population Growth is the increase in the number of persons in any given area.

The rate of growth is determined by natural increase and migration.

Resultant changes in the structure of the population – age and sex – will affect the economic development of the country.

Census taken over a period of time indicates changes in population size and periods of growth.

Population Changes

Rapid Growth/expansive/broad-basedRepresents a young population (0-24years) – developing country.

Slow Growth/constrictiveShows an aging population (50-60years) – represents a highly developed country.

No Growth/stationaryYouthful population, elderly population – denotes a developed country.

Types of Population Growth

Crude birth rate= # of live births/1000

Crude death rate = # of deaths/1000

Natural Increase = increase brought about when birth rate exceeds death rate.

Infant Mortality Rate = annual # of deaths/1000 infants

Life expectancy = average # of years are expected to live

Calculations

Activity #1 Population ChangeJamaica’s Population 1911 – 1991

Population size varies from country to country.

There is a direct relationship between the population size and the economic development of a country.

YEAR POPULATION SIZE (000s)

1911 831

1921 858

1943 1237

1960 1610

1970 1814

1982 2190

1991 2381

2001 2700

Use the information provided in the table above to complete the following statements by filling in the blank spaces.

• Between 1911 and 2001 the population of Jamaica increased by 1869 thousands.

• The period between 1921 & 1943 was the period of greatest increase.

• The period between 1911 and 1921 showed an increase of 27 thousands.

• The rate of increase for the period 1911 to 1921 was 3% [(27/831)*100].

• The rate of increase for the period 1991 to 2001 was 13% [319/2381*100].

Activity #2 Population SizeStudy the information in the table below and then answer the questions which follows. Table: area and population size – 1997

Population Size Population Size

COUNTRY AREA (km2 ) POPULATION (000s)

Barbados 431 264

Belize 22,960 217

Guyana 214,799 800

Jamaica 11,424 2500

Trinidad and Tobago

5,128 1300

Mark each of the following statements with True or False.

TRUE The country with the largest population is Jamaica.

TRUE The country with the smallest population is Belize.

TRUE The country with the largest area is Guyana.

FALSE The country with the largest land area has the smallest population.

Population Density is the number of persons per unit area of a country or region. Shows how populated an area is.

Population density is calculated by dividing the population size by the land area.

For example:Population of Belize = 217,000

Area of Belize = 22,960km2

Therefore the population density of Belize = 217,000/22,960 = 9 persons per km

POPULATION DENSITY

Using the table in Activity 2, calculate the densities of the following countries:

Barbados = 612.5 Guyana = 13.7 Jamaica = 218.7 Trinidad and Tobago = 253.5

Activity #3 Calculating Population Density

The distribution of population over the world’s surface is uneven.

Some areas are densely populated while others are sparsely populated.

Population Distribution

1 dot represents 100,000 people

WORLD POPULATION DISTRIBUTION (2000)

Shows Population Growth Across Continents

Geographic Distribution of Population

The relief of the land

Climate

Fertile areas

Location of mineral resources

Developed areas

Type of vegetation

Factors Influencing Population Distribution:

Use the information given to calculate the natural increase of each country and complete the table. The first one has been done for you as an example.

Table: Birth and death Rates for some Caribbean Countries: 1996.

COUNTRY Birth Rate/1000

Death Rate/1000

Natural Increase/

1000

Trinidad and Tobago

18 6 12

Barbados 15 9 6

Belize 34 5 29

Dominica 15 7 8

Grenada 31 7 24

Activity #4 Calculating Natural Increase

Factors which affect Natural Increase

BIRTH RATE DEATH RATE

Birth rates are affected by:

The number of women of child bearing age

Norms within a society for family size

The economic conditions of a country

The educational level (especially of Children)

Availability and acceptance of family planning methods

Government policy towards population control.

Death rate is affected by:

Medical facilities/health care

Nutritional levels

Economic prosperity/level of development

Population structure

Infant mortality rate is obtained by calculating the number of deaths each year for every 1000 children under one year old.

The life expectancy of a population is the average number of years that persons in a given population are expected to live.

Other Population CharacteristicsThe composition of a country’s population includes:

Sex ratio Age distribution Ethnic origin Religion

The age and sex distribution can be represented by a graph called a population pyramid such as the ones shown below for Mexico, Sweden and the United States of America.

Dependents: the persons in a population who are below the age of 15 and those older than 65 years.

Those between the ages of 15 to 65 are referred to as economically productive.

The term dependency ratio is used to describe the ratio of dependents to the economically productive group.

Dependency ratio

Overpopulated: the resources of a country are not sufficient to provide for the needs of the population.

Under-populated: when the amount of resources available in a country can support a larger population.

Optimum Population: the number of persons in a country will make efficient use of the available resources.

Population and Resources

VIDEOPopulation Growth© Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2008. © 1993-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Fall in death rates as a result of improvement in environmental sanitation and new discoveries in medicine.

Lack of effective population education and population control methods.

Under-development and use of natural resources.

Causes of Overpopulation

It adds to:

Low standard of living

High crime rates in the less than 20 age group

High unemployment

Pressure on education, health and housing

Low per capita income

Why is Overpopulation a Problem in Developing Countries?

Improve education on population control methods

Greater use of technology in areas such as agriculture to ensure greater productivity and employment

The establishment of bi-lateral arrangements with developed countries to encourage the transfer of technology.

Solutions to Overpopulation

Caribbean countries realize that they must control population growth in order for economic development to take place.

Families are encouraged to have fewer

children through use of contraceptives.

Raising awareness on consequences of increased population, Teaching family life education in schools.

Population Control and Economic Development

Under-population occurs when the population is too small to utilize the population’s resources.

Under-population can be caused by:

o Natural causes: volcanic eruptions, floods, earthquakes.

o Isolation & poor communication with the outside world

o Inadequate social facilities and infrastructure

o Lack of educational opportunities

o Wars

o Difficult terrain and lack of resources.

Under-Population

Depopulation is a condition that exists when an area loses its population as a result of:

People moving away as a result of famine caused by change in rainfall distribution and poor soil quality.

People moving in search of new pastures for animals.

A decline in the economic activity for example, agriculture and mining activities which has sustained the population.

An increase in criminal activities and violence, especially in inner city areas.

People being relocated because of increase mining activities, for example bauxite.

Political unrest and wars

Pollution associated with toxic wastes from manufacturing industries.

Depopulation

Brathwaite, S and Reynolds, P. (2004). The Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSE) Social Studies for Self Study and Distance Learning.

Population Growth. Microsoft Encarta. 2008. 1993-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Ramsawak, R. and Umraw, R. (1996). Modules in Social Studies, Caribbean Educational Publishers Ltd. Trinidad and Tobago

Reference