PATTERNS IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY HOW PEOPLE LIVE: POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX The Human Development Index is a set of living conditions that give a general picture about what life is like in a certain country The United Nations selects a number of factors, such as life expectancy, literacy rate, annual income and infant mortality rate, to determine a country’s ranking The top five countries in 2014 were Norway, Australia, Switzerland, Netherlands and the United States. Canada was ranked 8 th. The bottom five countries in 2014 were Niger, Congo, Central African Republic, Chad and Sierra Leone

POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS Factors that explain how a population is changing or how well people live in a country are called population characteristics There are many individuals and groups that plan for the future, including large corporations, hospitals, retail stores, school systems and non-governmental organizations (groups not connected to the government and who work to solve social problems) Examples of non-governmental organizations would be UNICEF or Amnesty International

FERTILITY RATE Fertility rate refers to the average number of babies born in a women’s lifetime in a country. The fertility rate for a Canadian women as of 2012 is 1.61 per family. That has increased slightly from 1999 when the rate was at 1.55 per family. The fertility rate for the world as of 2012 was 2.5 per family. This has decreased slightly from 1999 when the rate was at 2.7. As a comparison, in 1960 the worldwide fertility rate was 5 per family.

BIRTH RATE VS DEATH RATE The birth rate refers to the number of babies born each year for every 1000 people in a country. The birth rate in Canada in 2013 was 11. This is a decreased from 1999 when it was at 13. The death rate refers to the number of people who die each year for every 1000 people in a country. The death rate in Canada in 2013 was 7. This has stayed the same as it was in 1999.

NATURAL INCREASE When the population increases because the birth rate is higher than the death rate, it is called natural increase. If death rates are higher than the birth rates in a country, its population will actually decrease. A number of countries are actually experiencing decreasing populations, including Syria (9.73% in 2014), and Bulgaria, Estonia and Ukraine who are all decreasing at less than a percent. Throughout the world birth rates are falling, but death rates are falling even quicker due to medical advances, access to medicine and improved living conditions.

HOW TO CALCULATE NATURAL INCREASE To calculate the natural increase of a country, you must find the difference between the birth and death rates. Subtract the birth rate of a country over 1000 and the death rate of a country over You will get an answer over Divide the answer by 1000, and then multiply the decimal by 100 to turn it into a percent. If the percent is positive, the population is increasing. Calculate the natural increase for Canada.

GLOBAL POPULATION GROWTH It took until the 1800’s for the world population to reach one billion people. Today the world population is over 7 billion. By the year 2024, the world population will increase to 8 billion. Global population growth is currently 1.13%, which is actually a decrease from 1999 when it was 1.33%. The United Nations predicts that global population will drop to 1% by the year Industrialized countries tend to have a low natural increase, or even a declining population, while developing countries will often have a higher natural increase.

MIGRATION Another factor that causes the populations to change in a country is immigration. Immigration refers to the people who are coming into a country. Emigration refers to the people that are leaving a country. The difference between immigration and emigration for a country is called net migration. A countries population is determined both by immigration and natural increase.

HOMEWORK 1. Since you are reading this, you are considered literate. Suggest at least two reasons for the difference in literacy rates between Canada and a developing country like Ethiopia. 2. Create a quality of life web. Put the phrase Quality of Life in a circle in the center of the page. Write down all the ideas that come to mind when you think of quality of life, scattered around this phrase on the paper. Draw lines to show connections between all of the ideas. 3. Create a poster or collage to represent the characteristics of Canadian and life in a developing country. (This is to completed and handed in on Friday)