1. Characteristics of Human Populations
Population Geography
Characteristics of Human Populations

2. Population
Demographers are people who study changes in population. Every major business in the United States has a demographer who studies population trends.
What might McDonald’s restaurant want to know about Lewistown’s population?

3. Human populations around the world differ
Human populations around the world differ .Imagine traveling to China and then to Northern Canada. How might the populations vary in these areas?

4. Human Population
A demographer looks statistically at how people are distributed spatially and by age, gender, occupation, and so on.

5. How do Geographers Compare Populations?
Urban or rural
Distribution
Urbanization
Birth rates
Death rates

6. How do Geographers Compare Populations?
Life expectancy
Infant mortality
GNP
Per capital (per person) income
Population pyramids- Age and Sex
distribution
Literacy

7. Geography and Population
Arable land
Natural resources.
- water

8. Natural Resources
A good example of how natural resources affect population distribution is China. Western China is not heavily populated because it is mountainous or a desert.

9. Natural Resources
People live closer to valuable resources such as oil, arable land, and fresh water. Most people in the world live near the coast or along a major waterway and they live on flat ground that is easy to farm.

10. Urban/Rural Ratio
Over the last 100 years people have been migrating to large cities in the United States. Our population is becoming more urban. Urban means living in the city. Rural means living in the country.

11. Urban/Rural Ratio
The urban/rural ratio is the number of people who live in the countryside versus the city. Countries like Japan, Singapore, and Korea have many more people who live in large cities than the countryside.

12. Population Distribution
Population is not distributed evenly because of several factors.
Density and distribution can be seen on the same map.

14. Population Distribution
Population distribution refers to where people live around the world. For instance, in the United States most people live on the coasts or near major waterways. Population is not evenly distributed around the earth’s surface.

15. Population Distribution
The factors that influence population distribution are: natural resources, climate, economic development, government policy, rural/urban settlement, capital resources, and conflicts.

17. Governments and Population
Governments must provide healthy conditions for its people.
Death rate
Birth rate
Life expectancy
Infant mortality

19. Birth and Death Rates
Birth and death rates refer to how many people are born and how many people die. Developing countries have high death rates and birth rates.

20. Birth and Death Rates
Birth rates are higher in developing countries for the following reasons:
No birth control
Religious restrictions
Economic factors
The role of women in society

21. Birth and Death Rates
Death rates are higher in developing countries for the following reasons:
No access to medical care
Poor nutrition

23. Life Expectancy
Life expectancy is how long a person will live. Life expectancy is longer in developed countries, mainly due to better medical care. Statistically, women live longer than men.

24. Life Expectancy

25. Infant Mortality
Infant mortality is very high in developing countries. For instance, some African countries have an infant mortality rate that is over 10%.

26. Infant Mortality
Infant mortality is the number of babies that die at birth. This number is usually per every 1,000 people in a population.

28. Modern Medicine and Hygiene
Population will grow in countries with good hospitals and doctors because:
Babies get regular shots
People have regular health care
There are no epidemics such as small pox, yellow fever, or cholera.

29. Economics and Population
Good Capital resources.- Tools and technology.
Gross National Product
Per capital (per person) income.

30. Economic Development
People don’t live in areas where there are no jobs. This is one reason why people migrate to other countries or to cities.

31. Capital Resources
Areas that have good transportation networks such as roads, trains, subways, or busses are more heavily populated.

32. Gross National Product
GNP or Gross National Product is the total of all goods and services produced in a country in one year. Developing countries and poor populations and have a low GNP.
Low Per capital income= poorer people.

33. Culture and Population
Population Pyramids
Age distribution
Sex distribution
Ethnic groups.
Languages
Literacy

34. Male/Female Distribution
This is self explanatory. Some areas have an imbalanced male/female distribution. A good example is when settlers first came to Jamestown. For many years the colony had more males than females.

35. Male/Female Distribution
China has a one child policy. Families are restricted to having one child or they face penalties imposed by the government. This led to female infanticide or the killing of girl infants.

36. Age Distribution
Age distribution refers to the number of young people compared to older people in a given population.

37. Age Distribution
Developed countries, such as the United States, Canada, and most of Europe have an aging population. This happens when people are having fewer children and living longer. This translates to a shortage of laborers.

39. Age Distribution of the World’s Population
Population Structures by Age and Sex, 2005
Millions
Less Developed Regions
More Developed Regions
Age
0-4
Male
Female
Male
Female
Sex and age distributions show that less developed countries have significantly younger populations than more developed countries.
Almost one-third of the population in less developed countries is under age 15. In contrast, less than one-fifth of the population in more developed countries is under 15.
Today there are more than 2 billion young people below age 20 in less developed regions—the age cohort that will soon become the world’s newest group of parents.
Young age structures in the less developed countries are due mainly to higher levels of childbearing in recent decades.
Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects: The 2004 Revision, 2005.

40. Ethnicity
The ethnicity of the United States is relatively diverse because the United States is composed of immigrants while Japan has a homogeneous population.

41. Language
Different populations speak different languages. English and Spanish are the two most spoken languages in the United States, but countries like Nigeria have over 200 spoken languages.

42. Education - Literacy
The level of education differs between populations. Developing countries normally have poor education systems or children do not have the opportunity to go to school. Literacy is the ability to read and write.

43. Role of Women in Society
Countries with low population growth rates have more women working in the labor force.
Countries where women are expected to stay at home and be housewives will have high population growth rates.

44. Role of Women in Society
Countries with low population growth rates have more women working in the labor force.
Countries where women are expected to stay at home and be housewives will have high population growth rates.

45. Conflicts
Wars have a major impact on population distribution because people flee areas that have conflicts. Some examples are the Sudan, Rwanda, and the Former Yugoslavia.