What is population geography

◦Population Geography is a branch of Human Geography that is

focused on the scientific study of people, their spatial
distributions and density.
◦To study these factors, population geographers examine the
increase and decrease in population, peoples’ movements over
time, general settlement patterns and other topics, such as
occupation and how people form the geographic character of a
place.
◦ Population Geography is closely related to demography, the study
of population statistics and trends.
 Definitions of Population Geography
1. The study of population phenomena and problems;
patterns and trends in different parts of the world; small
or large areas.
2.The study of human populations; their composition,
growth, distribution, and migratory movements with an
emphasis on the last two.
3.Population Geography is science that focuses on the
number, composition, and distribution of human beings
on the earth’s surface.
The scope of Population geography
◦Population geographers are interested in population
changes-both growth and movement- especially as they
relate to the earth’s environment and natural resources.
◦It is concerned with the study of demographic processes
which affect the environment, but differs from demography in
that it is concerned with the spatial expression of such
processes.
◦Demography ◦ The study of the characteristics of human
populations.
• Population geography focuses on number composition, and distribution of human beings in relation to variations in conditions of earth space.
- In modern geography population geography is largely referred to as the study of determinants, consequences of population change and is concerned with virtually everything that influences or can be influenced by:

 Population size>  Population distribution>

 Population growth or decline>  Population structure>

 Population processes>  Population characteristics>

 Q and A
◦The world population is quickly approaching 8
billion
◦What are some of the challenges that we are
currently experiencing due to population dynamics?
◦Can we regard the outbreak of the corona virus as a
consequence of population dynamics?
◦What myths have you heard about population
control?
◦What better ways of learning and teaching can we
The importance of Studying population geography

 Since population growth is one of the forces behind social and technological
change.
 Then therefore, population affects nearly all facets of life in one way or the other.
 As population size and compositions, change people have to adjust to those
changes and alter the existing modalities of the society.
 Modern changes include a decrease mother/child/adolescent mortality, long life
expectancy, reduced birth rate, healthier diet and improved living conditions.
 Its important to note that not all of these changes came because of erosion of
morality and norms of societies, but as a way humans adapt to the new
circumstances.
Continued…..
◦The study of population geography is critically important for three
reasons:
◦1.More people are alive at this time- more than 7 billion - than at any
point in Earth’s history
◦2.The world’s population increased at a faster rate during the second
half of the twentieth century than ever before in history
◦3. Virtually all global population growth is concentrated in less
developed countries
◦4. To develop teaching methodologies that can successfully educate
learners about the population geography and develop measures.
Modern population challenges (due to
innovation)
 The world population is increasing by more than 200 000 a day; in
some areas this growth is much more intense than others.
 In those places where societies have been unable to adequately
cope with increasing numbers of young people, this results in social,
economic and political instability.
 Without knowledge of population dynamics, we cannot fully
understand why the world is globalizing at a rapid rate, and
worldwide immigration patterns.
 Q and A
◦You are a member of the RSA cabinet.
Propose solutions to population problems in South
Africa:

◦ touch on the influx of migrants,

◦ the birth rate,
◦ the life expectancy,
◦ economic welfare,
 OVERPOPULATION
◦Geographers argue that the world’s so-called
overpopulation problem is not simply a matter of the total
number of people on Earth;
◦ it is the relationship between the number of people and the
availability of resources.
◦ Problems result when an area’s population exceeds the
capacity of the environment to support them at an
acceptable standard of living.
Recent Exponential Growth of World’s Population as countries enter Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the
Demographic Transition

About 7.6 bil.

currently
HIGHLIGHTS IN WORLD POPULATION GROWTH

3 billion in 1960 5 billion in 1987

1 billion in 1804 (33 years later) (13 years later)

2 billion in 1927 (123 4 billion in 1974 6 billion in 1999

years later) (14 years later) (12 years later)

13
 Densely populated countries
◦Globally the average population density is 25 people per KM 2, but
there are very large differences across countries.
◦Many of the world’s small island or isolated states have large
populations for their size.
◦ Macao, Monaco, Singapore, Hong Kong and Gibraltar are the five
most densely populated.
◦Singapore has nearly 8,000 people per km 2 – more than 200 times
as dense as the US, and 2000 times that of Australia.
◦Of the larger countries, Bangladesh is the most densely-populated
with 1,252 people per square kilometer; this is almost three times
as dense as its neighbour, India.
◦It’s followed by Lebanon (595), South Korea (528), the Netherlands
(508) and Rwanda (495 per km2) completing the top five.
 Pocket stats
◦More than 2 billion people still live in poverty and remain
left out of this progress.
◦The great challenge leaders of the world face today is to
reduce poverty and inequity, and improve people’s lives
without compromising the environment and the well-
being of future generations.
◦At the same time, world population continues to increase
by more than 80 million people a year, with most of the
growth occurring in the world’s least developed countries.
◦This continued growth has strong implications for health,
well-being, and economic development.
 Population terminologies and theories
◦All population theories rest on an understanding of these
basic concepts:
◦Crude Birth Rate : the number of live births in a given year for every thousand
people in a population.
◦Crude Death Rate (also called the mortality rate ): the number of deaths in a given
year for every thousand people in a population.
◦Life expectancy: the number of years that a child can expect to live, given current
mortality rates.
Definitions
◦Population Distribution: Population distribution means the pattern of where people
live. World population distribution is uneven. Places which are sparsely populated
contain few people. Places which are densely populated contain many people. Sparsely
populated places tend to be difficult places to live. These are usually places with hostile
environments e.g. Antarctica. Places which are densely populated are habitable
environments e.g. Europe.
◦Population Density: Population density is a measurement of the number of people
in an area. It is an average number. Population density is calculated by dividing the
number of people by area. Population density is usually shown as the number of
people per square kilometre.
◦Total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman will have throughout her
childbearing years Infant mortality rate: the number of deaths among infants under one
year of age for each 1,000 live births
◦Natural increase: the difference between the number of births and the number of
deaths during a specific period
 Birth rate and crude birth rate:

- This is the annual number of live births per 1000 people.

- Crude birth rate mainly generally refers to the public without referring to specificities such
as gender and age.

- The birth rate is subject (influenced by) to - the sex structure and age
o Cultural and religious customs and family size expectations
o Government policies.
o Family planning education
o Contraceptives
o Modern medication

- There are unregistered births and maladministration at clinics and hospitals affect the
accuracy of calculations on birth rate and population sizes.
Fertility rates:

- Crude fertility rate is the childbearing ability of the total population.

- The total fertility rate is the number of babies a women is expected to have in her childbearing
years in a population.

- The TFR of 1:3 may mean that one female is likely to give birth to three children.

- The advantage of calculating the TFR is that it helps us plan for the population growth, as there
are no fluctuations.

- It indicates the replacement rate needed at a particular time

- The replacement fertility rate- is the level of at which each successive generation of
women produces exactly enough children to ensure that the same number of women survive in
that generation to have offspring themselves.

- The higher the mortality the higher the replacement rate……why?

 Death rate:
- The annual number of people who die per 1000 population.

- Infant mortality rate of deaths of infants aged one or under, per 1000
live births.

The life expectancy

- This is the number of years a person is expected to live within a

population.
 Socio-inequalities

- All of these indicators can be used to show the difference between

the developed countries and developing countries.

- The developing countries are often on the negative side of figures.

- Agricultural countries with ancient forms of life normally have higher

birth rates compared to developed techno-centered industrialized
countries.

- This also applies with the fertility rate, the mortality (infant) rate and
life expectancy.
 In developed countries
- The invention of bath soap and advent of medical medicines (antibiotics,
vaccination and pesticides) increased the life expectancy by thirty years.

- Infant mortality historically accounted for most of death rate, improved health
education and services reduced the infant mortality rates.

- Events such as civil wars and world war generally cause the death rate to
increase shortly, but they have a long-term effect on the fertility rate.

- In response to the loss of life during battles, people tend to attempt to “replace”
the lost ones .e.g. baby boomers after world war.
Developing or poor countries

- They suffer from cholera, malaria, and other infections this especially
affects infants or children in general.

- HIV & AIDS is the chief cause of death in underdeveloped countries.

- In recent years, the prevalence of AIDS decreased, however AIDS

related disease continue to tore through communities.
Facts

◦https
://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population_(Unit
ed_Nations)

◦https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_HIV/AIDS_a
dult_prevalence_rate

◦https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population
WHY DO FERTILITY AND THE PACE OF
POPULATION GROWTH MATTER FOR
DEVELOPMENT?
◦One important dimension of population dynamics is fertility.
Fertility levels declined during the last century in most
developed countries, and those countries will experience little
or no population growth in the years ahead. As shown in
Figure 1, nearly all population growth today and in the
coming decades will be in the developing countries where
high fertility levels persist, especially in the least developed
countries where the average woman continues to have four or
more children during her lifetime
How does population growth affect national
development and what must be done to manage
the challenges of population growth?
Population Distribution and Density
 Definitions
◦Population distribution refers to the way people are spread out
across the earth’s surface
◦Population distribution means the pattern of where people live.
◦Where people are located and why?
 World population distribution is uneven.

◦Population distribution means the pattern of where people live.

World population distribution is uneven.
◦Places which are sparsely populated contain few people.
◦Places which are densely populated contain many people.
◦Sparsely populated places tend to be difficult places to live.
◦These are usually places with hostile environments e.g.
Antarctica.
◦Places which are densely populated are habitable environments
e.g. South Africa.
 Continued

◦People are unevenly distributed across the world.

◦The distribution patterns differ throughout time.
◦E.g. Pre and Post Gold Rush in RSA
◦More than half of the world resides in low-lying areas, in
close proximity to the sea and alluvium valleys….WHY?
Population Density
◦Population density is a measurement of the number of
people in an area.
◦It is an average number.
◦Population density is calculated by dividing the number of
people by area.
◦Population density is usually shown as the number of people
per square kilometre.
Population density
 This shows the relationship between the number of inhabitants
and the size of the area they occupy.
 The measure is of the number of people per unit area, such as
a square kilometre.
 Note that no country has an evenly distributed population; the
average derived by dividing the national area by the total
number of people may not have much practical meaning.
 The map below is a choropleth (shading) map and illustrates population density. The darker
the colour the greater the population density. It is effectively represented by a dot map (1 dot =
5000people / 1: 100 000 people)

Source: Columbia University's Center for International Earth Science Information Network
Page URL: http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/plue/gpw/index.html?main.html&2
 About the map….
◦The map above proves that the world population
distribution is uneven.
◦Some areas have a high population density while
others have a low population density.
◦Areas of high population density tend to be located
between 20° and 60° North and South of the equator.
◦This area contains a large land area and a relatively
temperate climate. Unlike areas beyond 60
 Factors Affecting Population Density
◦There are a range of human and natural factors that affect population density.
◦Some of the factors that account for population distribution:
◦ Climate
◦Topography
◦Vegetation
◦Minerals
◦Economy
◦Politics
 Factors Affecting Population Density

Physical Factors High Density Low Density

Relief Low land which is flat e.g. Ganges Valley High land that is mountainous e.g.
(shape and height of land) in India Himalayas

Areas rich in resources (e.g. coal, oil,

Areas with few resources tend to be
Resources wood, fishing etc.) tend to densely
sparsely populated e.g. The Sahel
populated e.g. South Africa

Areas with temperate climates tend to be Areas with extreme climates of hot
Climate densely populated as there is enough and cold tend to be sparsely
rain and heat to grow crops e.g. KZN populated e.g. the Northern Cape
 Factors Affecting Population Density
Human Factors High Density Low Density

Countries with stable governments Unstable countries tend to have

Political tend to have a high population lower population densities as
density e.g. Singapore people migrate e.g. Afghanistan.

Other groups of people prefer to

Groups of people want to live close
Social be isolated e.g. Maasai tribe
to each other for security e.g. USA
(kenya)

Good job opportunities encourage

Limited job opportunities cause
high population densities,
Economic some areas to be sparsely
particularly in large cities in MEDCs
populated e.g. Zimbabwe
and LEDCs around the world.
Ecumenical Areas

 Ecumenical areas are permanently habited places on earth’s

surface.
 The term is derived from an ancient Greek word "oecumene"
which referred to the known world or the habitable world.
 Ecumene further explains where people live and why they
live there.
 In modern times, ecumene refers to any habited land.
 Geographers use the term to refer to land permanently occupied by
human beings as distinguished from land not inhabited at all or
temporarily inhabited.
 Ecumene is viewed as the nuclear centre where the highest
number of human activities takes place and the population is most
dense.
 Features of an inhabited land are the permanent house, agricultural
activities, setting up of industries, or any other economic activity.
Non-ecumenical areas.
 Are uninhabited or sparsely populated areas on the
earth’s surface.
 Few or no human activities happen in these regions.
 Features of a uninhabited place are extreme
climates, extreme aridity, no economic activities and
uneven topography in some instances
3 Way’s of measuring density
 To measure density they use:
 Arithmetic density,
 Physiological density and
 Agricultural density.
 Arithmetic density
 It is the calculation of the number of people per unit area of
land, usually using the boundaries of a political map.
- This method has a lot of discrepancies.
- It calculates the number of people against the total political size
of the land.
- Therefore it does not exclude the vacant land of a country.
 Physiological density
◦When the total population is divided by the arable land area
alone.
◦Expresses the pressure exerted on the agricultural land by
the population.
◦Limitations: it assumes all arable land is equally productive.
 Agricultural density
◦It gives the number of rural residents per unit area in of
agriculturally productive land.
◦It subtracts urban populations from physiological density
calculations, in order to give an estimate on the pressure
rural people exert on rural areas of a country.
 Population data and projections
 Population data is statistics of different countries and the world in
general.
 Collected by the world bank, population reference bureau and
national census
 The data can be misleading, due to : inadequate funds to run
national census
◦ : Illiteracy limits the type of questioning
◦ : Inaccuracy on data collection and reporting.
 Population projections

◦Is instrument used to give a picture of what the future population

may look like, based on knowledge of the past and taking, for the
future, hypotheses based on fertility, mortality and migrations.
◦They are based on assumption, using the present to define the
future…