Standard Grade Geography: Population & Development Revision Notes

  1. Population Distribution
/ Done / Learnt / Test
describe population distribution in the world and from maps
give reasons for densely and sparsely populated areas
  1. Development

Describe what development means
give examples of social and economic development indicators
Describe the world pattern of ELDCs (economically less developed countries)and EMDCs (economically more developed countries)
  1. Census

Why countries take a census
Difficulties of taking a census
Solutions to the problems of census taking
  1. Population Growth

Recognise a quickly growing population pyramid and slowly population pyramid
Label and describe the population structure from population pyramids
Give reasons for slowly and rapidly growing populations
Outline the effects of slowly and rapidly growing populations
Outline the solutions that governments put in place to control slowly and rapidly growing populations
  1. Migration

Explain in terms of push and pull factors why people migrate from rural to urban areas in ELDCs
Describe the problems of shanty towns and outline some solutions
Explain why people migrate from one country to another
Outline the effects of international migration on the host country, the migrants and the country migrants come from

Census

What is a census? A count of the people in a country taken every 10 years by the UK government.

Why carry out a census?

  1. It helps countries plan for services.
  2. They know whether to build more schools or old folks homes.
  3. Whether to plan for more housing and where to put it
  4. Governments know which job skills are needed

What problems do governments have with carrying out a Census?

  1. Expensive
  2. Difficult to reach everybody eg. Mountainous areas, lack of roads, nomadic people
  3. Difficult for some to understand the forms eg, speak a different language, can’t read and write
  4. Don’t want to fill in forms eg. Illegal immigrants
  5. Sometimes not accurate especially since it takes a long time to understand and put the information to good use
  6. Out of date by the time the numbers are analysed

Population Distribution – Summary

Physical features affecting population density

Shade in factors blue for climate, green for land, yellow for transport, red for resources

Negative Factor / Low population density because…
Hot dry climate / Unpleasant to live in
Lack of water means crops cannot be grown
Cold climate / Unpleasant to live in and unable to farm due to crops not growing in cold conditions
Mountain areas / Steep land is difficult to build roads and buildings.
It is difficult to farm because of steep slopes and
The climate is too cold and often too windy as well as there being thin soils for farming.
Tropical Rainforest / The climate is hot and humid and therefore unpleasant.
Tropical diseases are common
The thick forest means it is difficult to build transport routes so the area is remote
The soils quickly become infertile and eroded when the trees are cleared for farming.
Natural Hazards / Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Hurricanes mean it is dangerous to live in the area. Constant uncertainty means it is unpleasant to live in the area
Positive Factors / High Population Density because….
Flat land / It is easier and cheaper to build houses, factories etc.
It is easier to use machinery for farming
Transport routes are easier to build (roads and railways) making it easy to reach nearby locations for trade
Beside River / Rivers provide water for drinking and cleaning
Water is accessible for irrigation
Some rivers provide good transport routes
Beside Coast / Many coastal areas have flat land which is cheaper to build on
Trade with other countries is encouraged since ships can load and unload goods easily
There is easy access up and down the coast by boat
The sea provides food from fishing
Beside mineral resources / Metals, oil and coal can be mined which provides profit
Jobs can be provided in the mines
Manufacturing industry which uses the minerals is attracted to the area providing further employment

Migration: why people migrate Summary

Colour social, economic and environmental factors 3 different colours.

Push Factors: Negative factors which encourage people to leave an area / Pull Factors: Positive factors which encourage people to come into an area
Lack of food – due to famine.
Lack of food – due to overpopulation (too many people for the resources available because the population has increased) / Better services and More services providing food, clothing etc.
Poor living conditions such as lack of fresh water, no electricity, no sewage system / Better transport in area
Poor education / Schools, colleges, universities
War or persecution / Peaceful secure situation with no war or persecution
Natural disasters such as flooding, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes / Area free from natural disasters
Overcrowded living conditions / Better housing conditions
Lack of work / More job opportunities
Poor farming with hard work, low pay and long hours / Better job opportunities
Lack of entertainment / Range of entertainment such as cinemas etc

Shanty towns: Conditions and how to improve them.

Which do you think are the most important to do first?

Houses made out of scrap material - flimsy and risk of fire / Self-help schemes where shanty town dwellers build their own houses
No drains or water supply so disease is common / Provide proper sewage system and fresh water
built of mud straw and scrap materials / Build with brick and cement
unmade roads / Pave roads
high unemploymentmajor crime problems
jobs temporary, part time and low paid / Start training schemes and help shanty town dwellers start up their own businesses
public transport overcrowded, dangerous and very limited / Put proper bus routes in
Few schools and little medical care / Provide schooling and mobile medical centres to give injections and simple health-care
No gas or electricity / Start piping gas and put up electricity cables after proper houses have been built
Rubbish dumped in the streets / Organise shanty-town dwellers to recycle rubbish and to put rubbish in selected areas for uplift

International Migration: The effects of people involved in migration

Colour social and economic factors 2 different colours.

Group affected / Advantages / Disadvantages
Migrants / Better Jobs
Better housing
To be with friends or relatives
Opportunity to make more money
Opportunity to make money to send home
Better medical care
Better Entertainment Higher living standards / Low paid jobs & Part time jobs
Mainly manual jobs with long and poor working conditions
Can’t afford adequate housing Can’t speak language
Miss friends and family back home
Might not be allowed to stay
Might only be allowed to stay for a short time
Might be sent home
If illegal – threat of being caught by police
People in host country / Do jobs others don’t want to do
work long hours
work for low pay
help country become prosperous / Use health services
cause overcrowding in some parts of city
they take jobs from local people
change cities to suit their own culture
cost government money if they don’t get a job
cost government money to track them and deport them if they are illegal
People left behind / More space - more houses, more jobs, more food
Government has more money - don't have to spend money on people who have left
Better health care because less people
Money gets sent to them from migrants / Not enough people for farms or to fill jobs
Companies can't find educated young people to work
People with new ideas to improve country have gone so the country never improves (brain drain)
Aging population

Differences between ELDCs and EMDCs

ELDCs / EMDCs
Location / Mainly in the South / Mainly in the North
Wealth / Lower GNP because the country cannot generate wealth / Higher GNP because the country can generate wealth
Trade / Mainly primary products sold which have a low profit / Mainly manufactured goods sold which have a high value
Industry / Mainly agriculture which produces little profit / Mainly manufacturing and tertiary which produces more profit
Education / Not enough money for education so people are poorly trained and lack skills for industrial jobs / Plenty money spent on education and so people are highly skilled in manufacturing and tertiary industries
Health / Little money spent on health care so people die younger and are not as fit for work / Plenty money spent on training doctors and nurses and building hospitals so people’s health is better
Population / Generally a higher birth rate and a falling death rate due to improving medical facilities. This produces increasing natural increase. / General a low birth rate due to people choosing to have smaller families later in life. A low death rate due to better health facilities

ELDCs and EMDCs population patterns compared

ELDC / EMDC
Rapidly growing population / Slowly growing population
Reasons / 1. Large families so that:
-children can help on the farm
-No pensions or old folks homes so children needed to look after parents in old age
-With high numbers of children dying people have more so that some survive to adult-hood
2. Contraceptives not used because:
  • They are difficult to get
  • Traditions/religions do not agree with their use
3. Death rates dropas health care improves / 1. Women having children later due to:
•want to enjoy going out
•more women working
2. Babies are expensive so:
•want to buy luxury goods instead
•put off having babies until they can afford equipment and bigger house
3. Contraceptives widely used because:
•They are available
•It is not seen as wrong
Effects / Positive
Money saved by government with less old people to look after
Plenty people in the future to work and earn money for the country
Negative
Many young people have to be provided with health care
More money has to be spent on schools
There are not enough economically active people to produce wealth
There are not enough jobs
Enough food cannot be produced / Positive
Money is saved with less children to be looked after
Less money spent on schools and health care for young people
Negative
Fewer adults in the future to do jobs which are needed to improve the country’s wealth
Many old people to need looking after so more money spent on health care, old people’s homes
Solutions / Reduce Birth Rates by:
Giving benefits for 1 child families eg. free education and health care
Raising the age of marriage
Encouraging people to have children when their older
Abortions and sterilisations are made easier
Increase Country’s Wealth:
Setting up tourist industry
Using fertiliser and pesticides to grow more crops
Clearing forests or irrigating to make more farm land / Increase birth rates by:
giving more child benefits
giving more maternity benefits including longer maternity cover
give longer paternity cover
give tax benefits to large families
Increase the work force by:
Opening up borders to workers from abroad
Persuading more women to take jobs by providing cheaper child care
People work until they’re older
Population pyramid / Quickly Growing

Narrowing pyramid shape with wide base indicating:High birth rate and low life expectancy with plenty people in the reproductive age group / Slowly Growing

More rectangle shape with narrower base. A lower birth rate and higher life expectancy with more people reaching old age.

Demographic Transition Model

This model shows how natural increase changes as birth and death rates change. Europe has gone through each stage and is now possibly entering a fifth stage where natural increase is going down.

High Birth Rate
High Death Rate
Low natural increase / High Birth Rate
Falling Death Rate
Increasing Natural Increase / Falling Death Rate
Low, falling death rate
Decreasing natural increase / Low Birth Rate
Low death rate
Low natural increase
Tribes in the rainforest in Brazil / ELDCs such as Bangledesh / ELDCs such as Bolivia / EMDCs eg Sweden or Italy

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