Population Geography: Key Issue 1: Where is the world’s population distributed?

3 important things More people than ever before World population has increased at a faster rate after 1950’s than ever before AND almost all population growth is concentrated in less developed countries (LDC’s)

Population Shift

World and Country Population Totals Distribution and Structure: 3/4 of people live on 5% of earth's surface! Total: 7.6 billion on planet as of January 2018 Current Population counter: http://www.worldometers.info/

CHOROPLETH MAP: a map that uses differences in shading, coloring, or the placing of symbols within areas to indicate the average values of a property or quantity of something.

Overpopulation When consumption of natural resources by people outstrip the ability of a natural region to replace those natural resources.

The “inhabited world!” Ecumene Ecumene, or portion of the earth’s surface that has permanent human settlement has expanded to cover most of the earth’s land area. Expansion of the Ecumene 5000 BC - AD 1900

Density Number of people occupying an area of land Helps geographers to describe the distribution of people comparison to available resources Arithmetic and physiological

Arithmetic Density – the total number of people per a unit of land area. (total # of people / total land area) AKA population density U.S. 300 million people / 3.7 million square miles = about 80 people per square mile Physiological Density – the total number of people per a unit of arable (farmable) land. (U.S. 445 persons per square mile

Dependency Ratio A country wants a balance between young, working, and elderly populations… this is called the dependency ratio (the young and elderly are DEPENDENT on the rest of the population. Most of the population should be in the “working years.” “World Aging at Super Speed”: http://money.cnn.com/2014/08/21/news/economy/aging-countries-moodys/index.html?sr=fb082214superaged3pVODtopPhoto