Chapter 2:

 Over 7 Billion people—More than ever  World pop increased at a faster rate in the 2 nd half of the 20 th Century than any other time  Virtually all global pop growth is concentrated in LDCs (Less Developed Countries)  Typical family in MDCs contains fewer people than in the past  Demography – scientific study of population characteristics  Overpopulation – includes the relationship between the # of people and available resources

 Basic Overview:  2/3 of people located in four regions: 1. East Asia 2. South Asia 3. Southeast Asia 4. Europe  Similarities in four regions: 1. Most live near an ocean or river w/ ocean access * 2/3 of world live within 300 miles of ocean * 4/5 within 500 miles 2. Pop clusters occupy generally low-lying areas w/ fertile soil and temperate climate 3. With exception of Southeast Asia—all regions located in N Hemisphere (between 10° and 55° N)

 Nearly ¼ of the World’s pop  5/6 of region live in China—clustered near Pacific Ocean and fertile valleys extending inland (more than ½ in rural areas)  In Japan, South Korean, & North Korea—40% live in 3 large areas  Tokyo, Japan  Osaka, Japan  Seoul, South Korea * ¾ live in urban areas

 Nearly ¼ of the World’s pop  India contains more than ¾ of region’s pop  Much of the pop located along the plains of the Indus and Ganges Rivers (see map)  Only ¼ of the regions pop are in urban areas

 Island of Java (Indonesia) has over 100 million people  Indonesia consists of 13,677 islands—4 th largest pop  High % work in rural areas Three Asian regions make up more than ½ of World pop

 World’s 3 rd largest pop cluster—1/9 of world’s pop  ¾ of inhabitants live in urban areas  Highest pops near coalfields in England, Germany, and Belgium  Europeans import many food and resources (colonialization)

 Extends along Atlantic Coast from Boston to Newport News, Virginia  Westward along the Great Lakes to Chicago  2% of world pop  Less than 2% farmers

- ½ of this pop in Nigeria (most pop in Africa) - 2% of world’s pop

 Ecumene – portion of the Earth’s surface occupied by permanent human settlement  Has increased over time (possibilism)  ¾ of world’s pop live on only 5% of Earth’s surface  Rest is of Earth’s surface is oceans (71%) and less intensely inhabited land

 Deserts lack water supply necessary to support a large pop  Irrigation systems can support small pops  Other resources may be present (oil)

 Combo of rain and heat rapidly depletes nutrients from the soil  In seasonably wet lands, such as Southeast Asia, enough food can be grown for a large pop

 Perpetually covered in ice—ground is permanently frozen (permafrost)  Some polar areas receive less precipitation than Central Asian Deserts  Very little life (human, animal, or plant)

 Highest mountains are steep, snow covered, and sparsely populated  Exceptions: Latin America and Africa

 Arithmetic Density – total # of objects in an area  U.S. – 84/sq mile; Bangladesh – 2,919/sq mile; Australia/Canada – 3/sq mile  Number of people living on a given piece of land  Physiological Density - # of people supported by a unit area of arable land  U.S. – 452/sq mile; Egypt – 5,947/sq mile (95% live in Nile River Valley and Delta)  Higher the physiological density—greater the pressure that people place on the land to produce food  Agricultural Density – ratio of # of farmers to the amount of arable land  U.S. – 1.6 farmers/sq kilometer; Egypt – 251 farmers/sq kilometer  MDCs have lower Ag Densities—technology and finance allow a few people to farm extensive land areas  Allows geographers to explore relationship between pop and resources in a country

 Natural Increase (NIR) - % by which a pop grows in a year  Computed by subtracting CDR from CBR—after 1 st converting the measures from # per 1,000 to %s  Crude Birth rate (CBR) – total # of live births in a year for every 1,000 people alive in that society  Crude Death rate (CDR) – total # of deaths in a year for every 1,000 people alive in that society World NIR in early 21 st Century has been 1.2% As the base grows, a 1% change can produce large swings in pop Ex. 1% of 1 billion (past) vs. 1% of 7 billion (present)

Doubling Time # of years needed to double a pop > World rate of 1.2% per year = 54 years IF this stays constant - More than 95% of natural increase is clustered in LDCs - NIR exceeds 2.0% in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East—negative in Europe! - Most of the world’s additional people live in countries least able to maintain them

 Total Fertility Rate (TFR) – average # of children a woman will have in her child-bearing years (roughly )  Another way to measure # of births in a society  Attempts to predict future—assumes girls will have same # of children as current child-bearing women  TFR of the world is 2.6 (varies between LDCs and MDCs)  TFR exceeds 6.0 in many Sub-Saharan countries; less than 1.9 in many European countries

 Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) – annual # of deaths of infants under 1 year of age, compared with total # of live births  Expressed in per 1,000  Highest rates in LDCs—lowest in MDCs  IMR approaches 100 in Sub-Saharan Africa (10% of babies in the region die before their 1 st birthday)  Generally, reflects a country’s healthcare system

 Life Expectancy – average # of years a newborn infant can expect to live at current mortality levels  More favorable in MDCs than LDCs  Around 80 in W Europe—around 50 in Sub- Saharan Africa

MDC:  Lower: rates of natural increase, crude birth, total fertility, and infant mortality  Higher: average life expectancy LDC:  Lower: average life expectancy  Higher: rates of natural increase, crude birth, total fertility rates, and infant mortality How do we explain MDCs having a higher crude death rate overall? Denmark (MDC) having a higher CDR than Cape Verde (LDC)?