5.3 - Population

Question 1

Population

Answer 1

the total number of people inhabiting a specific area

Question 2

Factors affecting population (3)

Answer 2

• Birth rate
• Death rate
• Net migratio

Question 3

Birth rate

Answer 3

the number of births for every 1000 people in the population

Question 4

Death rate

Answer 4

The number of people who die in a certain amount of time per 1000

Question 5

Net migration

Answer 5

Immigrants - emigrants

Question 6

Natural change formula

Answer 6

birth rate - death rate

Question 7

Factors leading to a decrease in death rate (name 3)

Answer 7

• The agricultural revolution led to higher yields & healthier, more varied diets
• Improvements to medicine & medical care
• Improvements to technology & transport, leading to a wealthier population which increases life expectancy
• Improved housing & sanitation

Question 8

Factors leading to high birth rate in LEDCs (name 3)

Answer 8

• Lack of access to family planning & contraception
• An increase in women surviving childbirth
• Families continuing to have large numbers of children to look after their parents in old age & to help support the family
• Culture of having larger families which takes many years to change
• Religious reasons

Question 9

Factors leading to decreasing birth rate in MEDCs (3)

Answer 9

• Increased access to family planning & contraception
• Changing social norms which include starting families later, having fewer children, or remaining single
• Increased costs of child rearing & university education

Question 10

Overpopulation

Answer 10

Occurs when there are more people in a country/region than can be supported by its resources & technology

Question 11

Underpopulation

Answer 11

Occurs when there are more resources available than the population can use effectively

Question 12

Optimum population

Answer 12

Occurs when there is a balance between the number of people & the resources/technology available

Question 13

What does overpopulation lead to? (name 4)

Answer 13

• Higher levels of pollution
• Higher crime rates
• Higher unemployment or underemployment
• Higher levels of food & water shortages
• Higher pressure on services such as hospitals & schools

Question 14

What does underpopulation lead to? (name 4)

Answer 14

• Fewer people paying tax which can lead to higher taxes
• Underused resources, which can lead to wastage
• A shortage of workers
• Lower levels of exports & production which affects the wealth of an area
• Fewer customers for goods & services

Question 15

Population pyramid

Answer 15

• Population pyramids are used to display the gender & age structure of a given population
  * They illustrate the distribution of population across age groups and between male/female

Question 16

Population pyramid shape of LEDCs and reasons

Answer 16

• Concave sides
• High birth rate
• Low life expectancy
• High death rate but starting to decrease (people dying through every age group)
• High infant mortality rate (significant decrease between 0-5)
• Young dependent population dominates the distribution

Question 17

Population pyramid shape of MEDCs and reasons

Answer 17

• Convex sides
• Decreasing birth rate
• Increasing life expectancy - indicated by the relatively straight sides reaching the age of 70, followed by a good proportion of people living much longer
• Decreasing death rate - indicated by the relatively straight sides reaching the age of 70
• Low infant mortality - hardly any change between 0-9 years
• Larger working age population - 15 to 69 represents a large proportion of the population

Question 18

What major population changes can occur?

Answer 18

• Progressively ageing populations as economies develop
• Falling birth rates as economies develop
• Swings in net migration as influenced by war, famine, natural disasters & government policy

Question 19

What impacts does ageing population have on the country? (name 4)

Answer 19

• Increased pension payments by governments
• Increased need for care homes (public & private)
• Increased pressure on the healthcare service & social care results in higher government spending
• It also results in a smaller labour force & often Governments collect less tax
• Firms suffer worker shortages
• Labour shortages result in increased wage costs for firms

Question 20

What impacts does falling birth rate have on the country? (name 4)

Answer 20

• School closures due to fewer children
• Future labour shortages
• Governments typically put in place incentives that encourage families to have more children
• Governments may change the migration laws to encourage immigration so that labour shortages are prevented
• Excessive immigration can change the nature & culture of different regions within a country

Question 21

What can rapid population growth caused by migration lead to? (name 4)

Answer 21

• Increased pressure on services such as healthcare & schools resulting in increased costs for government
• A shortage of housing which generates social issues in society
• Increased traffic congestion which is a negative externality
• Increased water & air pollution which are negative externalities
• Food shortages