Exam Flashcards
(189 cards)
Identify a geographic issue at both local and international levels
- Lack of fresh water - Population increase/decrease
Definition: Cash Crops
Crops that are grown to earn export profits rather than to feed local people
Definition: Disenfranchised
People who lack political power to influence decision making. Example - the poor in Africa
Definition: Environmental Refugees
People who have been forced to flee their homeland due to environmental crises such as desertification and the resulting famines
Definition: Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
Poor countries that have been identified as having a severe debt burden that makes development difficult. These countries are being granted debt relief under conditions established by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Definition: Horn of Africa
The eastern portion of sub-Saharan Africa that juts out like a horn, it includes the countries of Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti.
Definition: Land degradation or desertification ****
Process of erosion and drying of the land leading to desert conditions and loss of farmland
Definition: Sahel
The grassland region of Africa directly south of the Sahara Desert, which is most subject to desertification.
Definition: Sub-Saharan countries
Countries of Africa that are south of the Sahara Desert; these countries are usually grouped together for statistical purposes due to common circumstances.
The Effects of Poverty in Africa
- Access to land with little economic value as the land is not suited for growing good or grazing animals. - Trees and vegetation are cut down to clear land so that crops can be grown. This effects the soil as it loses nutrients and leads to degradation. - Ecological issues occur as the topsoil clogs local waterways leading to lower-quality water. - People are then forced to move and repeat this process in other areas. - Leads to environmental refugees as the conditions of their land or climate can no longer sustain them. - Many times they move to urban areas with bad housing, and inadequate sanitation.
What are the causes of famine?
Drought - ruins harvests and leaves people and livestock without food and water Lack of self-sufficiency - rely on imports and on having the income to pay for them Armed conflict leads to internally displaced people who suffer the after-effects of conflict. Environmental degradation.
Definition: Age quake
Aging of a country’s population caused by declining fertility rates and people living longer.
Definition: Demographer:
Expert who studies population statistics
Definition: Dependency Load
The amount of a country’s population under 16 and over 65. Gives an estimate of the tax burden on the working population to provide necessary socials services.
Definition: Developed Countries
Countries with high standards of living, diverse and prosperous communities and low fertility rates
Definition: Exponential Growth
Rapid rate of growth in which numbers keep doubling. A number grows exponentially when its increase is always proportional to its current amount.
Definition: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
UN agency dedicated to improving the world’s food supply
Definition: Less Developed Countries (LDCs)
Countries with low standards of living, struggling or developing economies, and higher fertility rates
Definition: Neo-Malthusians
Modern demographers who agree with the Malthusian theory that famine, disease and war will crease when human population growth surpasses the Earth’s available resources
Definition: Replacement Level
Total fertility rate required for a country to maintain its population. The value is 2.1.
Definition: The Rule of 70 ****
Method used to estimate the number of years it will take for a country’s population to double. Divide the number 70 by the percentage change from one year to the next.
Definition: Total fertility rate
Number of children a woman will have in her lifetime.
Affects of population growth
- FAO estimates that there is currently 1.6 billion hectares of potential cropland. To meet growing population, this has to increase to 4 billion by 2050. - As the demand for food grows, so does the demand for fresh water (80 percent of water consumption goes towards agriculture) - Additional food lands we need to grow more goods will decrease as they will not have the best soils due to these lands being overused. - Increase in demand for resources such as energy, lumber and metals. - Conflict increase as groups compete for space and control over limited resources. - Increases in population will lead to urban sprawl with disastrous environmental affects.
Factors Affecting Increase in Higher Fertility Rates
- Need for children in workforce, manly economies based on agriculture or with extreme poverty - High rates of infant mortality - Cultures that allow girls to marry at a young age and hence families start at an early age - Lack of available birth control - Religions influence on the practice of birth control