Human Population Flashcards
(25 cards)
Rule of 70
You can roughly estimate the amount of time for anything to double by dividing 70 by the growth/percentage rate
Reasons for population explosion:
Historic need for farm labor Better sanitation New technology Better agricultural production Better medical care
Demography
The study of statistical change in human population
Population Size
The total number of people
Population Density
The total number of people in a given area; different countries have different densities
Age-Structure Pyramids
Visual graphics to show the trends in a country’s population; used to predict dynamics of the population
Birth Rate
How many babies born
Death Rate
How many people die
Immigration
How many people moved into the country
Emigration
How many people moved out of the country
Total Fertility Rate
Average number of children born per female during her lifetime
Natural Rate of Population Change
Change due to birth rate - date rate only; migration exlcuded
Life Expectancy
How long a person is expected to live
The Demographic Transition
A model of economic and cultural change that seeks to explain birth and death rate as a country becomes more industrialized; exists in 4 stages: pre-industrial, transitional, industrial, post-industrial
Pre-Industrial Stage
Defines the majority of human history; high birth rate, high death rate; people have 10 kids and expect 3 or 4 to live to adulthood; live expectancy low
Transitional Stage
Initiated by industrialization marked by a large decline in the death rate as food production and medical care increases; birth rate remains high; population explodes
Industrial Stage
Increases in employment opportunities causes women to join the workforce; also see introduction to birth control measures; birth rates fall to meet death rates; population growth decreases
Post-Industrial Stage
Birth rates and death rates remain stable; no threat of a population explosion
Methods for population control:
Family planning methods: contraceptives, education
Forced sterilization in India
One-Child Policy in China
Reproductive healthcare: accessibility to abortion
Education/opportunities for women
Wealth Gap
Half the world lives on less than $2 per day
Spread of HIV/AIDS
In some African nations, 1 in 4 people are infected with HIV
In US, the leading cause of death of African American women 25-34 is AIDS; it’s also the 3rd leading cause overall (behind cancer and heart disease)
Is population really a problem?
If you are a cornucopian, no; we will continue to find new resources and technology to meet our needs
If you are a cassandran, yes; we will run out of natural resources, depleting our ecosystems
Either way, the ultimate end will be a loss in the quality of life if population increases unchecked
The human growth rate in 1960 was _, and today it stands at _
2.1%; 1.2%
The US contributes roughly _ of the world’s population
310 million (4.5%)
