Unit 2

Unit 2: Population and Migration

Population and Migration (13 -17% or 10 - 13 questions on the AP Exam)

Understanding the ways in which human population is organized geographically helps students make sense of cultural patterns, political organization of space, food production issues, economic development concerns, natural resource use and decisions, and urban systems. Therefore, many of the concepts and theories encountered in this part of the course connect with other course units. Additionally, course themes of location, space, place, scale of analysis, and pattern can be emphasized when studying basic population issues such as crude birth rate, crude death rate, total fertility rate, infant mortality rate, doubling time, and natural increase.

Explanations of why the population is growing or declining in some places are based on patterns and trends in fertility, mortality, and migration. For example, when learning about the relevance of place context and government policies, students may analyze fertility rates and age–sex structures (shown in population pyramids) in various countries. Analyses of refugee flows, immigration, and internal migration help students understand the connections between population phenomena and other topics. For example, environmental degradation and natural hazards may prompt population redistribution at various scales, which in turn creates new pressures on the environment, culture, and political institutions.

This part of the course also enhances students’ critical understanding of population trends across space and over time as they consider models of population growth and decline, including Malthusian theory, the demographic transition, and the epidemiological (mortality) transition model. Students can then evaluate the role, strengths, and weaknesses of major population policies, which attempt to either promote or restrict population growth.

Unit 2 - Population and Migration Patterns and Processes --- Topic 2.1 – Population Distribution

Understanding where and how people live is essential to understanding global, cultural, political and economic patterns.

Identify the factors that influence the distribution of human population at different scales.

2.A.1 – Physical factors

· climate and human factors

· landforms and human factors

· water bodies and human factors

· culture influence the distribution of population.

· economics influence the distribution of population.

· history influence the distribution of population.

· politics influence the distribution of population.

influence the distribution of population.

2.A.2 – Factors that illustrate patterns of population distribution vary according to the scale of analysis.

Define methods geographers use to calculate population density.

2.B.1 – The three methods for calculating population density are:

· arithmetic

· physiological

· agricultural

Explain the differences between and the impact of methods used to calculate population density.

2. C.1 – The method used to calculate population density reveals different information about the pressure the population exerts on the land.

Unit 2 - Population and Migration Patterns and Processes ---

Topic 2.2 – Consequences of Population Distribution

Explain how population distribution and density affect society and the environment.

2.D.1 – Population distribution and density affect:

· political processes, including the provision of services such as medical care.

· economic processes, including the provision of services such as medical care.

· social processes, including the provision of services such as medical care.

2.D.2 – Population distribution and density affect the environment and natural resources; this is known as carrying capacity.

Unit 2 - Population and Migration Patterns and Processes --- Topic 2.3 – Population Composition

Describe elements of population composition used by geographers.

2.E.1 – Patterns of age structure and sex ratio vary across different regions and may be mapped and analyzed at different scales.

Explain ways that geographers depict and analyze population composition.

2.F.1 – Population pyramids are used to assess population growth and decline and to predict markets for goods and services.

Unit 2 - Population and Migration Patterns and Processes ---

Topic 2.4 – Population Dynamics

Changes in population are due to mortality, fertility and migration, which are influenced by the interplay of environmental, economic, cultural and political factors.

Explain factors that account for contemporary and historical trends in population growth and decline.

2.A.1 – Demographic factors that determine a population’s growth and decline are:

· fertility

· mortality

· migration

2.A.2 – Geographers use the rate of natural increase and population-doubling time to explain population growth and decline.

2.A.3 – Social, cultural, political and economic factors influence:

· fertility

· mortality

· migration

Unit 2 - Population and Migration Patterns and Processes ---

Topic 2.5 – The Demographic Transition Model Explain theories of population growth and decline.

2.B.1 – The demographic transition model can be used to explain population change over time.

2.B.2 – The epidemiological transition explains causes of changing death rates.

Unit 2 - Population and Migration Patterns and Processes ---

Topic 2.6 – Malthusian Theory Explain theories of population growth and decline.

2.B.3 – Malthusian theory and its critiques are used to analyze population change and its consequences.

Unit 2 - Population and Migration Patterns and Processes --- Topic 2.7 – Population Policies

Changes in population have long- and short-term effects on a place’s economy, culture and politics.

Explain the intent and effects of various population and immigration policies on population size and composition.

2.A.1 – Types of population policies include those that promote or discourage population growth, such as:

· pronatalist policies.

· anti-natalist policies.

· immigration policies.

Unit 2 - Population and Migration Patterns and Processes --- Topic 2.8 – Women and Demographic Change

Explain how the changing role of women has demographic consequences in different parts of the world.

2.B.1 – Changing social values and access to:

· education have reduced fertility rates in more parts of the world.

· employment have reduced fertility rates in more parts of the world.

· health care have reduced fertility rates in more parts of the world.

· contraception have reduced fertility rates in more parts of the world.

2.B.2 – Changing social, economic, and political roles for women have influenced patterns of:

· fertility as illustrated by Ravenstein’s laws of migration.

· mortality as illustrated by Ravenstein’s laws of migration.

· migration as illustrated by Ravenstein’s laws of migration.

Unit 2 - Population and Migration Patterns and Processes --- Topic 2.9 – Aging Populations

Explain the causes and consequences of an aging population.

2.C.1 – Population aging is determined by:

· birth rates

· death rates

· life expectancy

2.C.2 – An aging population has:

· political consequences, including the dependency ratio.

· social consequences, including the dependency ratio.

· economic consequences, including the dependency ratio.

Unit 2 - Population and Migration Patterns and Processes --- Topic 2.10 – Causes of Migration

Changes in population are due to mortality, fertility and migration, which are influenced by the interplay of environmental, economic, cultural and political factors.

Explain how different causal factors encourage migration.

2.C.1 – Migration is commonly divided into

· push factors

· pull factors

2.C.2 – Push/pull factors and intervening opportunities/obstacles can be:

· cultural

· demographic

· economic

· environmental

· political

Unit 2 - Population and Migration Patterns and Processes --- Topic 2.11 – Forced and Voluntary Migration

Describe types of forced and voluntary migration.

2.D.1 – Forced migration include:

· slavery

· events that produce refugees

· internally displaced persons

· asylum seekers

2.D.2 – Types of voluntary migrations include: transnational

· transhumance

· internal chain

· step

· guest worker

· rural-to-urban

Unit 2 - Population and Migration Patterns and Processes --- Topic 2.12 – Effects of Migration

Explain historical and contemporary geographic effects of migration.

2.E.1 – Migration has

· political effects.

· economic effects.

· cultural effects.