Virginia SOLs

WG.14: The student will apply social science skills to compare and contrast the distribution, growth rates, and characteristics of human population by

a) examining demographic data to determine the relative level of development;

b) distinguishing between developed and developing countries; 

Essential Understandings

Levels of economic development vary from country to country and from place to place within countries.

Many criteria are used to assess the standard of living and quality of life.

Essential Knowledge

Indicators of economic development

• Urban–rural ratio

• Labor force characteristics (primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary sectors)

• Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita

• Educational achievement

Demographics typical of developed economies

• High per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

• High life expectancy

• Low population growth rate

• Low infant mortality rate

• High literacy rate and high levels of education

Demographics typical of developing economies

• Low per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

• Low life expectancy

• High population growth rate

• High infant mortality rate

• Low literacy rate and lower levels of education

WG.14: The student will apply social science skills to compare and contrast the distribution, growth rates, and characteristics of human population by

c) comparing and contrasting the level of economic development to the standard of living and quality of life.

Essential Understandings

Availability of resources and technology influences economic development and quality of life.

Essential Knowledge

Characteristics of human populations

• Birth and death rates (war, disease, migration)

• Age distribution

• Male/female distribution

• Life expectancy

• Infant mortality rate

• Urban/rural distribution

• Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

• Education

Factors that influence population growth rates

• Modern medicine and hygiene

• Education

• Industrialization and urbanization

• Economic development

• Government policy

• Role of women in society 

WG.15a: The student will apply social science skills to analyze past and present trends in human migration and cultural diffusion by

a) determining how human migration and cultural diffusion are influenced by social, economic, political, and environmental factors;

Essential Understandings

Migrations occur because of social, economic, political, and environmental factors.

Migrations have influenced cultural landscapes.

Modern transportation and communication encourage higher levels of cultural interaction worldwide.-

Essential Knowledge

Push factors

• Overpopulation

• Religious persecution

• Lack of job opportunities

• Agricultural decline

• Conflict

• Political persecution

• Natural hazards (e.g., droughts, floods, famines, volcanic eruptions)

• Limits on personal freedom

• Environmental degradation

Pull factors

• Religious freedom and/or religious unity

• Economic opportunity

• Land availability

• Political freedom and stability

• Ethnic and family ties

• Arable land

Impact of migrations on regions

• Language

• Religion and religious freedom

• Customs and traditions

• Cultural landscape

WG.16: The student will apply social science skills to analyze the patterns of urban development by

a) applying the concepts of site and situation to major cities in each region;

b) explaining how the functions of towns and cities have changed over time; 

c) describing the unique influence of urban areas and challenges they face.

Essential Understandings

Site and situation are important geographic concepts when studying the growth of cities.

Patterns of urban development occur according to site and situation.-

The functions of towns and cities change over time.

Urban populations exercise a powerful influence in shaping the world’s cultural, political, and economic ideas and systems.

Urban development may lead to problems related to human mobility, social structure, and the environment.

Essential Knowledge

Terms to know

• site: The actual location of a city

• situation: Relative location (i.e., the location of a city with respect to other geographic features, regions, resources, and transport routes)

Examples of site (local characteristics)

• Harbor sites: New York City; Istanbul, Turkey

• Island sites: Hong Kong; Singapore

• Fall line site: Richmond, Virginia

• Confluence sites: Khartoum, Sudan; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Hilltop sites: Rome; Athens

• Oasis site: Damascus, Syria

• Sites where rivers narrow: London; Québec City

Examples of situation (regional/global connections)

• Baghdad: Command of land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

• Istanbul: Command of straits and land bridge to Europe

• Mecca, Saudi Arabia; Varanasi (Benares), India: Focal point of pilgrimage

• Cape Town, South Africa; Hawaii, United States: Supply station for ships

• Novosibirsk, Vladivostok: Cities that grew up along the Trans-Siberian Railway

Functions of towns and cities

• Security, defense

• Religious centers

• Trade centers (local and long distance)

• Government administration

• Manufacturing centers

• Service centers

• Education centers

Examples of cities whose functions have changed over time

• Rio de Janeiro: Move of Brazil’s capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia

• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Early function connected to defense, then became steel-manufacturing center, later shifted to diverse services (financial, light manufacturing)

• New York City: Changes in trade patterns—coastal and transatlantic trade, trade from the Great Lakes via the Erie Canal, worldwide trade and finances

• Mining towns, “ghost” towns: Resource depletion, changes in the environment

Influences of urban areas on their regions and countries

• Nation-building (monuments, symbols)

• Transportation/communication hubs

• Magnets for migration

• Seedbeds of new ideas and technologies

• Diversity, leading to creativity in the arts

• Universities, educational opportunities

• Corporate headquarters, regional offices

• Media centers (news, entertainment)

Problems associated with growth of urban areas

• Transportation problems emerge, especially as automobile travel increases.

• Rich and poor neighborhoods exist in different areas, isolated from one another.

• Providing essential services (e.g., fresh water, sewage disposal, electricity, schools, clinics) becomes a problem (e.g., for cities in Latin America, Africa, and Asia).

• Air, water, and noise pollution increase.

• Sprawl results in conversion of agricultural land to urban uses, especially in North America.

In developing countries, major cities are connected more to regions outside the country than to regions within the country.