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.