Session 3, Jan 23

1. Session 3: Globalization; and Population Geographies
1) Hand out: Participant observation assignment
2) Guest: Zack Gross from Manitoba Council for
International Cooperation (MCIC)
3) Population geography (Chapter 4: 4.1): How do
we think about populations and how is this
“geographical”?
4) Population geography (Chapter 4: 4.2): Why do
populations grow or decline in particular places?
New York, NY
January 23, 2015
Fouberg, E. H., Murphy, A. B., De Blij, H. J. and C. J. Nash (2012). Human Geography: People,
Place, and Culture. John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd., Mississauga.
Fishing village
festival, Japan

2. Section 4.1 - How do we think about populations and his is this
“geographical”?
Wilbur Zelinsky – we need to ask questions about where people
live and why they live there
Demography: The study of the characteristics of a population, such
as race, age, sex, and ethnicity.
 there can be demographic studies conducted on one or several
of such characteristics
Population geography: The study of why populations have certain
characteristics and why they distribute themselves across space in
particular ways.

3. Population density: A measurement of the number of people per
given unit of land

4. Arithmetic population density: The population of a country or
region expressed as an average per unit area. The figure is derived
by dividing the population of the areal unit by the number of
square kilometers or miles that make up the unit.
e.g. Canada has a population density of ~3.9 people / km2
Physiologic population density: The number of people per unit
area of arable land (usually much lower than arithmetic
population density).

6. Population Distribution
Population distribution: Description of locations on the Earth’s
surface where populations live.
Dot maps: Maps where one dot represents a certain number of a
phenomenon, such as a population.

7. World Population Distribution and Density
East Asia (largest density)
Almost one quarter of the world’s population is concentrated
here. 1.3 billion people in China alone.
South Asia (second largest density)
1.5 billion people in India. Large concentration in Pakistan,
Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Two physical barriers create
boundaries: the Himalayas and the desert west of the Indus River
Valley in Pakistan.

8. World Population Distribution and Density
Europe (third largest density)
The European cluster contains over 715 million inhabitants, less
than half the population of the South Asia cluster. Population
density not as related to physical features such as terrain.
Populations in numerous cities and towns.
North America (fourth largest density)
Has one densely populated region that is a megalopolis including
Washington D.C. Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, and
Boston.
megalopolis: Large coalescing supercities that are forming in
diverse parts of the world

9. Population Composition
Population composition: Structure of a population in terms of age,
sex, and other properties such as marital status and education.
Population pyramids: Visual representations of the age and sex
composition of a population whereby the percentage of each age
group (generally five year increments) is represented by a
horizontal bar the length of which represents its relationship to
the total population. The males in each age group are represented
to the left of the centre line; the females in each age group are
represented to the right of the centre line.
TED Ed Video: Population Pyramids: Powerful Predictors of the
Future – Kim Preshoff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLmKfXwWQtE

10. Populations pyramids can be predictive...
World Life Expectancy - Italy
http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/italy-population-pyramid

11. Populations pyramids can be different within countries for
different groups of people...

12. Census: A periodic and official count of a country’s population
Collects data, usually per household, such as income, gender, and
other demographic information
The Canada census occurs every 5 years
Advocates for the homeless, minorities, and others insist that the
census results are not reflective of these populations and the
challenges that they face
 a major concern is that by not being included policy will not
be developed to serve these populations
 attempts have been made to account for populations such
as the homeless, but this has been problematic

13. In 2010, the Conservative government decided to no longer issue
the long form census questionnaire for 2011
 was replaced with a voluntary national household survey
Long-form census was used by business, educators, and social
service providers
Academics and geographers also used this data in their population
studies
Agencies that collect data on world populations:
• The World Bank
• Population Reference Bureau

14. Section 4.2 - Why do populations group or decline in particular
places?
The Population Growth Debate
Thomas Malthus – An Essay on the Principles of Population
• the linear growth of resources, such as food
• the exponential growth of population
• Assumed that food production is confined spatially; did not
foresee globalization
Ester Boserup – argues that it is not food that determines
population, but rather society’s capacity to develop new
technologies and farming techniques
e.g. GMOs, fertilizers, herbicides

15. Population Change at World, Regional, National, and Local Scales
Rate of natural increase: An indicator of population change,
calculated by subtracting the crude death rate from crude birth
rate.
• Canada’s RNI in 2010 was 2.99 per thousand

16. Population Change at the World Scale
Total Fertility Rate (TFR): The average number of births per woman
of childbearing years, usually considered between 15 and 49 years
of age.

17. Doubling Time: The time required for a population to double in its
size.
• 2 thousand years ago the world population was 250 million
• 16 centuries passed before the population doubled to 500
million
• 170 years later the population doubled again – 1 billion
• 1930 the population reached 2 billion
• 45 years to 4 billion
• currently the doubling time is expected to be 54 years
Population Explosion: The rapid growth of the world’s population
during the past century, attended by ever-shorter doubling times
and accelerated rates of increase.
...but this can’t go on forever....

18. Population Change at the Regional and National Scales
• countries going through expansion and declines at different
times
• relates to different factors: heath, prosperity...no single
factor can explain these variations
• demographers point to the correlation between high
growth rates and the low standing of women
e.g. The Girl Effect (girleffect.org)
Videos from the Girl Effect:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIvmE4_KMNw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e8xgF0JtVg

19. Thoughts?

20. Population Change at the Local Scale
Demographic differences within countries
Policy can affect the Total Fertility Rate at this level
Example from text: India’s population planning program instituted
following independence to control extreme growth rates in parts
of the country
- different states joined at different times
- in 1970s the Indian government began a policy of forced
sterilization for any man with three or more children

21. Population Change in Canada
Steady growth since the mid-1850s
3 distinct phases of growth:
1. 1851 – 1900: slow growth; high fertility rates were offset
by high mortality rates
2. 1901 – 1945: included WWI and WWII, accelerated growth,
due mostly to immigration and settlement
3. 1946 – to present: even faster growth due to baby boom
and strong immigration (12.3 million in 1946; 34 million in
2010)
In 2006, migratory increase accounted for 2/3 of population
growth in Canada

22. The Demographic Transition
Crude Birth Rate (CBR): The number of live births yearly per
thousand people in a population.
Crude Death Rate (CDR): The number of deaths yearly per
thousand people in a population.
- sometimes the CDR can be higher than the CBR (e.g. plague,
famine)
Demographic Transition: Multistage model, based on Western
Europe’s experience, of changes in population growth exhibited by
countries undergoing industrialization. High birth rates and death
rates are followed by plunging death rates, producing a huge net
population gain; this is followed by the convergence of birth rates
and death rates at a low overall level.

23. Model of the Demographic Cycle

24. Factors for lower birthrates:
• medical advances – fewer infant deaths, stillbirths, etc.
• changed economy: women in the workplace
• changing family culture – different roles for men and
women; different values related to gender and family
position
• less need for large amounts of children to sustain a family
(e.g. farming families required several children)
• later marriage due to educational and career pursuits
• family planning and contraception

25. Future Population Growth
Different countries will experience different types of population
increases or decreases into the future – will depend on a
multitude of factors.
Many agencies believe that most countries populations will stop
growing at some point in the 21st century (e.g. UN predicted the
world population would stabilize at 10 billion in 200 years;
predictions are highly variable and are constantly changing) 
Stationary Population Level (SPL): The level at which a national
population ceases to grow.
 major challenge would be caring for the aging populations of
many countries