Population: Inter-related topics
It is easy for students to forget or be unaware how areas of geography are heavily inter-connected. Population is closely linked with urbanisation, hazards, ecosystems, health, food, trade and politics.
Population and urbanisation
The larger the world's population grows, the more towns and cities will expand while greenfield sites will shrink. The largest cities and towns are already struggling to house all of their citizens and this problem is only going to become worse.
The amount of people living in an area also influences the living conditions of urban areas. More people and not enough housing will result in more and more illegal, makeshift shanty towns for poorer people that are of a very low quality. Too many people in richer countries is likely to result in more skyscrapers filled with small, expensive apartments. Higher buildings make more use of the space they are built on.
Population growth in urban areas not only requires more housing, but more schools, more employment opportunities, more transport and more energy. Any overpopulated country will be strained for all of these facilities, resources and more.
The larger the world's population grows, the more towns and cities will expand while greenfield sites will shrink. The largest cities and towns are already struggling to house all of their citizens and this problem is only going to become worse.
The amount of people living in an area also influences the living conditions of urban areas. More people and not enough housing will result in more and more illegal, makeshift shanty towns for poorer people that are of a very low quality. Too many people in richer countries is likely to result in more skyscrapers filled with small, expensive apartments. Higher buildings make more use of the space they are built on.
Population growth in urban areas not only requires more housing, but more schools, more employment opportunities, more transport and more energy. Any overpopulated country will be strained for all of these facilities, resources and more.
Population and hazards
The world's population is growing rapidly and the issue of space has already been briefly mentioned. As there are too many people to squeeze them all into current cities new settlements must be created and people will have less choice about where the decide to live, they will simply have to inhabit wherever there is space. Therefore people in the future will have to inhabit more dangerous environments. This has already begun and currently thousands of people live in areas prone to natural disasters such as coasts, tectonic plate boundaries, and 'tornado alley'.
There is a theory that the frequency of natural disasters is increasing, however it must be considered that perhaps the wider distribution of a growing world population means that there are now simply always people to witness these events no matter where they happen.
The world's population is growing rapidly and the issue of space has already been briefly mentioned. As there are too many people to squeeze them all into current cities new settlements must be created and people will have less choice about where the decide to live, they will simply have to inhabit wherever there is space. Therefore people in the future will have to inhabit more dangerous environments. This has already begun and currently thousands of people live in areas prone to natural disasters such as coasts, tectonic plate boundaries, and 'tornado alley'.
There is a theory that the frequency of natural disasters is increasing, however it must be considered that perhaps the wider distribution of a growing world population means that there are now simply always people to witness these events no matter where they happen.
Population and ecosystems
Larger populations will have more powerful influences on the environments around them. The rapid urbanisation that comes hand in hand with population growth will generate greater amounts of pollution from more industry, more farming, more transport and the consumption of more energy. The masses of people could also cause waste management issues which are already concerns in many MEDC countries. All of these impacts will gradually degrade the landscapes and the quality of the surrounding environments.
People in developing countries typically cause large amounts of environments damage as well as they are having their own versions of our industrial revolution. Under developed countries actually cause the least pollution because they have less industry and transport etc. They do however also lack the technology for water sanitation and general waste management which does cause some degradation of the natural resources around them.
Another major concern is the space that larger populations require. More space for humans means less space for vegetation and wildlife habitats. Often it is people who destroy these environments (deforestation etc.) to build on as well as degrade areas around them for years afterwards.
Larger populations will have more powerful influences on the environments around them. The rapid urbanisation that comes hand in hand with population growth will generate greater amounts of pollution from more industry, more farming, more transport and the consumption of more energy. The masses of people could also cause waste management issues which are already concerns in many MEDC countries. All of these impacts will gradually degrade the landscapes and the quality of the surrounding environments.
People in developing countries typically cause large amounts of environments damage as well as they are having their own versions of our industrial revolution. Under developed countries actually cause the least pollution because they have less industry and transport etc. They do however also lack the technology for water sanitation and general waste management which does cause some degradation of the natural resources around them.
Another major concern is the space that larger populations require. More space for humans means less space for vegetation and wildlife habitats. Often it is people who destroy these environments (deforestation etc.) to build on as well as degrade areas around them for years afterwards.
Population, food and health
Depending upon the stage a country is at on the Demographic Transition Model people's health can generally be good or bad. Countries that have advanced medicines and good education facilities for learning about hygiene, diets and exercise tend to have populations that are healthier. Richer countries also have more knowledge and resources related to sexual health. Countries that do not have these things tend to have less healthy populations. Diseases such as AIDs are severe issues.
In MEDC countries people have a better quality of life and spend their time in relatively clean environments and are protected by health and safety regulations everywhere they go. LEDC countries have very few health and safety regulations, or sometimes none at all. People are exposed to dirty environments and live in small poor quality houses that are often dirty with no clean running water or heating. Therefore illness is much more common and serious in poorer countries. In overpopulated poor countries diseases spread faster because people live in such close proximity with one another.
A range of good quality food and drink is readily available and easily accessible in MEDC's, whereas LEDC population's often suffer from famine, malnutrition and water borne diseases such as typhoid and cholera. The availability of food and drink to richer countries has introduced some new health problems for their populations that poorer countries do not have. These include illnesses like obesity, diabetes, high counts of heart disease from fatty foods, lung disease from smoking, and liver problems from alcohol.
Depending upon the stage a country is at on the Demographic Transition Model people's health can generally be good or bad. Countries that have advanced medicines and good education facilities for learning about hygiene, diets and exercise tend to have populations that are healthier. Richer countries also have more knowledge and resources related to sexual health. Countries that do not have these things tend to have less healthy populations. Diseases such as AIDs are severe issues.
In MEDC countries people have a better quality of life and spend their time in relatively clean environments and are protected by health and safety regulations everywhere they go. LEDC countries have very few health and safety regulations, or sometimes none at all. People are exposed to dirty environments and live in small poor quality houses that are often dirty with no clean running water or heating. Therefore illness is much more common and serious in poorer countries. In overpopulated poor countries diseases spread faster because people live in such close proximity with one another.
A range of good quality food and drink is readily available and easily accessible in MEDC's, whereas LEDC population's often suffer from famine, malnutrition and water borne diseases such as typhoid and cholera. The availability of food and drink to richer countries has introduced some new health problems for their populations that poorer countries do not have. These include illnesses like obesity, diabetes, high counts of heart disease from fatty foods, lung disease from smoking, and liver problems from alcohol.
Population and trade
Population growth requires a great many things, some of which have already been mentioned. These resources include medicine, food, water, and energy. People also require facilities for industry, homes, schools, and transport. As countries become more developed the types of facilities they have will increase, as will the amount of resources they require to give everybody a good quality of life. Naturally not all of these resources can be found everywhere around the globe.
Therefore countries must trade the resources they do have for those they don't to be able to provide for their population properly. For example those countries with coal and oil sell spare reserves to countries that need it, and countries who have large farming industries export food to those countries who cannot grow their own. The main fear of rapid population growth is that people need more resources than the Earth can provide which makes life as we know it unsustainable.
Trade heavily influences the world economy and can be a main source of income for countries who produce large amounts of food, coal, oil, gas, medicine and more. Richer countries importing goods can also be a good way for them to share some of their wealth with poorer countries so that they can invest in future developments, if they are fairly paid.
Trade also comes in the form of Aid or relief. More developed countries have many charities and offer help to those lesser developed countries in desperate need of food, water, shelter and education.
Population growth requires a great many things, some of which have already been mentioned. These resources include medicine, food, water, and energy. People also require facilities for industry, homes, schools, and transport. As countries become more developed the types of facilities they have will increase, as will the amount of resources they require to give everybody a good quality of life. Naturally not all of these resources can be found everywhere around the globe.
Therefore countries must trade the resources they do have for those they don't to be able to provide for their population properly. For example those countries with coal and oil sell spare reserves to countries that need it, and countries who have large farming industries export food to those countries who cannot grow their own. The main fear of rapid population growth is that people need more resources than the Earth can provide which makes life as we know it unsustainable.
Trade heavily influences the world economy and can be a main source of income for countries who produce large amounts of food, coal, oil, gas, medicine and more. Richer countries importing goods can also be a good way for them to share some of their wealth with poorer countries so that they can invest in future developments, if they are fairly paid.
Trade also comes in the form of Aid or relief. More developed countries have many charities and offer help to those lesser developed countries in desperate need of food, water, shelter and education.
Population and politics
When a region or a country is overpopulated or underpopulated it is the government's job to find a suitable solution. Sometimes the population can approve of their methods, while other times their methods can be controversial and people in other countries may disapprove as well as the population of the country they are enforced upon. It is also up to the government to identify population issues in their country by maintaining a census.
The government is also responsible for what policies a country has towards migration. Some countries are more open to immigration than others, while some outright oppose immigration because of the impacts it can cause. Politics can be a source of conflict between countries, or at least a means of dealing with conflicts on other topics. This means that politics can become the reason that a population would like to migrate.
When a region or a country is overpopulated or underpopulated it is the government's job to find a suitable solution. Sometimes the population can approve of their methods, while other times their methods can be controversial and people in other countries may disapprove as well as the population of the country they are enforced upon. It is also up to the government to identify population issues in their country by maintaining a census.
The government is also responsible for what policies a country has towards migration. Some countries are more open to immigration than others, while some outright oppose immigration because of the impacts it can cause. Politics can be a source of conflict between countries, or at least a means of dealing with conflicts on other topics. This means that politics can become the reason that a population would like to migrate.
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