Population

• why are there high birth rates in developing countries?

  Children take care of their parents at old age.  

  Children can help their families on farms or by earning money

  Infant mortality rates are high

  There is a lack of contraception and family planning.

  In some cultures, large families have a high status encouraging births.
• why are there high death rates in developing countries?

  There is a lack of clean water 

  Many people live in poor housing with poor sanitation

  Diseases are more widespread 

  There are fewer medical facilities

  Access to health care is also poor due to lack of hospitals and more people have to pay for treatment.
• why are there low birth rates in developed countries?

  Women are highly educated

  marry later in life

  Women plan family size carefully

  Children are very expensive

  don't need kids to work

  medicine and health care
• why are there low death rates in developed countries?

  There is a lack of clean water 

  Many people live in poor housing with poor sanitation

  Diseases are more widespread

  There are fewer medical facilities

  Access to health care is also poor due to lack of hospitals and more people have to pay for treatment.

  Many people work in farming

  This type of work is mostly done by hand in many areas of the world resulting in greater physical exertion across their life, meaning that it is more likely a person dies younger
• why are there low death rates in developed countries?

  There is political stability

  We have pensions and care homes

  We live in safe, warm homes which reduces the risk of many diseases

  taught about health

  born in hispital
• what are Physical Factors affecting the distribution and densities across the world?

  Coastal Locations

   Access to fresh water

   Relief – height and shape of the land

   Climate

  Soils and their quality
• why are there high population densities by the coast?

  •  the climate is temperate.  This makes living here easier.  It also means more crops can be grown which supports higher population densities.
  • ports develop here due to shipping.  This means these areas are great for trade which then encourages more people to live in these regions.
• why are there high population densities where there is access to fresh water?

  • Rivers provide natural transport routes as well as drinking water which allows more people to inhabit these areas. 
  •  Fresh water is also important for watering crops and therefore more food can be grown to support more people.
• why are there low population densities in mountainous areas?

  • it has steep land and high altitudes it is difficult for people to navigate, making trade difficult.  
  • growing food on steep slopes is difficult so fewer people can survive in these areas
  •  flat landscapes allow cities to develop and expand easier, thus supporting more people as people are attracted to cities as there are more jobs to be found in these locations.
• how does climate affect population densities?

  • Extreme weather conditions, like very hot temperatures found in deserts or cold temperatures found in the arctic make food production difficult. 
  • we are not adapted and therefore few people are found in these locations.
  •   A similar problem can be found in areas that are very dry or wet.  If they are very dry then there is not enough water for people to survive.
  •   if it is too wet, then flooding will occur making it difficult for people to live in these areas.
• how does soil qualities affect population densities?

  • The quality of soil in an area will influence the amount of food that can be produced.  Rich soils are often found around rivers and can therefore be highly cultivated, allowing lots of people to live in these areas. 
  •  Mountainous areas tend to have thin soils of a poor quality and therefore limited food can be produced from these areas.
• what are issues on having a high percentage of elderly people?

  • require pensions which need to be paid for by the Government. 
  • require more medical care. We will therefore need to build more geriatric care units and employ more specialist doctors and nurses.
  • need special care and support. 
  • Elderly have physical problems that make getting around their home difficult and also getting around cities more difficult. 
• what are Issues related to having a falling percentage of working age people?

  • Fewer workers means less tax being paid.  This means the Government have to increase tax levels to pay for services. This will be very unpopular with those working.
  • Fewer workers will result in the need to encourage more migrants to fill the extra jobs that go unfilled. This may create more tensions between people already in the UK.
  • Fewer people working will mean wages will rise as employers have to increase them to attract the right type of workers. 
• what are Issues related to having a falling percentage of children?

  • It is likely that the Government will need to devise schemes to encourage people to have more children, like offering financial incentives for people to have children
  • Education will suffer as fewer children means schools may close and less teachers will need to be employed.
  • In the long run, fewer children will mean we have even fewer adults in the future which will make the working age issues even more problematic.