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1 Population Revision Notes

Explain why there are high birth rates in many LEDCs.
Ideas such as: little availability of/lack of/can’t afford contraception/birth control/family
planning/or examples; • not educated re: contraception/family planning;
• likely to want children to work on the land/on farms/free labour for the family;
• likely to want children to send out to earn money/work;
• likely to want children to help around the house/look after younger children/collect
water; likely to want children to look after parents in old age;
• not likely to be affected by government policy to reduce family size;
• likely to have large families due to tradition/wealth/to get a son;
• likely to have large families due to religious influences/ religion does not allow
• contraception; no access to abortion; high infant mortality rates/people have more
• children in the hope that some will survive;
• women stay in the home/don’t work; early marriage; lack of emancipation for women; etc.

Describe the problems caused by high natural population growth in LEDCs.

• poverty; people do not have enough resources/pressure on resources;
• pressure on energy supplies (or example); lack of work/high unemployment;
• inadequate food supplies/food shortages/malnutrition/starvation; poor access to
education/government spend more on education/not enough schools;
• poor access to health care/government spend more on healthcare/not enough
hospitals; overcrowded housing/homeless/growth of shanty towns/lack of living space;
• inadequate water supply/sanitation; overuse of agricultural land/overgrazing/lack of
land to farm; deforestation/loss of natural vegetation; impact on economy/GDP falls,
slows; specified pollution problems; increased traffic congestion; etc.

Describe policies which governments can use to reduce birth rates

• introduce anti-natalist policies; one child policy/limit number of babies/restrict number
of children; advertise the benefits of small families; educate people about contraception;
• legalise abortion; make (free) contraceptives available; examples of specific incentives
(e.g. free education, free health care); introduce pensions for elderly;
• examples of disincentives if have a 2nd child e.g. fines, lose jobs;
• reduce benefits for people having children e.g. reduced maternity leave/child
benefit/child tax credits; forced sterilization; free goods e.g. radios in India; educate
women to encourage them to take jobs or careers; marriage regulations e.g. late
marriage/seek permission; gender equality acts; etc.

Explain why there are low death rates in MEDCs

- good health care/enough hospitals/doctors/nurses/clinics;
- good sanitation/more hygienic;
- good access to safe/clean water sufficient food supplies
- little disease/drugs/medicines/cures for diseases;
- education healthcare/life style issues
- availability of pensions; specific provision for elderly (or examples)

Advantage of emigration – the source (origin) country

- Reduced unemployment
- Benefits from the remittance (payments) sent back
- Returning migrants bring new skills to the country
1.1 Population Revision Notes
- Returning migrants increase the social expectations
- Returning migrants are with high purchasing power
- Increased investments in projects like buildings

Disadvantages of emigration (move out from a country)

- There are disproportionate number of females left behind
- The non-return migrants cause imbalance on population pyramid
- Departure of youth cause a loss of cultural leadership
- The loss of people with businesses and political skills

Advantages of immigration (destination) (moving in to a country)

- Economic migrants tend to take up less desirable jobs
- Gain skilled people at low cost
- Can pay low wages
- Will work long hours
- Cost of retirement transferred back to the home country
- Creation of multi-cultured society (life style, dress, tradition, food)
- Fresh ideas and intelligent people in research and development institutions
- Young talents in the field of sports, culture etc
Disadvantages:
- The cost of education to migrants children
- Fewer jobs for unskilled workers
- May move back once earned money
- Amenities problems – hospitals, schools etc with extra number of people
- There is an overdependence of some industries on migrant labour
- Discrimination against ethnic groups may lead to civil war (Indonesia – 1997-98)
- The loss of aspects of cultural identity particularly among the second generation
- Migrants
- Segregated areas of similar ethnic groups are created (Singapore – little India)
- Problems of illegal migration

Physical factors affecting population density and distribution

- Relief (Flat land)
- Climate (temperature)
- Soil (soil fertility)
1.1 Population Revision Notes
- Natural vegetation (forest)
- Mineral resources (gold, iron)
Human and economic factors
- Agriculture (farming)
- Mining and industry (oil, steel)
- Commerce (banking)
- Transport and accessibility (rail, road)
- Politics and religion (stable government)

Reasons for high-density in rural areas

- Suitable climate
- Accessible (road transportation)
- Farming (machinery on flat land)
- Fertile soil (gently sloping land)

Reasons for high-density in the urban areas

- Transportation and communication
- Medical facilities
- Safe drinking water
- Educational institutions
- Job opportunities
- Industries
- Offices (administration and others)
- Commerce (banking, import and exports)
- Entertainment and recreational facilities

Explain how physical factors can influence population distribution.

- more likely to live on flat land;
- people are more likely to live in lowland areas/avoid living in mountains/live in a valley;
- people live in areas of temperate climates/where it is wet/warm;
- people avoid areas which are too hot/too dry/too cold/areas with extreme climate conditions;
- flood plains are avoided;
- swampy areas are not built on;
- in tropical areas higher land is attractive to live in as temperatures are lower;
- large areas of rainforest are sparsely populated;
- people live near a water source/rivers/nodal points for rivers/where rivers meet; people live near fertile soil;
- defensive sites e.g. surrounded by mountains/meander/on a hill;
- dry desert areas are avoided/have few people;
- near to natural resources/fossil fuels/minerals;

For a named area you have studied, explain why it has a low population density.
- relief;
- accessibility / isolation;
- climate / low or high temperatures depending upon location / rainfall / desert; water supply / desert / drought;
- employment / lack of jobs;
- natural resources / resource availability;
- inability to grow food / soil fertility / inadequate food supply;
- areas of dense vegetation/type of natural vegetation;
1.1 Population Revision Notes
show the relief of the country and suggest the reasons unevenly distribution of population

- differences in relief;
- high lands are not densely populated;
- difficult to build;
- for communications;
- less than 200 metres sparsely populated;
- possible flood risks;
- differences in precipitation;
- areas above 2000 mm rain sparsely populated;
- as this creates rainforest
- difficult to penetrate;
- coastal location encourages trade;
- thus development of industry/settlement/tourism

Referring to economic and human factors, explain why many coastal regions are densely populated.
- Settlements developed around ports/harbours/easier to travel abroad;
- Trade opportunities/imports/exports;
- much industrial development/factories;
- employment/job opportunities;
- coastal areas have good communications/roads/rail links/transportation;
- growth of tourism/examples of jobs in tourism;
- fishing industry/food from sea;
- first regions to be settled idea;