Population Stats
What demographic statistic measures the number of live births per 1,000 people in a population during one year?
Crude Birth Rate, or CBR
What type of population density is calculated by dividing a country’s total population by its total land area?
Arithmetic density
What term describes the pattern or spread of people across a geographic area?
Population distribution
What type of government population policy attempts to encourage people to have more children?
Pronatalist policy
A country has low birth rates and low death rates. Its population is relatively stable and experiences little natural increase. Which stage of the demographic transition model best describes this country?
Stage 4 / Low Stationary
What demographic statistic measures the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her reproductive years?
Total Fertility Rate, or TFR
What type of population density is calculated by dividing the total population by the amount of arable, or farmable, land?
Physiological density
Climate, freshwater availability, soil fertility, elevation, and landforms belong to what general category of factors influencing population distribution?
Physical factors
What type of population policy attempts to reduce birth rates through measures such as family planning, contraceptive access, or public education?
Antinatalist policy
A country still has a high birth rate, but improvements in medicine, sanitation, and food supply have caused its death rate to decline rapidly. Which stage of the demographic transition model is it most likely experiencing?
Stage 2 / Early Expanding
A country has a rate of natural increase of only 0.4 percent. Would geographers generally describe this population as experiencing rapid growth, slow growth, or negative growth? Why?
Slow population growth
A country has a very high physiological density. What does this suggest about the amount of pressure its population places on available farmland?
There is high population pressure on the country’s arable land.
Why are river valleys historically some of the world’s most densely populated areas?
They provide freshwater, fertile soil, transportation, and opportunities for trade.
Why can providing schools, roads, electricity, and healthcare be more expensive in areas with highly dispersed populations?
Services and infrastructure must cover greater distances.
A country’s death rate is already low, while its birth rate has begun to decline. The population is still growing, but the rate of growth is slowing. Which stage best describes this country?
Stage 3 / Late Expanding
A country has both a high total fertility rate and a high infant mortality rate. What might these statistics suggest about women’s access to education, healthcare, family planning, and economic opportunities?
Women likely have fewer educational, healthcare, family-planning, and economic opportunities.
Countries A and B have the same total population. However, Country A has only half as much arable land as Country B. Which country will have the higher physiological density?
Country A
A metropolitan region continues attracting migrants even though its climate is not especially favorable. It offers high-paying jobs, universities, transportation networks, and political stability. What type of factors best explain its population concentration?
Human factors/economic factors
A rapidly growing country has a very large population under age 15. Which public services should the government expect to expand over the next several years?
Schools, teachers, childcare, pediatric healthcare, and eventually employment opportunities
Country A has a birth rate of 24 per 1,000 and a death rate of 7 per 1,000. Birth rates have begun declining, but the country continues to experience natural population growth. Which stage of the DTM best fits Country A?
Stage 3 / Late Expanding
Country A has a birth rate of 30 and a death rate of 10, while Country B has a birth rate of 12 and a death rate of 9. Which country is experiencing faster natural population growth, and why?
Country A, because the gap between births and deaths is much larger. (also, you can calculate the RNI)
A country has a large total land area but very little land suitable for farming. Its arithmetic density appears moderate, but its physiological density is extremely high. What problem might the arithmetic density hide?
Heavy population pressure on a small amount of arable land.
A dry region previously supported little agriculture, but irrigation systems, reservoirs, and modern transportation allow a large population to settle there. Which geographic concept does this best demonstrate?
Environmental possibilism
A country’s population pyramid shows a shrinking younger population and rapidly growing elderly population. Businesses are already reporting difficulty finding workers. What demographic challenge is occurring, and what policy response might help?
An aging population is creating a labor shortage; immigration, pronatalist policies, or policies that increase workforce participation could help.
Country B has a birth rate of 10 per 1,000 and a death rate of 13 per 1,000. Its population is aging, and deaths now exceed births. Which stage of the demographic transition model best fits this country?
Stage 5 / Contracting or Declining