World Geography

Population and Culture

What are things that humans do to arable land that make it more vulnerable to erosion:

Deforestation Over-Farming Over Grazing

Most people live in metropolitan areas, The growth of the city populations or Urbanization, is currently exploding throughout the world. Currently – There area more than 20 cities with 10 Million + population

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Cities – These have large populations of people, but also centers of business and culture.

Megalopolis – These emerge when several close cities grow together.

Population Density, or average number of people who live in a square mile or square kilometer. In the cities or suburbs – This is high.

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• A way to produce and exchange Goods and Services

• Goods and Service are traded without exchange of

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• Production of Goods and Services is controlled by the : GOVERNMENT which also owns the means of production (factories)

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• This market is determined by Demand from the consumers effects the supply of a good or service. Also known as Demand economy or Capitalism.

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Types of Economic Systems Traditional economy -Nearly all goods+services produced by people are

consumed by their own families/villages. ---------(rural; undeveloped countries)

Market economy people+groups have a great deal of freedom. Decisions are influenced by the “laws of supply and demand.”

Command economy is an economic system that is controlled by a single, central government.

Decisions are made to achieve political or social goals. Mixed economy, like socialism, includes

elements of market and command economies. PURE CAPITALISM – No government control

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Where People Live Around --7 billion people live on the earth, and in some areas the Population Density, or average number of people who live in a square

mile or square kilometer, is very high.

Only a small portion of the earth’s surface is suitable for human habitation.

Climate and natural obstacles restrict where people live. People cluster to where they can provide for themselves (soil, water, climate)

People have adapted to different environmentsAt the same time human activity has altered earth’s physical landscape.

A country with little population growth has an equal birthrate to death rate. If the birthrate is lower than the death rate the growth is negative.

PUSH-PULL FACTORS•PUSH Factors

•War

•Disease

•Famine

•Recession•PULL Factors

•Climate

•Fresh Water

•Jobs

•Like Culture

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Where People Live•World Population exploded when?

•After World War 11 – 1950’s…why?

Population GrowthThe world’s population has grown dramatically in recent centuries. Modern technology, such as : improved medical care and increased food production

These have enabled people to live much longer, but it poses a special problem for poorer countries.

Some demographers predict population growth will bring famine, disease, and resource depletion, but others predict that levels of technology and creativity will increase.

Different countries have different balances between the birthrate,

or the number of live births per 1,000 people per year, and the death rate.

Population is affected by the number of Immigrants and Emigrants.

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Human Development Index (HDI)

To rank countries by level of "human development" "very high human development", "high human development", "medium human development", "low human development"

Population Pyramid

•What conclusions can we make from this graph?

The Nature of CultureCulture is reflected in --- food, clothing, architecture, language,

religion, and government.

A Culture Hearth is a place where important ideas begin and spread to surrounding cultures.

Language is the cornerstone of culture. It reflects a culture’s identity.

Religion helps people understand basic questions about the meaning of life, and religious beliefs vary from culture to culture.

Every culture has a way of organizing its society. Most have social classes + rank people in order of status.

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Cultural Change Cultures are changed by : internal + external influences.

Cultural convergence – When the skills, arts, ideas, habits, and institutions of one culture come into contact with those of another culture. Ex– the language a nation speaks

Diffusion is the process by which a cultural element is transmitted from one group to another.

Cultural divergence, or restriction from outside influences, occurs when cultural contact is limited.

------- Culturals becoming less similar ..

The World’s Countries Each country has four specific characteristics: Territory, Population, Sovereignty, a Government.

A country’s territory includes the : land, water, and natural resources within its boundaries.

Natural resources can be more important than a country’s size.

In return for taxes, military service, or other obligations, citizens of countries are usually assured protection by their government.

Sovereignty is a nation’s freedom from outside control.

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Citizens hold political power – either directly or by electing leaders to represent their views.

EX - USA

• A Ruling Family (King/Queen) hold political power and may or may not share the power w/ the citizens.

EX – United Kingdom / Saudi Arabia• An individual or group of people hold complete political power. EX : Cuba / N. Korea

A government and economic system where nearly all political power and the means of production are held by the government.

EX – the old U.S.S.R or CHINA or CUBA

Government is the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies and provides for its common needs.

Types of Government

Government Structure Unitary system is one in

which the central government makes decisions for the entire country.

In a federation: national government has some powers and others are reserved for local governments.

Smaller political units keep their sovereignty and give the central government few powers in a confederation.

Government AuthorityUntil modern times, most countries

had authoritarian governments. Dictatorship is a government in

which power is concentrated in few people,

* totalitarianism is the most extreme form of dictatorship.

Most common form of authoritarian government has been monarchy.

A country in which people choose their own leaders and set government policy is democracy.

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