Population Geography: Key Concepts

• Key terms and concepts in population geography are defined below

Population Distribution and Density

• Ecumene refers to the portion of Earth's surface inhabited by humans permanently.
• Arithmetic density is the total number of people divided by the total land area, indicating population distribution.
• Arable land is land suitable for agriculture.
• Physiological density is the number of people per unit area of arable land, highlighting pressure on agricultural resources.
• Agricultural density is the ratio of farmers to arable land, indicating agricultural efficiency.

Population Change

• Natural Increase Rate (NIR) is the percentage growth of a population in a year, calculated as the difference between crude birth rate and crude death rate.
• Crude Birth Rate (CBR) is the number of live births per 1,000 people in a year.
• Crude Death Rate (CDR) is the number of deaths per 1,000 people in a year.
• Demographic Transition describes the shift in population from high birth and death rates to low rates, resulting in a higher total population.
• Sex Ratio is the number of males per 100 females in a population.
• Maternal Mortality Rate is the annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births related to pregnancy.
• Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is the number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live births.
• Potential Support Ratio is the number of working-age people (15-64) divided by the population 65 and older.
• Population Pyramid is a bar graph showing the distribution of population by age and sex.
• Epidemiology/Epidemiologic Transition is the change in causes of death during the demographic transition.
• Overpopulation occurs when the number of people exceeds the environment's capacity to support a decent standard of living.
• Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is the average number of children a woman will have during her reproductive years.

Migration

• Migration is a permanent move to a new location.
• Emigration is migration from a location.
• Immigration is migration to a location.
• Net Migration is the difference between immigration and emigration.
• Migration Transition is the shift in migration patterns due to industrialization, population growth, and socioeconomic changes.
• International Migration is permanent movement from one country to another.
• Internal Migration is permanent movement within a country.
• Interregional Migration is movement from one region of a country to another.
• Intraregional Migration is movement within one region of a country.
• Counterurbanization is net migration from urban to rural areas.
• Push Factors cause people to leave their residences.
• Pull Factors attract people to a new location.
• Refugees are forced to migrate and cannot return due to fear of persecution.
• Remittances are money transfers from workers to their home country.
• Brain Drain is the large-scale emigration of talented people.
• Chain Migration is migration to a specific location due to relatives or members of the same nationality previously migrating there.
• Quotas are laws that limit the number of immigrants allowed into a country each year.
• Unauthorized Immigrants enter a country without proper documentation.
• Guest Workers migrate to developed countries for higher-paying jobs.