DP IB Geography: HL Population & Economic Development Patterns PDF

Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources DP IB Geography: HL Your notes Population & Economic Development Patterns Contents Global Population Distribution Global Patterns of Economic Development...

Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources DP IB Geography: HL Your notes Population & Economic Development Patterns Contents Global Population Distribution Global Patterns of Economic Development China's Patterns of Development & Distribution South Africa's Patterns of Development & Distribution Page 1 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Global Population Distribution Your notes Physical Factors Population distribution is the pattern of where people have organised themselves to live Global distribution is uneven as less than a third of the earth’s surface is land 5% of that land supports 75% of the population Much of the planet is unsuitable for human habitation, such as deserts, mountains, and icy wastelands 80% of the population lives in the northern hemisphere Most people live within 1000 km of the sea 90% of the population live on low ground below 500 m above sea level Density is the number of people living in a certain area Measured in population per km2 Approximately 55% of the world now lives in cities but this figure is projected to reach 65% by 2050 as urbanisation increases Western Europe, Southeast Asia and the Northeast USA have high-density areas of over 200 people/km2 Change How the population increases or decreases over time The population is never static The distribution, density and number are constantly evolving due to various processes Global population distribution and density 2020 Page 2 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes Note that the highest population densities are found in the northern hemisphere Examiner Tips and Tricks If asked to describe population density and distribution in the exam, remember they do not mean the same thing Density refers to the actual number of people living in an area per km2 (P/Km2) Distribution refers to where people live Page 3 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources For example; population distribution is uneven across the globe, with the majority of the global population living in the northern hemisphere, however, Asia has the highest population density with approximately 153 P/Km2 compared to Europe with 33 P/Km2 Your notes The perfect place or climate does not exist, as there are human and physical factors that influence the distribution Physical factors that affect global distribution are: Climate and weather Temperate climates with stable weather conditions are more attractive for settlements Areas with even sunlight, temperature and precipitation influence the suitability of land for human habitation and agriculture Areas that are very dry, very cold or very wet will have sparse populations Although India is subject to a seasonal monsoon climate, it is one of the most densely populated countries in the world Relief and landforms The shape and elevation of the land affects the accessibility, soil quality, drainage and natural hazards of an area Volcanic areas, river deltas, lowland plains and valleys with fertile soil have higher population densities Steep slopes and mountainous areas with poor-quality soil have low population densities Soil types and quality Volcanic areas can be highly attractive due to the fertile soil and resources and minerals (sulphur, gold, diamonds etc.) brought to the surface for economic activity Flat land is attractive for building settlements and easiest for agricultural activities Vegetation Grasslands are more attractive to the development of settlements Areas with dense forestry, or lack of vegetation have sparse populations Natural resources such as freshwater, raw materials and minerals The presence of fresh water, minerals, fossil fuels, forests, fisheries and other resources attracts human settlement and economic activity Areas that are dry or suffer from regular drought or excessive rainfall or are prone to flooding are less densely populated Page 4 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Natural hazards The frequency and intensity of earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, droughts, hurricanes and other Your notes events can deter or displace human populations Location The position of a place in comparison to other places will affect its connectivity, trade, migration and cultural exchange Areas that are difficult to access or have poor communications will be less attractive Areas that have pests (ticks, termites etc.), dangerous animals/plants (spiders, snakes, poison ivy etc.) or diseases (malaria, Ebola etc.) are usually avoided Human Factors Human factors can affect population distribution at the global scale and include: Economic development Areas with higher levels of income, trade, and industrialisation tend to attract more people and offer better living standards Past industrial regions such as Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield have continued higher densities of population Political stability Areas with lower levels of conflict, violence, and corruption tend to be more peaceful and secure, which encourages population growth and migration Cultural diversity Areas with more diverse and tolerant cultures tend to be more attractive and welcoming to people from different backgrounds and identities Social service Areas with better access to education, health care, and social welfare tend to have higher quality of life and lower mortality rates Environmental awareness Areas with more awareness and action on environmental issues tend to have lower levels of pollution, resource depletion, and natural disasters, which enhance population sustainability Historical Migration of people (forced or voluntary) has led to redistribution of populations such as the Windrush generation or the Atlantic slave trade Page 5 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes Worked Example Outline two physical factors that can lead to human settlement (4 marks) Answer: Two favourable factors are river valleys (1) and flat, fertile grassland plains (1) with good water and silt supplies (1). Areas should not be too steep or at high altitudes and have a climate that is not too extreme (1). Page 6 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Global Patterns of Economic Development Your notes Global Patterns of Economic Development Development is a process of positive change where a country becomes wealthier and more technologically advanced It refers to positive changes in people’s quality of life, such as happiness, educational opportunities, increased incomes, human rights, access to clean water and healthier living conditions There are different strands of development: Environmental - where natural environments are improved or restored Political - where governments become stable and effective Social - standards of living, access to health care, education, clean water, housing and leisure are improved Economic - income, employment and industry is increased Measuring Development Traditionally, measurements would focus on wealth, using indicators such as: GDP - Gross domestic product is the total value of the economy per year GNI - Gross national income is the total value of goods and services produced in a country per year The poverty line - the percentage of people who earn less than $2.15 per day as set by the World Bank in 2022 (up from $1.90 per day in 2015) This divided countries into rich or poor, but did not take into account the scale or change of wealth a country can move through The World Bank categorises economies into income groupings per capita, in U.S. dollars: Low income countries (LICs) where average earnings are $1,135 or less Middle income countries (MICs) - these are split into lower middle income of between $1,136 and $4,465 and upper middle income of between $4,466 and $13,845 High income countries (HICs) where average earnings are $13,846 or more Globally there is an uneven distribution of high, middle and low income countries With 8 billion people in the world: Page 7 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources “Around 10% of the world’s population live in countries where the average income per person is less than $2 a day. Around 20% are in high-income countries. The majority, around 70%, live in middle-income countries - Gapminder 2023” Your notes World Bank classification of countries by income groups 2021 Classification is based on a country’s GNI per capita and has changed over time Most HICs are found in the northern hemisphere and include countries such as Canada, Japan, Spain, UK and Japan Page 8 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources However, there are anomalies such as Chile, Australia, Uruguay and New Zealand, which are classified as a high income countries, but are located in the southern hemisphere and Haiti is the only country in North America that is classified as low income Your notes Most LICs are found between the tropics and concentrated within Africa, along with some parts of Asia MICs vary by: Region Size - physical and population numbers Income levels E.g. Belize and the Marshall Islands have small populations, whereas the five BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa account for 27% of the world's land surface with 42% of the global population. China and India together account for approximately one-third of the world's population and are increasingly influential players in the global economy and Russia is the largest country by land mass at 11% Classification of Economic Development At an international level, the development of a country has been categorised into one of three groups: Low income, developing country or less economically developed: A country with low human development (LHD) is a poor country. Most people have a poor quality of life with inadequate services and few opportunities Medium income, newly industrialising or emerging economy; A country with high and medium human development (HMHD), a recently emerging country. Countries experiencing rapid economic growth and development based on industrial development. Incomes are rising and most people enjoy a reasonable standard of living High income or more economically developed: A country with very high human development (VHHD). Countries that have modern industries and people enjoy a good standard of living with relatively high levels of income However, the categories do not account for varying levels of development at a local and national scale There are differences between areas of the same city, the same country and between countries Germany is more developed than Mexico, but Egypt is less developed than Mexico The differences between levels of development is known as the development gap Development is hard to measure accurately as it covers so many features It is measured using indicators Page 9 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Table of Indicators Social Indicators Economic Indicators Political Indicators Your notes These relate to strands such as: These relate to strands such These relate to strands such as: as: Quality of life and social well-being Effective governance, stability Employment, income and and integrity of governing bodies Equal opportunities, access to general wealth services such as education and Ease of trade, property rights, healthcare Savings, house building, human rights, equality, and house sales, consumer income guides Life expectancy, birth control, spending, education International trade Corruption index Diversity, traditions and heritage Resources, pollution controls and conservation Measures of development The traditional method of measuring wealth is through the country's GNP (gross national product), GDP (gross domestic product) and GNI (gross national income) Methods of Measuring Development Measure Definition Measure of... Effect on Development Gross Domestic The total value of a country's output of goods Economic - Higher Product (GDP and services produced in a given year wealth There is no way of knowing what the GDP is spent on: for example, GDP increases after an earthquake due to the rebuilding which is needed this does not mean that the country is more developed or that everyone's quality of life has improved Gross Domestic The total value of goods and services produced Economic - Higher Product (GDP) within a country in a year is divided by the wealth per capita population of the country. As this is an average, then any variation in wealth is hidden Page 10 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources There can be huge differences in GDP depending on the size and population of a country Your notes Dividing it by the population means that more meaningful comparisons can be made between countries Gross National Gross national income (GNI) is an alternative to Economic - Increases Income (GNI) gross domestic product (GDP) as a measure of wealth wealth. It calculates income instead of output. It is, therefore, the measure of the total income received by a country from its residents and businesses regardless of whether they are located in the country or overseas GNI per head This is the total income of a country's goods and Economic - Increases services, (including overseas income) divided by wealth the number of people living in that country Human This uses life expectancy, literacy rate, Disparities Higher Development education level and GNI to calculate a country's between Index (HDI) score between 0 (least developed) and 1 (most countries = developed) social and economic Individual indicators are misleading when used alone, as some features develop before others, which can suggest that a country is more developed than it is By using multiple indicators (development continuum) as a measure of development, a clearer picture of that country's development is produced Page 11 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources China's Patterns of Development & Distribution Your notes Case Study: China's Population Distribution Background China, with a land area of 9,706,961 km2, is located in East Asia 27% of the land is desert 33% are mountainous regions It is the second-most populous country in the world, with 1.42 billion people 10% of the population live on less than 1% of the available land The average life expectancy is 74 years (men) and 79 years (women) Uneven distribution in China China has a wide variation in population distribution and GDP per capita by province Mostly concentrated in the south-eastern part of the country Beijing and Shanghai have the highest GDP per capita, over US$23,000 Eastern China is easier to develop due to its flat plains The Yangtze and Yellow rivers provide water for farmland and cities Four provinces along the east coast have a GDP per capita of over US$13,000 These are favoured by global trade and commerce The province of Gansu in northern China has the lowest GDP of US$4936 Frequent earthquakes, droughts, and low agricultural productivity contribute to economic instability Western China is the least populated region This is due to the Taklamakan and Gobi Deserts, along with the Tibetan Plateau These regions receive little to no rainfall because of the Himalayan Mountains They are high enough to see extreme temperature swings from as low as -40° C in the winter to 60° C in the summer China GDP per capita by province Page 12 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes Core-periphery The provinces along the east coast can be regarded as the economic core of China Most secondary and tertiary economic activities are located there The economic periphery is to the west and far north-east of China: Includes the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts The Plateau of Tibet is a mountainous region that includes the Himalayas Page 13 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources The development gap can be seen in a range of areas: 17 million people still live on US$2.30 a day Your notes Over 90% of people living in poverty live in rural areas The standard of housing is often poor People are being moved to apartment blocks, to free up land for factories Over 25% of rural households have access to piped water Literacy rates in rural areas are 65%, but in urban areas they are 84% The rate of unemployment in rural areas is over 30% This leads to: Increased poverty Difficulty attracting businesses to these regions The periphery is becoming more dependent on primary economic activities to survive This regional inequality has led to significant rural-urban migration in China Core-periphery model Page 14 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes Case Study: China's Internal Migration Migration in China Since 1978, over 160 million people have left rural China to seek work in the major cities Wages in urban areas are 40% higher than in rural areas Development is concentrated along the coastal zones The majority of the migrants are: Economically active Mostly female From inland, rural, and poor communities They are considered a floating population, as they don't have official urban hukou status Page 15 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources China’s internal migration stream Your notes China rapidly industrialised after the government created Special Economic Zones (SEZ) during the 1980s These policies allowed for foreign investment into 'special zones', that are managed by a single administration and regulations More than 200 million rural migrants now work in China's main cities, such as Shanghai and Shenzhen Around 20 million people arrive in cities each year Over the next decade, an estimated 60% of Chinese people will live in urban areas Megacity growth in China Approximately 56% of the world’s 8 billion people now live in cities Page 16 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources This is expected to rise to over 68% by 2050 That means 2 out of every 3 people will live in a city Your notes China has more than 100 cities with over one million people 6 of them are considered megacities with over 10 million people each China's megacities are: The result of rapid urbanisation, economic growth, and migration from rural areas Centres of innovation, trade, culture, and transportation, with leading technologies such as solar energy, electric cars, high-speed rail, 5G, AI, and space science Face challenges such as environmental pollution, social inequality, traffic congestion, housing affordability, and cultural preservation There are 5 economic zones and 17 open cities These aim to attract inward investment and include groups such as the Jingjinji Integration, the Chengdu-Chongqing City Group, and the Yangtze Delta City Group There are plans to combine the largest megacity, Shanghai, with eight surrounding cities This would create the city of Jing-Jin-Ji with 130 million inhabitants by 2035 Page 17 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources South Africa's Patterns of Development & Distribution Your notes Case Study: South Africa's Population Distribution Background The Republic of South Africa is the southernmost country of the African continent It has a land area of 1.22 million km2, with a population density of 50 per km2 It is the 2nd most populous country south of the equator, after Tanzania, with 60.6 million people and the 24th most populous country in the world Approximately, 69.0 % of the population is urban The median age in South Africa is 27.6 years Average life expectancy is 60 years (men) and 66 years (women) A large plateau dominates the centre of the country, with rolling hills falling to plains and the coast The climate is mostly semiarid; subtropical along the east coast; with sunny days and cool nights South Africa has 3 capitals Pretoria (administrative capital) Cape Town (legislative capital) Bloemfontein (judicial capital) and 9 provinces Distribution of population The main ethnic groups in South Africa are: Black African 81.4%, Coloured 8.2% White 7.3% Indian/Asian 2.7%, Other 0.4% The eastern half of the country is more densely populated than the west The province of Gauteng, has the highest concentration of people with 830 people per km2 (20% of South Africa’s population) Page 18 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources With concentrations of people inland around and along the southern and south-eastern coast Distribution of South Africa's population Your notes Page 19 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes Page 20 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes South Africa’s total GDP for 2022 was R6.6 trillion ($358 billion US) roughly US$6,776 per capita Gauteng province is the centre for economy, contributing 33.1% to national GDP in 2022 Gauteng is the smallest province with the highest density and is the core region Northern Cape province has the lowest density of less than 4 people per km2 Population Density per Province in South Africa Province Density (person per km2) Gauteng 830.6 KwaZulu-Natal 131.7 Mpumalanga 67.24 Western Cape 57.41 Limpopo 52.27 Eastern Cape 42.79 North West 36.27 Free State 22.83 Northern Cape 3.636 Data from 2022 South Africa Census Economic distribution Finance is the biggest industry in Gauteng and the Western Cape Page 21 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Mining dominates in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and the Northern Cape KwaZulu-Natal’s major industry is manufacturing, although it has the country’s largest farming sector Your notes Government services - such as health, education and administrative spending - are focused in the Eastern Cape and Free State Core-periphery Population size correlates with each province’s contribution to the national economy Gauteng has the largest and therefore, is the core of South Africa and dominates with finance The northeastern provinces dominate in secondary and tertiary economic activities of mining, manufacturing and government services The Western Cape is mostly tertiary economic activities with finance and tourism The economic periphery is to the north-west of South Africa: Includes the Northern Cape and Free State The Free State is mostly maize and Northern Cape is an emerging renewable energy hub South Africa has some of the highest levels of inequality and the development gap can be seen in a range of areas: 18.2 million people are living in extreme poverty of less than $2.15 a day 20% of the population holds over 68% of income, with 40% seeing just 7% of income Unemployment remains high, at around 35% and nearly 60% of the country’s youth (15-24 yrs) are unemployed Income per capita in Gauteng is twice that of rural provinces such as the Eastern Cape and Limpopo Electricity supply is regularly cut (reaching 9 hours a day in 2023), this impacts economic activity and increases operating costs for businesses, particularly those that rely on diesel generators 88.5% of the population live in formal housing and just 59.7% have access to piped water in their homes Poverty was an estimated 62.6% in 2022; the Eastern Cape is the poorest region Only 24% of rural households have access to piped water Literacy rates is 95.3% with Gauteng and Western Cape seeing literacy rates of 98.9% In some areas, the unemployment rate in rural areas is over 30%. This leads to: Increased poverty Page 22 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Difficulty attracting businesses to these regions The periphery is becoming even more dependent on primary economic activities to survive Your notes Regional inequality has led to significant rural-urban migration in South Africa Case Study: South Africa’s Internal Migration Migration has been a major part of the development of South Africa, particularly unskilled labour migration from peripheral countries such as Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho and Malawi to the mining regions Colonialism created economic node/centre, which in turn brought continued uneven development of the country After apartheid and the relaxing of migration rules, internal migration has been driven by economics where the majority of South Africans move from the poorer provinces to the richer ones, and from rural areas to the cities Gauteng is South Africa’s wealthiest province, mostly a city region, it is the centre of the country’s economy Between 2016 and 2021 Gauteng saw the largest net migration rate of 1.5 million people population and continues to increase in number The majority of migrants came from Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal Johannesburg City saw the largest number of internal migrants Western Cape, North West, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape also experienced positive net migration rates Western Cape received migrants from the Eastern Cape and Gauteng, with Cape Town the biggest recipient North West saw immigration from Gauteng to Rustenburg and Madibeng Mpumalanga had a positive in migration from Gauteng The Northern Cape, the largest but least populated province, saw a positive net migration from the North West province Four provinces experienced negative net migration - Limpopo, Free State, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu- Natal Free State and Limpopo both had negative net migration to Gauteng Eastern Cape saw negative migration to Western Cape and secondly to Gauteng KwaZulu-Natal had a negative net migration with the majority migrating to Gauteng Page 23 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Internal migration pre and post apartheid From 1960 to the late 1980s, apartheid laws kept families and communities in poor rural areas Your notes Forced migration of many black people to the homelands such as Transkei and KwaZulu-Natal Young, black men were allowed to move to the cities, where their labour was valuable However, they were forced to live separately in ‘townships’, and needed both residential and work permits to live in the restricted areas Townships were a collection of nondescript settlements found on the outskirts of cities Soweto (South-Western Township) for example, was a separate residential area for black African workers in the gold mines around Johannesburg as they were not permitted to live in other ‘white- designated’ areas of Johannesburg Johannesburg's Chinese community, during the apartheid era, was not legally classified as ‘Asian’, but as ‘coloured’ and they too had their own separate townships After the end of apartheid, from the mid-1990s, internal migration increased, particularly for black South Africans Urbanisation grew, with Johannesburg seeing the largest increase of rural to urban migration, leading to Johannesburg being the largest and only megacity in South Africa Over 67.5% of the total population of South Africa now live in urban areas and cities International migration Most Africans escaping from violence tend to seek security and prosperity elsewhere on their own continent Of the world's 17 million displaced Africans. approximately 3% are in Europe, despite the media coverage The number of displaced people in Africa has increased by around 20% due to unresolved crises in: Libya South Sudan Central African Republic Northern Mozambique Ethiopia Cameroon's north-west and south-west regions Page 24 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Overall, the 'Rainbow Nation' of South Africa (SA) has attracted roughly 3.2 million migrants to its wealth and stability from elsewhere in Africa Your notes Most migrants are from neighbouring countries, but also Morocco or Eritrea and mostly head towards Johannesburg Neighbourhoods such as Mayfair in Johannesburg are almost entirely populated by East Africans Unfortunately, there have been repeated outbreaks of violence towards migrants, which are caused by a shortage of jobs, housing, and services Over a million asylum seekers are still waiting to be processed, making South Africa the country with the highest number of pending claims in the world With increased European resistance to accepting new migrants, it is unlikely the flow of migrants to South Africa will slow Map of forced migration in South Africa during apartheid Page 25 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Examiner Tips and Tricks Your notes Include examples or specific detail in all your answers. For example, if asked to write a definition or meaning, providing an example shows your understanding and secures that mark, particularly if your definition isn't perfect. For example, if you were asked to define migration: Migration is when people move from one region to another region. This can be internal such as rural Free State to urban Gauteng in South Africa or international such as South Sudanese to South Africa escaping the civil unrest Get into the habit of using your case studies or real-world examples in any question where you think they might help explain. Don’t keep them just for essays! Page 26 of 26 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers