INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHY
AND TO THE STUDY OF POPULATION
Both words in the course title--POPULATION GEOGRAPHY--merit close scrutiny
and thoughtful consideration.
Geography literally means "writing about the Earth." In this course it
includes, by extension, the description and analysis of various important
Earth phenomena. Specifically, we are looking at Homo sapiens occupying
and using Earth's surface interfaces--lands, waters, the soils and rocks
below, the skies above. A good way to highlight the numbers, causes, and
consequences associated with human occupance is to consider
"The Five Themes of Geography."
LOCATION--Where are humans found and in what numbers? In what
locations are they found relative to other phenomena?
PLACE--What are the attributes of specific locations where humans
are found?
REGION--What larger portions of Earth's surface can be delimited
and characterized in terms of occupance?
MOVEMENT--What numbers and patterns do we discern in the spread of
humans over space and time?
HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT RELATIONS--What impact have natural environments
had on human occupance? And, conversely, what impacts have humans
by sheer numbers and by their technologies had on environments?
The modifying adjective in the course title, Population, also needs attention.
The logical assumption is that the word refers to human beings and primarily
to their existence as living, often demanding creatures. Even so we must also
consider preludes to birth--e.g., attitudes about and attempts to control ideal
family size--and postludes to death--e.g., cemeteries as land uses. And we
investigate populations--plant and animal--whose numbers and spatial patterns
are influenced by humans.
Read the first assigned PRB Bulletin, "Population: A Lively Introduction," with
care. Study all headings and important terms. Among these are:
Vital Statistics
Cohort
Fertility
Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
General Fertility Rate
Net Reproduction Rate
Replacement Level Fertility
Fecundity
Birth Rate (Crude Birth Rate)
Birth Control
Mortality
Death Rate (Crude Death Rate)
Infant Mortality Rate
Life Expectancy
Life Span
Population Growth/Decline
Growth Rate (esp. Annual Growth Rate)
Doubling Time/Halving Time
Natural Increase
Natural Decrease
Rate of Natural Increase (or Decrease)
Migration
International Migration
Internal Migration
Net Migration
"Push-and-Pull" Forces
Emigration
Emigrants
Immigration
Immigrants
Out-Migration
Out-Migrants
In-Migration
In-Migrants
Household
Family
Population Pyramid
Sex Ratio
Median Age
Demographic Transition
"Baby Boom" and "Baby Bust"
Dependency (or Age-Dependency) Ratio
Census
Decennial Census
US Census "Short Form" and "Long Form"
Resident Population
Race, Ethnicity
Geographic Center
Population Center
Population Density
Crude Population Density
Physiological Population Density
Agricultural Population Density
Perceived Density
Carrying Capacity
Sustainable Growth
Visit the Population Reference Bureau's Glossary of Population Terms.
Return to GEOGRAPHY 145: Syllabus for Fall 2006.
Return to GEOGRAPHY 145: Schedule for Fall 2006.
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This page was updated 10-07-06