Reading Flashcards... (Pages 37-39)

Front 1

Natural Increase

Back 1

Percentage by which the population grew...

(Real World Example: Until the mid-18th century, the population of the world showed very little overall growth. Populations increased or declined according to various conditions. In times of war, disease, and famine, populations decreased; in times of peace, health, and plenty, populations increased. Until about 8,000 B.C.E, the natural increase was close to zero.

Front 2

(Agricultural) Neolithic Revolution

Back 2

The Neolithic Revolution was the first agricultural revolution—the transition from nomadic hunting and gathering communities and bands to agriculture and settlement.

(Real World Example: The domestication of plants and animals helped to break the low natural increase and allowed human beings to make larger amounts of food so more people survived.)

Front 3

Doubling Rate

Back 3

The length of time needed to double the population...

(For example, given Canada's net population growth of 0.9% in the year 2006, dividing 70 by 0.9 gives an approximate doubling time of 78 years. Thus if the growth rate remains constant, Canada's population would double from its 2006 figure of 33 million to 66 million by 2084.)

Front 4

Birth Rate

Back 4

Number of babies born per year per 1000 people alive...

(Real World Example: Until about 1750 birth rates were high because there were few reliable methods of birth control.)

Front 5

Death Rate

Back 5

Number of deaths per year per 1000 people alive...)

(Real World Example: In 1750, the death rates were also high because disease and famine resulted in relatively short life spans.)

Front 6

Industrial Revolution

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The Industrial Revolution brought about major improvements in technology that created an unprecedented amount of wealth.

(Real World Example: The Industrial Revolution marks a major turning point in history; almost every aspect of daily life was influenced in some way. Most notably, average income and population began to exhibit unprecedented sustained growth.)

Front 7

Population Explosion

Back 7

The geometric expansion of a biological population, especially the unchecked growth in human population resulting from a decrease in infant mortality and an increase in longevity.

(Real World Example: The trend of rapid population increases in place since 1750. Doubling time has dropped fast since the mid-20th century, as world population grew to 6.5 billion by the early 21st century.)

Front 8

Zero Population Growth

Back 8

(The definition and real-world example is included in the description below...)
The late 20th century saw the growth of the zero population growth movement that set at its goal the leveling off of the world's population in order to insure that the earth would be able to sustain its inhabitants.

Front 9

Thomas Malthus

Back 9

(The definition and real-world example is included in the description below...)
In 1798, a British economist named Thomas Malthus became the first critic to note that the world's population was increasing faster than the food supplies needed to sustain it. In "An Essay on the Principle of Population as It Affects the Future Improvement of Society, Thomas Malthus used the principles of exponential growth v. linear growth to make his point.

Front 10

Exponential Growth

Back 10

(The definition and real-world example is included in the description below...)
Population increases exponentially, or at what Thomas Malthus called a "geometric rate," whereas food supplies grow at an arithmetic rate. Exponential growth is illustrated by the series of numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 (geometric rate) because once children are born, they grow up to have children on their own. So one the population gets so large, population will not immediately stabilize even if people begin having fewer children.

Exponential Growth (Extra Analysis) -- A growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate...

Front 11

Linear Growth and (or) Arithmetic Rate

Back 11

The linear growth of food is represented by the series 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (arithmetic rate) because even with new agricultural technology, farmland is limited.

Arithmetic Growth (Extra Analysis) -- A pattern of growth that increases at a constant amount per unit time...

Front 12

neo-Malthusians

Back 12

A belief that the world is characterized by scarcity and competition in which too many people fight for few resources; pessimists who warn of the global eco-political dangers of uncontrolled population growth...

(Real World Example: Today neo-Malthusians continue to be alarmed by population increase, with a best-selling book, "The Population Bomb," written by Paul Ehrlich in 1968, popularizing the point of view.)

Front 13

Crude Birth Rate

Back 13

Crude Birth Rate is the number of live births in a given year for every thousand people in a population. To calculate it, divide the number of live births in a year by the society's total population and multiply the results by 1,000.

(For example, the crude birth rate in the U.S. is estimated to be 14.14, somewhat higher that those in most European countries, but quite a bit lower than those in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.)

Front 14

Total Fertility Rate

Back 14

The total fertility rate is the average number of children a woman will have throughout her childbearing years (from age 15 to 49).

(Real World Example: The total fertility rate in Afghanistan is very high.)

Front 15

Demographic Momentum

Back 15

The tendency for growing population to continue growing after a fertility decline because of their young age distribution; important because once this happens a country moves to a different stage in the demographic transition model...

(Real World Example: After China instituted its "one child policy" that restricted couples to having one child, its fertility rate dropped from more than 6 to less than 2. Despite a falling fertility rate, a country with a large percentage of young people (typical in a less developed country) will usually experience continued population growth. Once the large base of young people grows beyond child-bearing age (from about age 15 - 49), the overall population will gradually decline. This phenomenon is known as demographic momentum.)

Front 16

Crude Death Rate (Mortality Rate)

Back 16

Crude death rate, also called the mortality rate, is the number of deaths in a given year for every thousand people in a population. It is calculated like the crude birth rate, with the number of deaths in a year divided by the total population an multiplied by 1,000.

(Real World Example: Typically, in the past the highest rates were found in Africa, Asia, and Latin America (Over 20); the lowest rates occurred in Europe, North America, and Australia (less than 10).

Front 17

Infant Mortality Rate

Back 17

Infant mortality rate is the number of deaths among infants under one year of age for each thousand live births in a given year. To compute it, divide the number of deaths of children under one year of age by the number of live births during the same year and multiply by 1,000.

Real World Example: Typically, in the past the highest rates were found in Africa, Asia, and Latin America (Over 20); the lowest rates occurred in Europe, North America, and Australia (Less than 10).

Front 18

Natural Increase (Deep Definition)

Back 18

(The definition and real-world example is included in the description below...)
Natural Increase of a population is the difference between the number of births and the number of deaths during a specific period. It is computed by subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate, after first converting them to percentages. The term "natural" means that a country's growth rate includes migration, or movement of people in and out of its borders.