Population

CSEC GEOGRAPHY
objectives

Students should be able to:

1. explain the factors influencing the distribution of population and population density in the
Caribbean;
2. interpret maps and diagrams of population distribution, density and structure;
3. compare the factors affecting the growth of population in the Caribbean with ANY ONE of
the following countries: India, China, Nigeria;
4. differentiate among urbanisation, urban growth and urban sprawl;
5. describe the causes, benefits and problems of population growth in named urban areas in
the Caribbean;
6. discuss the attempts to control urbanisation in the Caribbean;
7. (a) describe the causes of in-migration and out-migration in the Caribbean since the 1990s;
and, (b) describe the consequences of in-migration and out-migration in the Caribbean since
the 1990s
Factors affecting population
Distribution and Density
Physical Factors:
Historical Factors/ Non Physical
► Closeness to the coast ► Historical Migration
► Altitude
► Rivers ► Forced Migration
► Climate
► Natural Vegetation ► Urban Rural Migration
► Soil
► Resources
Factors that affect population Growth

1. The fertility rate:

This is the number of children that the average woman will bear in her
lifetime.
If a couple has two children this is called replacement population and the
population will remain stable.

The population will tend to increase in countries which have a fertility rate
which is greater than 2.0. In countries which have a fertility rate which is less
than 2.0 the population will decrease.
Factors that affect population Growth

2. Birth Rate: The number of births per 1000 persons in the population.

► Therefore a birth rate of 15 per thousand means that 15 babies were born
for every thousand people in the population.
Factors that affect population Growth

► 3. Death rate:
This is the number of deaths per 1000 persons. A high death rate may
cause the population to grow very slowly or even to decrease.

► The difference between the birth and the death rate is known as the
natural increase
Factors that affect population Growth

► 4.
Life Expectancy:
This is the number of years that someone born today can expect to live.
► High life expectancy leads to a growth in population while a low
expectancy rate will cause slow growth or no growth in the population
Factors that affect population Growth

► 5. Infant mortality:
This refers to the number of babies who die before the age of one year
old.
6.

Migration:

This refers to the number of people entering and leaving a country. Large

numbers of immigrants will tend to cause an increase in the population. Large

numbers of emigrants will reduce the rate of population growth or even

cause a decrease in the population

 Population Pyramids

► A population pyramid is a diagram which shows the age and sex structure

of a population. It consists of two back to back bar graphs. Males are

usually shown on the left and females are usually shown on the right. For

both sexes, each age group is represented by a horizontal bar.

Types of Population Pyramids
Population Pyramids

► This country has a very youthful

population. This can be seen from the
broad base of the pyramid. There are
less elderly persons than young ones,
The narrow top indicates that Haiti has
a low life expectancy rate.
► The government will need to focus on
providing jobs to the young people
 Population in Jamaica

► The population of Jamaica increased rapidly in the 1900’s but in recent times, the rate of

growth has decreased. Though the population is still growing, it is not growing as quickly

as it was in past decades. Population growth in Jamaica has generally been on the decline

for some time. In the early 1980’s the population growth rate was almost two percent but

by 2017, the rate had dropped to about 0.31 percent.

 Jamaica in 2022

► The current population of Jamaica is 2,983,230 as of Saturday, March 19, 2022, based on
Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data.
► Jamaica 2020 population is estimated at 2,961,167 people at mid year according to UN
data.
► Jamaica population is equivalent to 0.04% of the total world population.
► Jamaica ranks number 138 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.
► The population density in Jamaica is 273 per Km2 (708 people per mi2).
► The total land area is 10,830 Km2 (4,181 sq. miles)
► 55.4 % of the population is urban (1,640,435 people in 2020)
► The median age in Jamaica is 30.7 years.
https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/jamaica-population/
Jamaica Population Density Map-
2011
Factors affecting Jamaica’s
Population Growth

❖ Fertility rate : the fertility rate of Jamaica has declined/ decreased in the last few decades and is now at 1.9 per

female in 2021.

❖ The birth rate has also decreased and is at 15.556 births per 1000 people in 2021.

❖ Life expectancy has increased (74.88) and infant mortality (10.17 per live births) has decreased. This is as a

result of improvements in living conditions and medical care. This will tend to have a positive effect on the rate of

population growth.

❖ Emigration is greater than immigration and this has contributed to the decrease in the population.

https://www.geoforcxc.com/population/case-study-jamaica/
 Student Activity

► RESEARCH

Factors influencing population growth in the Caribbean compared with EITHER those in

India or China or Nigeria.

► Use your geography textbook for this exercise. Feel free to show your teacher your

findings!!!
WHAT IS????

Urbanization:
► The process by which an increasing
proportion of the population lives in urban
areas is known as urbanization.

► It is the growth of towns and

cities
► Urbanization occurs in the
Caribbean because more
and more people in the
region are choosing to live in
urban areas.
 1. The spread of an urban area into what
used to be countryside beyond the
suburbs….many towns and cities
have a green belt to stop urban
sprawl.

2. an unplanned urban area that has

Urban sprawl spread into what used to be rural land.
(Collins English dictionary)

Urban sprawl is unplanned spread or

growth of the urban area
Urban Growth

► Urban growth is defined as

the rate at which the
population of an urban area
increases. This result from
urbanization which is
the movement of people
from rural areas to urban
areas.
Why do people choose to live in
urban areas?

BENEFITS OF URBANISATION

► Employment opportunities: jobs, labour supply

► Social amenities: healthcare, education,
► The availability of public utilities: piped water, electricity, internet,
telephone
► Entertainment: nightclubs, fancy restaurants, sporting facilities,
shopping malls, cinemas
Problems caused by urbanisation

► Shortage of land for building: This is caused by urban sprawl. Eg. Kingston has spread into Portmore and St

Andrew. No land to build factories, business places etc

► Increase in traffic on the roads

► Poor housing conditions: This happens because the poor cant afford the high rent in the urban areas so

they use inferior materials to make houses/ squat on government or other person’s land.

► Crime: Unemployment and poverty sometimes lead people to engage in activities such as robbery,

prostitution or selling illegal drugs.

Watch video clip below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w33hPL4tdNg
Attempts to control urbanisation
References

► https://planningtank.com/urbanisation/urbanisation-urban-growth#:~:text
=Urban%20growth%20is%20defined%20as,economic%20development%20o
f%20a%20country.
► https://www.geoforcxc.com/human-systems/