Population

Population - is a group of individuals living within the same geographic area and
specific location.

Demography – is the study of a country’s population. It is usually done by a census.

Demographers – are people who study the population

A census – is a count (survey) that is done on a population every 10 years.

Population density - is the concentration of individuals within a species in a

specific geographic locale.

To calculate the density

Population density = Total population is divided by/ total land area.

Population density can be used to describe the location, growth, and migration of
many organisms. In the case of humans, population density is often discussed in
relation to urbanization, immigration, and population demographics.

Dense population clusters generally coincide with geographical locations often

referred to as city, or as an urban or metropolitan area; sparsely populated
areas are often referred to as rural.

Urban areas – are areas that are densely populated e.g. a city.

Rural areas – are areas that are sparsely populated e.g. the countryside.

Factors which affect the population of a place (Caribbean country)

When demographers attempt to forecast changes in the size of a population, they

typically focus on four main factors: fertility rates, mortality rates (life expectancy),
the initial age profile of the population (whether it is relatively old or relatively young
to begin with) and migration.

 Climate
 Landforms
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  Topography
 Soil
 Energy and mineral resources
 Accessibility to water source e.g. River
 Government Policies
 Cultural factors
 Political Boundaries

1. Climatic factors - There are some areas that are found on the leeward side of
the Caribbean islands, away from the direct force of the northeast trade winds.
People sometimes occupy these areas because of the protection from the direct
force of hurricanes. There are other areas that experience continuous rainfall or
drought, such areas usually have a sparse population.

2. Relief of the Land (Topography) - There are persons who prefer living in areas
that are flat rather than those areas that are mountainous; flat areas present less
challenge when building a home or cultivating crops.

3. Developed Areas - There is a high concentration of resources and facilities in the

urban areas. These areas are usually ‘buzzing' with activities such as those in
manufacturing, banking, cultural, recreational, and so on. People are attracted to
those factors.

4. Resources - Resources attract people to settle and exploit them so long as they
have the technology necessary. Many Caribbean settlements have grown recently
because of the attraction of jobs (such as tourism). People will want to live near
those areas because of the availability of jobs.

5. Fertile Areas - People tend to settle in areas that are fertile, those interested in
farming. Even the non-farmer is interested in a backyard garden, especially during
periods of hardship and economic recession.

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THREE EACH factors affecting population growth in ONE Caribbean country and in
ONE developed country.

Three factors affecting population growth in one Caribbean country:

1. Birth rate- This is the number of births in a particular period for every 1,000
members of the population. The Caribbean has experienced a rapid population
growth, which suggests that birth rate exceeds death rate. An increasing birth rate is
a sign of the slow rate of development.

2. Death rate- This is also known as mortality rate, and it is the number of deaths in
a particular period for every 1,000 members of the population. The death rate is an
indicator of a country’s economic development. A high death rate indicates low
levels of nutrition, poor diet or poor health care system. A low death rate indicates
high levels of nutrition, good health care system, and high level of development.

3. Fertility rate- This is the average number of children that would be born per
woman, if each woman lived to the end of her childbearing years and had children at
an accepted fertility rate at each age. A rate of two children per woman is
considered to be the replacement rate and indicates a stable situation. Higher rates
indicate that the population is growing and that the proportion of younger people is
increasing.

Three factors affecting population growth in one developed country (United States):

1. High levels of migration into the United States has led to an increase in the
population- People from the Caribbean, for example, tend to leave for greener
pastures, where they will attain better opportunities.

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2. High standard of living- This means there is an increase in the level of care
people experience which helps persons to live longer.

3. Good health care and high employment levels- These help to reduce stress
and persons can improve their life expectancy and reduce deaths. People who are
working can afford to go to the doctor and buy the medicines they need. Working
persons tend to be less stressed and live more meaningful lives, reducing suicide
levels.

3. Definition of urbanization.

Urbanization is the process by which an increasing proportion of the population in a

country lives in urban settlements. In many developing countries, urban areas are
expanding faster than rural areas because of the many job opportunities, better
social services, and proper infrastructure.

4. Give FOUR reasons for urbanization in the Caribbean.

Four reasons are:

1. Employment- People want a chance to get better jobs. With all the different jobs,
and better paying jobs in urban areas in comparison to rural areas, people would
want to move to the urban areas to get a chance to get more money and have
different/better job opportunities For example: construction and manufacturing.

2. Social services- There are better educational opportunities in urban areas and
some even move there to further their education. Healthcare is also better. People

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would want to move to urban areas to try to be able to access better healthcare
services much easier. This is vital for families with young children.

3. Utilities- Most urban areas in comparison to rural areas, have proper

infrastructure such as piped water supply, electricity and other basic services.
People tend to be drawn to these amenities.

4. Recreation- Several people are attracted by opportunities for entertainment and

recreation. There are cinemas, nightclubs and opportunities to meet new people.

5. Describe the population growth of ONE Caribbean capital city within the last 20
years.

Port-au Prince, the capital of Haiti, has close to two million people, more than any
other country in the English-speaking Caribbean apart from Jamaica. According to
world population review (2023), “Haiti’s fertility rate of 2.96 births per woman and
negative net migration has resulted in a population growth rate of about 1.24%”.

The population of Haiti has been growing steadily for decades and that is still the
case today. The capital has been a source of major internal migration for persons
seeking a better way of life.

The city has had a rapid population growth for reasons such as demographic
transition, migration to the capital, high birth rates, and main businesses are located
in the nation’s capital.

CARIBBEAN CAPITAL: Kingston, Jamaica

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From 2000 to 2021, the rate of growth remained very low. There have been fourteen
years which experienced population growth of 0.17% and seven years which
experienced population growth of 0% (no growth). The population in 2021 was
592,000.

Jamaica's population growth has been fairly unstable over the last 50 years with a
lot of ups and downs, including a very steep drop from 1980 to 1990. Over the past
15 years, Jamaica's population growth has slowed dramatically and was down to
0.26% as of 2019.

Jamaica is currently seeing a decline in the 0-14 age group with an increase in the
working age and retired population, the fastest growing segment, which is typical for
developing countries.

Roughly 55% of the people living in Jamaica reside in or around a major

metropolitan area. 39% of Jamaica's residents live in parish capitals, according to
the 2011 census, and the population of the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA) and
all parish capitals was 1.04 million, which is a 5% increase since 2001. KMA alone
has 88% of the parishes of St. Andrew and Kingston.

The largest city in Jamaica is Kingston, the capital city. Kingston has a population of
937,700, according to 2011 estimates. The Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA) and
all parish capitals had a population of 1.041 million according to the census.

6. State THREE benefits and THREE problems of urbanization in a capital city.

Three benefits that can be seen in Kingston Jamaica for example, are:

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1.A plentiful workforce, with a greater choice of skills than in a rural area- In
other words there is a large pool of workers both skilled and unskilled to provide
labor for businesses.

2. There are customers who buy goods and services- Many businesses benefit
from a large number of persons wishing to purchase their goods and services.

3. There are suppliers of materials and other inputs- Kingston is a major supplier
of many types of goods and services for persons far and wide, or those living in the
area.

Three problems are:

1. Development of low-quality housing- Poverty and bad housing are serious

problems in a densely populated city. Several people are living in these areas, so
they are congested and have no space so people just build and homes closely
together. Housing conditions are very poor. Sometimes people don’t have proper
utilities because of the poor housing structure. Squatter settlements and tenement
yards can be found in urban areas.

2. A congested transport network- The area with vehicles such as buses, cars,
and taxis are congested/have traffic because of the amount of persons owning those
vehicles.

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3. Water, air and land pollution- People may not know how to dispose of their
waste properly. They may throw rubbish in the water sources, people may burn
garbage which causes air pollution, and in general people may litter and garbage
may not be disposed of properly. There will be a lot of garbage because of the many
people living in the urban area.

7. Explain THREE ways of controlling urbanization in the Caribbean.

Three ways are:

1. Government needs to make land available at cheaper rates in the country or rural
areas so persons can remain there and develop their areas and not seek to migrate
to cities and towns

2. Government needs to invest in rural areas by providing places of employment or

encouraging foreign investors to develop business in rural areas so people can get
good paying jobs.

3. Government needs to have very strict building laws to discourage squatter

settlements in urban areas. There needs to be boundaries in cities with strict
planning measures where persons are guided on where to build or develop.
Remove existing squatter settlements and issue serious fines for persons who break
building codes.

 Building Sustainable and Environmentally-friendly Cities - The objective

here is to build sustainable cities that embrace improved environmental
conditions and safe habitats for all urban populations. Governments should
also encourage sustainable use of urban resources and support an economy

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 based on the sustainable environments such as investment in green
infrastructure, sustainable industries, recycling and environmental campaigns,
pollution management, renewable energy, green public transportation, and
water recycling and reclamation.

 Provision of Essential Services - The objective here is to provide and

implement employment opportunities and wealth creation activities so that
people can earn a living to pay for the maintenance of the services. Subsidies
can also be availed by the government to lower the costs of basic healthcare,
basic education, energy, education, public transportation, communication
systems and technology.

Urbanization in:

CARIBBEAN COUNTRY (BARBADOS)

 Expanding Urbanisation. - There are more jobs available in urban areas. Also
there is a greater range of job opportunities in urban areas. Therefore many
people move to the towns and cities in search of employment causing the
urbanisation to expand.

 Immigration/ Migration Rate - Barbados’ heavy reliance on migration across

various sectors of its economy calls for greater understanding of the
government’s policy approach. Migration has played an important role in
Barbados’ national development since its settlement by the British. Barbados
experienced a wave of emigration, which had devastating effects on fertility,
reducing the size and rate of growth of its population. They also encouraged
Migration as a response to under and over supply of labour.

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  Female fertility Rates - If the fertility rate increases, the population will grow. If
the fertility rate decreases, the population will decrease, especially if the death
rate is lower than the fertility rate.

DEVELOPED COUNTRY (USA)

 Mortality Rates - The decline of mortality rates usually precedes the decline in
fertility, thus producing rapid population growth during the transition period. If
the mortality rate is high, the population growth rate becomes negative.
Therefore, as the mortality rate increases, the population growth decreases.

 Decreased Food security - The food security is decreased, the population’s

ability to access food to eat will be lessened and cause some to leave and
seek food security somewhere else. Some may starve and die. Either way, the
population will decrease.

 Overexploitation of resources - Rapid population growth continues to be a

major underlying force of environmental degradation and a threat to
sustainable use of natural resources. It reduces the quality and quantity of
natural resources through overexploitation, intensive farming and land
fragmentation. Therefore, the people are forced to move to other areas or
countries so the population decreases.

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