CSS Geography Population and Urban Geography Syllabus

Population and Urban Geography syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Population and Urban Geography in CSS Geography, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Population Dynamics

   4 topics

   • Factors of population growth
   • Components of change: natural increase and migration
   • Population structure
   • The demographic transition model
2. 2

   World Population Patterns

   3 topics

   • World distribution of population
   • Over-population threats and consequences
   • Under-population threats and consequences
3. 3

   Urban Structure and Settlement

   4 topics

   • Models of internal structure of cities
   • Settlement theories
   • World urban patterns
   • Patterns and problems within urban areas

Population and Urban Geography flashcards for CSS Geography

22 of 51 cards from the Population and Urban Geography deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. Name the three demographic measures that determine a region's rate of natural population growth.

   The birth rate (fertility), the death rate (mortality), and the resulting rate of natural increase (birth rate minus death rate).

2. List four broad factors that influence population growth.

   Birth and death rates, fertility levels (access to contraception, female education), migration, and economic/social factors such as healthcare, food supply, and government policy.

3. How is the crude birth rate (CBR) calculated?

   CBR = (number of live births in a year / total mid-year population) x 1,000, expressed per 1,000 people per year.

4. How is the crude death rate (CDR) calculated?

   CDR = (number of deaths in a year / total mid-year population) x 1,000, expressed per 1,000 people per year.

5. What is the formula for the rate of natural increase of a population?

   Natural increase rate = Crude Birth Rate minus Crude Death Rate (often divided by 10 to express as a percentage).

6. Define 'natural increase' as a component of population change.

   Natural increase is the growth in population resulting from births exceeding deaths, independent of migration.

7. What two components together determine the total population change of an area?

   Natural change (births minus deaths) and net migration (immigration minus emigration).

8. What is the formula for net migration?

   Net migration = Immigration minus Emigration; a positive value is net in-migration, a negative value is net out-migration.

9. Define the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and state its replacement level.

   TFR is the average number of children a woman would bear in her lifetime at current age-specific fertility rates; the replacement level is about 2.1 children per woman.

10. What is the infant mortality rate (IMR) and how is it expressed?

    IMR is the number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births in a year; it is a key indicator of a country's healthcare and development level.

11. Define 'population structure'.

    Population structure is the composition of a population, especially its breakdown by age and sex (and sometimes by ethnicity, occupation, or other characteristics).

12. What is a population (age-sex) pyramid?

    A population pyramid is a back-to-back horizontal bar graph showing the percentage or number of males and females in successive age groups (cohorts), used to show a population's structure.

13. What does a wide-based, steeply tapering population pyramid indicate?

    It indicates a youthful population with high birth rates and high death rates, typical of a less developed country in the early stages of demographic transition.

14. What does a narrow-based pyramid with bulging middle and top indicate?

    It indicates an ageing population with low birth and death rates and a high proportion of elderly, typical of a developed country.

15. Define the 'dependency ratio' and give its formula.

    Dependency ratio = ((population aged 0-14) + (population aged 65+)) / (population aged 15-64) x 100; it measures the dependent population supported by the working-age population.

16. Distinguish the young dependants from the aged dependants in the dependency ratio.

    Young dependants are those aged 0-14 (below working age); aged dependants are those 65 and over (above working age); both rely on the working-age 15-64 group.

17. What is the sex ratio of a population?

    The sex ratio is the number of males per 100 (or per 1,000) females in a population; it reflects differences in births, mortality, and migration between the sexes.

18. Name the four (or five) stages of the Demographic Transition Model (DTM).

    Stage 1 High Stationary, Stage 2 Early Expanding, Stage 3 Late Expanding, Stage 4 Low Stationary, and (in the 5-stage version) Stage 5 Declining.

19. In the Demographic Transition Model, describe Stage 1 (High Stationary).

    Both birth rate and death rate are high and fluctuating, so natural increase is low and the total population is stable and low.

20. In the DTM, what happens in Stage 2 (Early Expanding)?

    Death rates fall rapidly (better food, sanitation, medicine) while birth rates stay high, producing a rapidly growing population and high natural increase.

21. In the DTM, what characterises Stage 3 (Late Expanding)?

    Birth rates fall (contraception, female education, urbanisation, lower infant mortality) while death rates remain low; population still grows but more slowly.

22. In the DTM, describe Stage 4 (Low Stationary).

    Both birth and death rates are low and fluctuating, so natural increase is low and total population is high and stable.

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