Unit 2: Population and Migration Patterns and Processes - Key
Concepts
This unit explores how populations interact with and move across the world, shaping
human geography.
Population Density
● Population Density: The amount of people over an area of land.
● Arithmetic Density: Calculates total population divided by total land area. It does not
account for the uneven distribution of population within a country or provide information
about clustering or dispersal.
● Physiological Density: Calculates total population divided by total arable land (land
suitable for farming). This measure shows the strain a population puts on the land to
produce enough food and can indicate a country's carrying capacity.
● Agricultural Density: Calculates the number of farmers divided by the arable land area.
This is a better indicator of a country's level of economic development than population
distribution. High agricultural density often means many farmers working by hand with
low technology and output (characteristic of Less Developed Countries or LDCs), while
low agricultural density indicates high mechanization and more output with fewer farmers
(characteristic of More Developed Countries or MDCs).
● Carrying Capacity: The maximum population size that can be supported by available
resources without damaging the environment or using natural resources unsustainably.
● Areas with larger populations and greater population density tend to have greater
political, economic, and social power.
Population Dynamics
● Crude Birth Rate (CBR): The number of live births occurring in one year per 1,000
people.
Concepts
This unit explores how populations interact with and move across the world, shaping
human geography.
Population Density
● Population Density: The amount of people over an area of land.
● Arithmetic Density: Calculates total population divided by total land area. It does not
account for the uneven distribution of population within a country or provide information
about clustering or dispersal.
● Physiological Density: Calculates total population divided by total arable land (land
suitable for farming). This measure shows the strain a population puts on the land to
produce enough food and can indicate a country's carrying capacity.
● Agricultural Density: Calculates the number of farmers divided by the arable land area.
This is a better indicator of a country's level of economic development than population
distribution. High agricultural density often means many farmers working by hand with
low technology and output (characteristic of Less Developed Countries or LDCs), while
low agricultural density indicates high mechanization and more output with fewer farmers
(characteristic of More Developed Countries or MDCs).
● Carrying Capacity: The maximum population size that can be supported by available
resources without damaging the environment or using natural resources unsustainably.
● Areas with larger populations and greater population density tend to have greater
political, economic, and social power.
Population Dynamics
● Crude Birth Rate (CBR): The number of live births occurring in one year per 1,000
people.
