CHAPTER 4

The Human World

Population Growth Nearly 6.5 billion people on the planet.

Inhabit only 30 percent of the planets land. From the year 1000 to the year 1800 the world’s population increased slowly, but

from 1800 to 1950 the world’s population doubled. Worlds population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050.The Demographic Transition Demography- the study of population

Birthrate- births per year for every 1,000 people Death rate- deaths per year for every 1,000 people Natural increase- difference between an areas birthrate and death rate Migration- movement of people from place to place.

The demographic transition model- shows changes in the population trends of a country or region. First used to show relationship between declining rates and industrialization.

Reasons for declining death rates. Food supplies, health care, access to medicine and technology and living

conditions

Population Growth

Demographic Transition Transition to zero population growth- birth and death rate are equal.

Many of the world’s industrialized countries have experienced this shift.

Birth rates in Asia, Africa and Latin America have remained high. As a result - doubling time is effected.

25 years in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Average developed country can be more than 300 years.

Challenges of Growth Rapid population growth presents many challenges to the global

community. There is a difficulty in producing enough food to feed the population. However, food production has risen on all continents except Africa.

A shortage of food in Africa continues to be problem. Rapid population growth also strains limited resources of a country.

Population Growth Another problem is the uneven distribution of the populations age.

Some countries are experiencing situations where the majority is infants or young children who do not contribute to food production.

Experts are optimistic that the levels of technology and creativity will also rise. New forms of fertilizers and irrigation can help improve the land and

crop yields. Negative Population Growth

Countries in Europe began to experience negative population growth in the late 1900’s. Annual death rates exceed the annual birthrates. Hungary and Germany is an example of countries that are experiencing

negative growth. This situation can cause severe economic consequences. The shortage of labor workers becomes a major issue.

Foreign labor is recruited to fill the vacancies. This can create conflicts between the host population and the newcomers.

Population distribution- the pattern of human settlement. The human population is unevenly distributed throughout the world.

Land makes up approximately 30 percent of the earth’s surface. Mountains, deserts and tundras make most of this land inhospitable. Humans live on less than one- third of the planet’s land

Asia is the most densely populated continent, accounting for over 60 percent of the world’s population.

Population Distribution Population Density

How crowded a country or region is measured by its population density. Number of people living on a square mile of land. Divide the total population of the country by its total land area.

Population density varies widely from country to country. Canada has a population density of 8 people per square mile, while Bangladesh

has a population density of 2,594. Countries with similar populations can have different densities. Uneven population distribution is not taken into account when determining

population density. Egypt has a population density of 191 people, but nearly 90 percent lives along

the Nile River.

Population Distribution Population Movement

The earth’s population is always moving in great numbers. Either form city to city, city to suburbs, or rural villages to cities.

This results in the population growth of cities, known as urbanization. The desire of rural people to find jobs and a better way life is the primary

cause. Farming has not grown with the population, so many have to find jobs in

manufacturing and service industries. About half of the world’s population lives in cities.

In some cases, one city can contain a large portion of the country’s population

Example: Buenos Aires contains about one third of Argentina’s total population

There is also movement from one country to another, due to various reasons. Economic factors, war, food shortages and persecution.

Many people leave Africa, Asia and Latin America to immigrate to the wealthier countries.

GLOBAL CULTURES

Elements of Culture

Culture is the way of life of a group of people who share similar beliefs and customs. A culture can be understood by looking at the language, religion,

daily life, history, art, government and economy. Language

Language is a key element in a culture’s development. With language, people communicate and pass on cultural values and

traditions. Within a culture, languages may vary.

Local forms of language may have different pronunciations and meanings of words that are different than the main language.

The world’s languages are organized into language families. Language families are large groups of languages that have similar

roots.

Elements of Culture Religion

In many cultures, religion enables people to find a sense of identity. Religion influences many aspects of daily life.

From the practice of moral values to the celebration of holidays and festivals.

Throughout history, painting, architecture and music has been shaped by religion.

Culture regions Geographers divided the earth into cultural regions to organize cultural

development. These countries have certain traits in common.

Social Groups A social system that develops to help the member of a culture work

together to meet basic needs. The most common types of social groups are:

Families, social classes and ethnic groups.

Elements of Culture

Government an Economy Governments around the world share similar responsibilities.

Maintain order, provide protection and provide services. Governments are organized by levels of power, and types of

authority How a country utilizes natural resources is a way to examine a

countries economic activity.

Cultural Change New ideas, lifestyles and inventions are internal factors that can

create change within a culture. Trade, migration and war are spatial interactions that can also create

change. Cultural diffusion- the process of spreading new knowledge from

one culture to another.

Cultural Change The Agricultural Revolution

Nomads were groups of hunters and herders who had no fixed home They moved from place to place in search of food, water and grazing land.

As the earth’s climate began to warm, many nomadic groups began to settle in more fertile areas. They became farmers who lived in permanent villages.

By 3500 B.C. these early farming villages had developed into highly organized civilizations.

Culture Hearths- the places where the world’s first civilizations arose. The most influential were the areas that make up the modern countries of:

Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, China and Mexico. These culture hearths had certain geographic features in common: They had

mild climate, fertile land and they were all locate near major sources of water.

The surplus of food set the stage for the rise of civilizations. Now not everyone had to be farmers and they could find other ways of

making a living.

Culture Hearths They were able to create new technology and specialized economic

activity. The increased wealth allowed for the rise of cities and complex social

systems. The growth called for a well organized government. Officials and merchants created a writing system.

Cultural Contacts Contact between different civilizations promoted change. Migration has also fostered cultural diffusion.

Industrial and Information Revolutions In the 1700s and 1800s countries began to industrialize.

They began using power driven machines and factories to mass produce goods.

Countries were able to produce goods quickly and cheaply. Economies and societies began to change.

The Information Revolution changed the world at the end of the 1900s. Computers made it possibly to perform many tasks quickly and efficiently.

POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEMS

Governments and economies around the world are becoming

increasingly interconnected

Features of Government

Levels of Government To carry out their various functions, governments are organized in a variety of ways. Unitary System

All key powers are given to the national or central government. More than one level of government can exist, but these local governments

are given little power. Federal System

A system of government that divides governmental powers between national and state governments.

Each level of government has sovereignty in some areas. A confederation is a similar type of government structure.

Types of Governments Autocracy

Under this system of government, power and authority belong to an individual.

Usually obtain this position by inheritance or ruthless military use. Totalitarian dictatorships and monarchies are just two forms autocracy

that exists.

Features of Government Oligarchy

Is a system of government in which a small group holds the power. Claim to rule for the people and may have a national assembly

representing the people . Legislatures just approve decisions and do not get to make their

own Democracy

Any system in which the leaders rule with the consent of the citizens. The key idea is that the people hold the sovereign power.

Direct democracy is when citizens decide on issues themselves. No country has a national government based off direct democracy.

Instead countries use representative democracies, where the people elect officials to represent them.

Many democratic countries are also republics. In republics, voters elect all major officials, however, there are

exceptions like The United Kingdom.

Economic Systems Traditional Economy

Habit and custom determine the rules for all economic activity. Individuals are not able to make decisions based on their wants, but decisions

are made for them by elders. Exist in limited parts of the world.

Market Economy Individuals and private businesses make decisions on what to produce. Is based on the idea of a free enterprise.

People have the right to own property and make a profit with little government interference.

Also referred to as capitalism. No country in the world has a pure market economy. Instead, many of countries have what is described as a mixed economy

This is where the government supports and regulates a free enterprise . Government’s main objective is to keep the competition of the market free

and fair. Government also influence the economy by spending tax revenues.

Economic Systems Command Economy

The government owns or directs the countries means of production. Economic decisions benefit all of society and not just a few individuals.

Try to distribute goods and services equally among all citizens. However, citizens have no say in how money is spent.

There are two types of command economy, and this depends on how much the government is involved. Communism and Socialism.

Communism Requires strict government control over the economy.

Government decides what to produce, how much to produce and how to distribute what is produced.

However, without free decision making and incentives, business innovation and customer satisfaction decrease. As a result, economies will stagnate and command economies will

decline.

Economic Systems

Command Economy Socialism

Allows for a wider range of free enterprise. Has three main goals

Equitable distribution of wealth. Society’s control of decisions about public goods. Public ownership

Some are democratic countries and elect their political leaders

RESOURCES, TRADE AND THE

ENVIRONMENTNatural resources are important for everyday use, but are often misused and cause harm to the

environment.

Resource Management

Earth provides all the elements necessary to sustain life. Natural resources- Are elements from the earth that are

not made by people but can be used for food, food or other necessities. Renewable resources- natural resources that cannot be

used up or can be grown again. Nonrenewable resources- natural resources that

cannot be replaced. Nonrenewable resources must be conserved to

ensure that future generation’s needs are met. Using renewable sources such as: hydroelectric,

solar and atomic power.

Economies and World TradeThe world’s natural resources are not evenly distributed throughout the earth,

and this affects the global economy. Economic Development-

The world’s economic activity is classified into four types. Primary economic activities

Taking or using natural resources directly from the earth. This includes farming, fishing and mining.

Secondary economic activities Use raw materials to produce something new and more valuable. Includes assembling electronic goods and manufacturing

automobiles. Tertiary economic activities

Do not involve directly acquiring and remaking natural resources , but they are activities that provides a service.

Includes doctors, teachers, lawyers and bankers

Economies and World Trade Quaternary economic activities

Are concerned with the processing, management and distribution of information.

Include professionals working in education, government and business Industrialization helps influence a country’s level of development.

Countries with much technology and manufacturing are called developed countries.

Developing countries are countries working toward greater manufacturing and technology.

Newly industrialized countries have moved from primarily agricultural to primarily manufacturing and industrial activities

The global influence of developed countries has sparked resentment in developing countries

Economies and World Trade World Trade

Countries trade their specialized products with others who cannot produce these goods themselves.

Countries import goods if they cannot produce enough to meet there needs. These two countries may take advantage of each others needs and

become trading partners. Labor costs and education levels affect world trade.

Multinational companies base major decisions on these two factors. They locate their operations in developing countries with low labor

costs Barriers to Trade

Governments add a tariff to the price of imported goods to encourage people to buy domestic goods.

Government may also put a quota on the quantity of a product that can be imported.

Governments may also enforce an embargo, banning trade with another country.

Economies and World Trade Free Trade

Removal of trade barriers to allow goods to flow freely among countries.

(GATT) General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, was the first international agreement to promote free trade. Became the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995. Most countries now belong to the WTO.

Mexico, Canada and the United States agreed to join together in the North American Free Trade Agreement. (NAFTA)

The world’s largest trading bloc, the European Union (EU), includes many of the European countries. The Euro has been adopted by most of the EU to extend the

cooperation. The Association of Southeast Asian Nation was established in 1967 to

encourage economic growth in the region.

People and the Environment

Water and Land Pollution The release of unclean or toxic elements into the air, water and

land is referred to as pollution. The earth’s bodies of water are normally renewable and purify

themselves over time. This cycle can be interrupted by human activity. Oil spills, chemical waste dumps, pesticides, untreated sewage are all

examples of human interference. Land pollution occurs when chemical waste poisons the topsoil,

or solid waste is dumped in landfills. Air Pollution

The burning of fossil fuels by industries and vehicles is the main source of air pollution. Burning fuel gives off poisonous gases that can damage health.

People and the Environment

Acidic chemicals combine with precipitation to form acid rain. Acid rain can destroy buildings, fish and forests. Forests provide animals with habitats, prevent soil erosion and

more importantly carries on photosynthesis. Decreasing acid rain will help preserve a region’s

environmental balance. Global warming is the effect of rising levels of carbon dioxide in

the earth’s atmosphere. This is causing the temperature of the earth to rise.

The Fragile Ecosystem As humans continue to expand they threaten natural ecosystems. Earth’s land, air and water are interrelated.

What affects one part of the system also harms the other two. All humans and other living things are effected.