Population structure, distribution & migration
A country is not just a number of people — it has a shape. In this lesson we learn to read population pyramids, the age-sex diagrams that reveal at a glance whether a country is young and fast-growing or old and slowing down, and we link those shapes to the Demographic Transition Model. We then ask why people crowd into some places and avoid others, following the physical, economic and human factors that control population density and distribution, with Namibia as our example. We watch people move — rural to urban and across borders, by choice and by force — and finish by facing the environmental problems of a growing population and the strategies used to manage them sustainably.
By the end you should be able to (NSSCO Geography 3.1b):
- Identify and discuss, with reasons, the different types of population structure as shown by age-sex pyramids
- Describe population pyramids and relate population change to the different stages of the Demographic Transition Model
- Identify the major influences on population density and population distribution, with reference to physical, economic and human factors
- Discuss the reasons for population movements: internal movements such as rural–urban migration, and international movements, both voluntary and involuntary
- Analyse and discuss the environmental problems associated with population growth
- Analyse and discuss strategies for managing population growth in relation to economic development and environmental sustainability
Mr Thomas and Mike talk through the whole topic — with the figure and working drawn live.