Part 1 – Population Explosion
1. Look at the U.S. Census Bureau’s World Population Clock gives an up to the second estimate of the world population. By how much does the population grow in 1 minute? How many people is that per second? Per week?
2. Using the U.S. Census Bureau’s State and County Quick Facts, find the most recent population estimates for Georgia and Forsyth County. How does your county population compare to the number of people the world population grows by each week? Are you surprised by the results?
3. Look at this graph of Historical Estimates of World Population. In what year did the world population start to suddenly increase? What do you think might be the cause for this?
4. How might historical events or the quality of life during different historical periods have influenced population growth? Check the World HyperHistory site to see what may have influenced population growth during different periods in time. Focus on major historical events such as different Disease events and World Wars.
5. According to this Population Growth Rate Map, in what areas of the world has the population been growing most rapidly? Why do you think this is?
Part 2 – Factors in Population Growth The natural increase of a population depends on the number of births and deaths. If the number of births is greater than the number of deaths at any given point in time there will be natural increase in the number of people. Typically, the growth rate of a population is given in terms of the birth rate (number of births per 1000 people per year) and death rate (number of deaths per 1000 people per year).
1. Write an equation that expresses the growth rate of a population in terms of the birth rate and death rate. 2. What circumstances might result in a high birth rate for a population? A low birth rate? 3. What circumstances might result a high death rate for a population? A low death rate? 4. Look at these charts of Birth and Death Rates. If both birth rates and death rates are declining worldwide, why is the world’s population still increasing? Based on this birth rate and death rate information, what could you say about the world’s growth rate in recent years? 5. There are many factors that contribute to birth rates and death rates. Fertility rates and life expectancy are just two examples. Fertility rate is the average number of children born to
women in a given population. Look at the summary demographic data for the U.S. in this chart. From 2006-2017, what was the trend in the fertility rate among the groups of women for all age ranges? What does this mean for the number of births in the US? 6. Look at historical information for U.S. birth rates and fertility rates between 1920 and 1999. How might fertility rate affect the birth rate? How might it ultimately affect the population growth rate? Part 3 – Population Histograms
1. Look at the population histograms in the IDB Data Base for the U.S. For the 2000 histogram, compare the number of children, middle aged people and elderly people. Roughly, what shape does this histogram have (pyramid, inverted pyramid, square, hour-glass, other?) Based on this histogram, would you say the U.S. was experiencing a rapid growth, slow growth, no growth or negative growth in population? Why?
2. Now look at the year 2065. How do the number of children, middle aged people, and elderly people compare? What shape does this histogram have? By the year 2060 would you say the U.S. population would be experiencing a rapid growth, slow growth, no growth or negative growth in population? Why?
3. Based on these two histograms, what can you say about our nation’s population growth, currently and in the near future?
4. Go to IDB Summary Demographic Data. Choose “The World”. Select examples of five other countries whose populations are experiencing rapid growth, slow growth, no growth, and negative growth. Draw a sketch of each country’s population histogram (Scroll down to see it) and label each as rapid growth, slow growth, no growth or negative growth. Also be sure to name the country for each sketch.
5. How does a histogram’s shape help to display a country’s population growth? What shape would a population experiencing rapid growth have? Slow growth? No growth? Negative growth?
6. Look at this graph of World Population Growth. Is there any relationship between how industrially developed a country and the population growth of that country? Find examples of more developed countries and less developed countries that support or refute the information on this chart.
