Geography · Lesson 10

World population & settlement

JAMBWAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

JAMB: Human Geography A: population of the Amazon Basin, North-East USA, India, Japan and the west coast of Southern Africa; B: settlement in Western Europe, USA, the Middle East and West Africa

WAEC: Human Geography: world population (characteristics, distribution, growth, migration); settlement (types, patterns, functions, urbanisation and urban problems; rural–urban interaction)

NECO: Human Geography: world population (characteristics, distribution, growth, migration); settlement (types, patterns, functions, urbanisation and urban problems; rural–urban interaction)

What you will learn

Define population and calculate density, birth and death rates and natural increase.
Describe and explain the distribution of world population.
Describe the population of the Amazon Basin, North-East USA, India, Japan and the west coast of Southern Africa.
Explain the causes and effects of rapid population growth and the demographic transition.
Interpret population pyramids and calculate dependency ratios.
Explain types, causes and effects of migration.
Classify settlements and describe their patterns, sites and functions.
Compare settlement in Western Europe, the USA, the Middle East and West Africa.
Explain urbanisation, urban problems and solutions.
Explain rural–urban interaction.

Key points

Population = number of people in an area at a time; density = population ÷ area.
CBR and CDR are per 1,000 per year; natural increase = CBR − CDR.
Nigeria 2006 census: 140,431,790 (final, NPC); current figures are estimates.
World: 8 billion on 15 Nov 2022 (UN); India passed China in April 2023.
Dense areas: river valleys, plains, coasts, industrial regions; sparse: deserts, cold lands, mountains, dense forests.
Amazon: sparse (forest, climate, poor soils, access). NE USA: dense megalopolis (ports, industry, finance).
India: dense, rural, growing. Japan: dense coastal plains, ageing, declining. Namib coast: sparse (Benguela Current).
DTM: stages 1–5; Nigeria about stage 2–3.
Pyramids: wide base = young/high fertility; narrow base = ageing.
Dependency ratio = (0–14 + 65+) ÷ (15–64) × 100.
Migration types; push and pull factors; effects on source and destination.
Patterns: dispersed, nucleated, linear; site vs situation; wet- and dry-point sites.
Functions: administrative, commercial, port, mining, educational, religious, tourist.
Urban problems: housing, congestion, unemployment, waste, flooding; and solutions.
Rural–urban interaction is two-way: food and labour in, goods, services and money out.

Start here: Population: meaning and measurement

Every ten years or so, governments try to count their people. In Nigeria the body responsible is the National Population Commission (NPC). The last census that produced final official results was held in 2006; it gave Nigeria a total of 140,431,790 people (71,345,488 males and 69,086,302 females). A new census has been planned for years but, as of this lesson, figures you see for Nigeria’s current population are estimates and projections, not census counts. Examiners accept rounded recent estimates (over 200 million) if you say they are estimates.

Population is the total number of people living in a given area at a given time.

Ways of getting population data

Census: a complete count of everyone at one time, with age, sex, occupation, religion, education, etc.
Vital registration: recording of births, deaths and marriages as they happen.
Sample surveys: e.g. Demographic and Health Surveys that question a sample of households.
Migration records: passports, immigration and border records.

Key measures

Measure	Formula
Population density	Total population ÷ land area (persons per km²)
Crude birth rate (CBR)	(Live births in a year ÷ total population) × 1,000
Crude death rate (CDR)	(Deaths in a year ÷ total population) × 1,000
Natural increase	CBR − CDR (per 1,000), or ÷ 10 to get %
Dependency ratio	(Pop. 0–14 + pop. 65+) ÷ pop. 15–64 × 100

Worked example 10.1 (illustrative data)

Town X has 250,000 people on 50 km². In one year there were 9,000 live births and 2,500 deaths. Find (a) density, (b) CBR, (c) CDR, (d) natural increase in % per year.

Density = 250,000 ÷ 50 = 5,000 persons per km².
CBR = 9,000 ÷ 250,000 × 1,000 = 36 per 1,000.
CDR = 2,500 ÷ 250,000 × 1,000 = 10 per 1,000.
Natural increase = 36 − 10 = 26 per 1,000 = 2.6% per year.

Problems of census-taking in Nigeria

Politicisation: population figures affect revenue sharing, constituency seats and federal appointments, so states and groups may inflate figures.
Illiteracy and suspicion: some people fear counts are for tax or do not know their ages.
Poor roads and difficult terrain (creeks, mountains, remote villages).
Insecurity in some regions.
Cultural and religious objections, e.g. reluctance to count women in seclusion or children.
Inadequate funding, staff and maps; poor enumeration-area demarcation.
Large, mobile groups such as nomadic herders and fishermen.

Earlier Nigerian censuses (1962, 1973) were cancelled or rejected because of disputes; the 1991 and 2006 results were accepted officially but still criticised. Exam answers that mention disputes, cancellation and politicisation score well.

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Practice questions

1. Population density is calculated as

total population ÷ land area
land area ÷ total population
births − deaths
births + immigrants

Show answer

A: total population ÷ land area
It is usually given in persons per km².

2. A country of 900,000 people and 3,000 km² has a density of

3,000 persons per km²
30 persons per km²
2,700 persons per km²
300 persons per km²

Show answer

D: 300 persons per km²
900,000 ÷ 3,000 = 300.

3. Crude birth rate is the number of live births per

1,000 women per month
10,000 people per decade
1,000 people per year
100 people per year

Show answer

C: 1,000 people per year
Death rate is measured the same way.

4. A birth rate of 38 per 1,000 and a death rate of 12 per 1,000 give a natural increase of

0.26% per year
2.6% per year
26% per year
5.0% per year

Show answer

B: 2.6% per year
38 − 12 = 26 per 1,000 = 2.6%.

5. A population pyramid with a wide base and narrow top shows

a youthful population with high birth rates
an ageing population
zero growth
low birth and death rates

Show answer

A: a youthful population with high birth rates
Typical of Nigeria and most developing countries.

Key words

Population: The total number of people living in an area at a given time.
Population density: The number of people per unit area (usually per km²). Density = population ÷ area.
Birth rate: The number of live births per 1,000 people per year (crude birth rate).
Death rate: The number of deaths per 1,000 people per year (crude death rate).
Natural increase: Birth rate minus death rate, usually expressed per 1,000 or as a percentage.
Migration: The movement of people from one place to another to live, temporarily or permanently.
Emigration / immigration: Leaving a country / entering a country to live.
Overpopulation: A situation where there are too many people for the resources and technology of an area.
Underpopulation: Too few people to use the resources of an area fully.
Optimum population: The number of people that gives the highest standard of living with the available resources and technology.
Dependency ratio: The number of dependants (under 15 and 65+) per 100 people of working age (15–64).
Population pyramid: An age–sex bar diagram of a population.

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