HUMAN POPULATION
What is population?
Population: refers to the group of people, animals, trees or other items occupying a given geographical unit.
What is human population?
Human Population: is the group of people occupying a certain geographical unit.
Population study: Is the general activities carried out for the purpose of acquiring knowledge concerning to various factors influencing population and population distribution.
POPULATION IN GEOGRAPHY
Population: Refer to the distribution of living organisms in a certain geographical location. “Organism” human population.
Demography:- is the scientific study of human population.
Population growth :- Refers to the increase or decrease in population in a given area.
Distribution:- General settlement pattern movement as well as the aspects of economic and social development
POPULATION DYNAMIC
Population dynamic: Refers to the change in population over time in given area due to dynamic components such as birth, death and migration.
Causes/factors influencing population change
i. Mortality.
ii. Fertility.
iii. Migration.
POPULATION SIZE
Population size: refers to the total number of people in the country which is usually affected by the dynamic components like death, birth and migration.
CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMAN POPULATION
1. Population is unevenly distributed over the earth surface: some areas have high population while others have litle or no population at all.
2. Population is dynamic: that means population change over time due to dynamic components of population such as death, birth and migration.
3. Population vary in age and sex: Normally population of different places differ in composition in terms of age and sex. Some countries tge number of children is higher than other age group while other countries the number of children is very low as well as in terms of sex.
4. Population it characterized by variation of level of economic development and technology: some country is more developed due to the use of advanced technology than other countries.
5. Population is usually face problems: these include diseases, famine, natural calamities. E.g drought, floods etc.
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION AND DENSITY
Population distribution: the way in which people are spread across the earth surface. Normally sometimes can be referred to as occurance or non occurance of the population on the earth surface. However population distribution is unevenly or unequal distributed throughout the earth surface.
Example world population distribution
1. Asia: 57%
2. Europe: 15%
3. America: 14%
4. Africa: 13%
Population density: refers to the ratio between the total number of people and the given area.
FACTORS INFLUENCING POPULATION DISTRIBUTION AND DENSITY
There are several factors influencing population distribution and density in the world and these can be divided into physical, biological, social, political, and economic factors such as follows:-
PHYSICAL FACTORS
1. Relief (Topography): Areas with steep slope discourage people to settle in the area due to poor soils and nature of the land but ereas with gentle slopes or flat surfaces there is high population since the soils are good and agriculture take place easily. Highlands normally attract population due to good soils, rainfall, cool climates and being free from floods. But some low lands, which tend to flood usually, have low population since people avoid settling in those areas.
2. Climate: Areas with reliable rainfall like the North West Europe have attracted high population, but where there is poor rainfall like in the deserts there is low population. Also areas with very high or very low temperatures do not attract population while the areas with moderate temperature attract high population.
3. Vegetation: In areas with dense vegetation discourage people to establish settlement since is difficult to clear. Example: Tropical rainforest of Amazon basin and the Congo basin as well as the Rufiji valley and mangrove forest along the coastal areas people are discouraged to live leading to sparse population or no population at all. Dense vegetation hinders penetration or communication and development. But in other hand the scattered vegetation attract peple to settle in the area since are easier to clear especially in the temperature deciduous forest and temperature grassland areas like the Paris basin.
4. Soils (Edaphic Factors): Good soils attract population to settle in the area for example in the Nile Basin and the Southern slopes of the Kilimanjaro Mountain. infertile or badly soils discourage people to settle in the given area since they cannot support agriculture. Examples are the Lake District and Scottish Highlands where there has been severe leaching. Equatorial areas also discourage settlement due to soil leaching which causes decline in fertility.
5. Mineral and Energy Resources: The areas with mineral and energy resources attract population, for example, the land of South in West Germany, and Southern parts of West Africa where there are rich mineral deposits like Diamond, Oil, etc.
6. Natural Hazards: Areas that are prone to natural hazards like floods in lowlands, earthquakes, tornadoes are avoided by people. But this is not always so since some areas which experience frequent floods like the fertile plains of Bangladesh and volcanic areas of Java and Indonesia are highly populated.
7. Biological Factors like Diseases and Pests: People likely to settle in areas which are free of diseases and pests. These will have high population like the highlands of Tanzania which have healthy climate like Arusha etc. But areas with incidence of diseases and pests infestation like mosquitoes that cause malaria, Tse-tse flies and locusts discourage population settlement like the central parts of East Africa. In Tanzania the worst affected areas are the western and southern districts like Mpanda and Liwale respectively.
HUMAN FACTORS
These include culture (tradition, religion) economic structure, transport and communication and politics.
8. Social – Cultural Aspects: Some tribes have a tradition of going to continue to reproduce in the same area to create clans. In time, these areas become overpopulated and hence highly fragmented like the Kilimanjaro among the Chagga people. Traditional beliefs like superstitions can make people avoid living in certain areas due to the fear of risking their life. Also areas where social services are readily available, like in towns there are high population unlike the rural areas where social services are poorly available.
10. Economic activities: People tend to settle in areas where there are economic opportunities like in towns due to the presence of trade and industries. Urban industrial areas like the land in South Africa are densely populated. But the areas with poor economic base have low population since people avoid settling in those areas.
11. Political Factors: Areas with political stability and peace attract population but where there is political instability tend to avoid. These areas face depopulation due to conflicts like in Sudan, Somalia, and Democratic Republic of Congo. Also the policies especially on resettlement schemes so as to solve the problem of overpopulation influence population distribution in the country. For example the government can decide to establish new settlement areas and force people from the overpopulated areas to come and settle. Also the establishment of colonial rule like in Tanzania led to the concentration of people in the most productive areas leading to low population in other areas.
12. Transport and Communication: Areas which are served with transport and communication attract high population since they can transport their goods to the market areas. But areas which are poorly served with transport and communication like Western parts of South Africa and China have low population. These areas are remote and hence are not accessible.
POPULATION SIZE
Population size: Is the total number of people living in the country; It is obtained through census. Normally population size tend to change over time due to dynamic components like birth, death and migration.
POPULATION STRUCTURE
Population structure: is the composition of the given population which is expressed in terms of age and sex at a particular time. The information of age and sex of an individual person from the entire population is obtained when a census, vital registration or sample survey is conducted.
POPULATION COMPOSITION/STRUCTURE
Population composition: refers to the geographical make up of persons in a given locality which includes, sex, age, marital status, education, occupation, income level, religion, ethnic group and race. Normally population composition is well illustrated by using age and sex pyramid graph.
IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING POPULATION
1. It help the government to plan for resources allocation. e.g roads, schools, hospital, police posts.
2. It help to indicate the level of development in the country. If is high or low through census.
3. It help to know the dependent ratio in the country.
4. They enable the government to plan for future development.
5. It help to indicate the rate of working class age group.
6. It helps in creation of job opportunities. After knowing the number working class age group.
7. It help to indicate the literacy level of the society.
POPULATION/DEMOGRAPHICAL DATA
Population data: Refers to the information pertaining to population concerning some economic, social and demographic matters.
Sources of Population/demographic data
These are divided into primary and secondary data sources.
Primary (Traditional) Sources
i. Periodic national censuses.
ii. Vital registration systems which deal with vital events like births, deaths, marriages, divorces and migrations.
iii. Sample surveys and inquiries.
Secondary Sources of Population Data
There are the most widely used sources of population data. They include:-
i. Population census.
ii. Vital registration.
iii. Sample survey.
A. VITAL REGISTRATION
Vital registration: This is the source of demographic data whreby important events such births, deaths marriages are registered. The registration of births is used to calculate the birth rate of a country. It is also used to determine the number of persons added to a community over a period.
In most developed countries vital registration systems are quite developed but in developing countries like in East they are not yet well developed. However, at present most population data for the majority countries are obtained from censuses, which are usually conducted at ten – year intervals.
B. POPULATION CENSUS
Census: is a process of collecting, counting, processing, tabulating, compiling and publishing the demographic, economic and social data pertaining to a specified time to all persons in a given country or territory.
CHARACTERISTICS/ATTRIBUTIES OF A GOOD POPULATION CENSUS
Normally in order the population census to be meaningful must consider the following criterias or characteristics:-
1. Universality: Population census it must cover the whole territory or country and all people residing in the country or including those who are absent if it is dejure census. Whenever this proportional of the population that has been covered. But there is not any country that covers all people since many people tend to be absent and some are reluctant to give information etc.
2. Periodicity: Regular periodicity or interval is highly necessary in censuses. Hence censuses are taken at certain interval like after every ten years etc. Specified interval helps to analyze the data in a more dimensional way. Also UN recommends that censuses should be taken at regular intervals in order to get comparable information with a fixed sequence. For example in Tanzania censuses were taken at an interval of ten years from 1948, 1957, 1967, 1978, 1988. The subsequent was expected to take place in 1998 but it took place in 2002. The delay was due to financial constraints.
3. Specificity: They are for a certain country, territory or category of people in the country and for certain purpose like for political or economic planning.
4. All persons (Individual Enumeration): They involve counting of the number of persons in certain specified country or territory and every individual to be listed separately together with their personal characteristics.
5. Simultaneity: They take place at the same specified time throughout the country or territory. This helps in producing comparative and logical censuses. E.g. in Tanzania the 1967, 1978, 1988 censuses were assumed to be taken on the 26/27 date midnight of August. More often enumeration sometimes does not need to be completed on the same date but the official time remains the midnight. Nonetheless, the more the time is used in enumeration the more difficult it becomes to avoid omissions of enumerations.
6. Census is costly: Census is expensive need enough resources both money and enumirators. normally the sponsor of population census is always the government.
TYPES OF CENSUS
These can be categorized either according to approach of undertaking the census or according to the time interval with which the censuses are conducted in the country or territory.
According to Approach
A Census can be either de jure or de facto.
1. De jure census: is the census in which the people are counted according to their usual place of residences. The weakness of this type is that it regards people as if they are static while they are dynamic.
2. De facto census: is the census in which the people are countered wherever they are found on the day of enumeration.
According to the Time Interval
1. Quinquennial census: refers to the census carried out after every five years.
2. Decennial census: is the type of census carried out after every ten year.
OBJECTIVES OF MODERN CENSUS
1. To provide a complete account of all members of a country by age and sex. The age and sex distributions are so important for socio – economic planning which help in estimating births, deaths, and growth rates.
2. To obtain the detailed statistics on the size, nature and distribution of the labor force.
This concerns the economically active people in the population in terms of industrial activities, employment status, skills and levels of specialization.
3. To determine the literacy and illiteracy rates of the population in the relevant age groups. This provides information on the distribution of the literate population in different educational and technical fields and the scientific and the technical capacity of manpower.
4. To provide social and economic information on household and housing conditions such as occupancy, type of ownership and availability of household facilities.
5. To provide the complete picture of all places and persons, villages, wards and households for the whole country. Such picture is useful in planning development projects and in organizing nationwide and other sample surveys. Hence, population data is used for facilitating national planning.
IMPORTANCE/SIGNIFICANCE OF POPULATION CENSUS
1. It helps to know the total number of people in the country.
2. It helps to know the age and sex structure of the population.
3. It helps to know the dependent ratio of the country if is high or low.
4. It helps the government to plan for socio and economic development in the country.
5. It helps the government in distribution of social services such as schools, hospitals etc.
6. It helps to know the level of development in the country if is high or low.
7. It helps country to formulate population control policy after discovering that there is rapid population growth.
8. It helps to know the life expectance of the people if is low or high.
LIMITATIONS/ PROBLEMS FACING CENSUS
1. Eexpensiveness: Censuses are very expensive since they involve training of manpower, transport, food and other operations for their undertakings.
2. There are problems of omissions of some of the members: Especially those who tend to be absent during counting and poor coverage, Enumeration becomes a big problem where the society has members who are nomadic or semi – nomadic.
3. There are problems of misreporting: especially of ages and underestimations of some of the aspects of population characteristics.
4. There are some errors: which make censuses fail to depict the true picture of the population.
5. Transport problems: some parts of the countries are remoteness limit the process of enumerating the members of the country. Some places are so remote that the personnel are discouraged from going of those areas.
6. Political factors can cause problems in counting the people especially where there are ethnic groups, which are conflicting like in Rwanda and Burundi.
7. Poor framing of questions creates fear among the individuals who in turn fail to provide true information about their families.
8. Low literacy levels and poor co-ordination limit the processes of undertaking censuses.
SHORTCOMINGS/DISADVANTAGES OF CENSUS
1. Time consuming.
2. Sources of wrong population information.
3. Census is very expensive.
4. It can led to social conflict.
5. It can led to poor representation of population structure.
C. SAMPLE SURVEYS
Sample survey: Is the simplest method of obtaining demographic data. It is conducted when there is absence of adequate capital to undertake censuses. some countries conduct national sample survey based on representative samples of the total population to secure desired information. Sample surveys are fairly representative because they seek the percentages of, for example, men, women, youth, farmers and doctors in a population.
A sample survey involves a small number of people and it is therefore possible to use more detailed questionnaire and interviews that offer more accurate information. Sample surveys are usually carried out to provide information on various topics, e.g. fertility and people’s attitudes to family planning, breast – feeding, as well as on the demographic and health situation of a country. These are regularly carried out by the country’s bureau of statistics. Sample surveys are the cheapest sources of population data.
POPULATION (DEMOGRAPHIC) STRUCTURE
Population structure: refers to a composition of the population according to certain status categories such as age, sex, educational level, marital status, labor force, etc.
Factors that influencing population structure Population structure is influenced by:-
1. Birth rates.
2. Death rates.
3. Marriage status and rates.
4. migration.
5. Labour force.
6. Level of education.
7. Economic level.
8. Political aspects.
POPULATION STRUCTURE/POPULATION PYRAMID GRAPH
Population pyramid or Age and sex graph: is the double bar chat whereby age and sex composition of the population are representedAge-sex structure is represented by diagrams known as population pyramids. Long term changes in fertility and mortality as well as lesser influences, such as persistent in – or out – migration, wars, and epidemics are reflected in their shape. Model pyramids provide guidelines against which actual population may be judged.
IMPORTANCE OF STYDYING POPULATION STRUCTURE (POPULATION PYRAMID)
By studying the population pyramids, it is possible to interpret the population characteristics of the country such as,
1. It helps to know the population size of the country.
2. It helps to indicate the dependent ration if is high or low.
3. It helps to know the sex ratio of the population in the country.
4. It help to know the Level of economic development whether more advanced or less developed.
5. It helps to know the fertility rates where is high or low.
6. It helps to know the life expectance of people in the country where is high or low.
7. It helps to know the population growth rate whether high or low or stationary.
8. It help to to determine the future population trend of the country.
9. It helps in formulation of population policy after knowing the population size.
10. It helps in planning for social and economic development.
IMPORTANCE/USES OF POPULATION DATA
1. It help the government to plan for resources allocation. e.g roads, schools, hospital,
police posts.
2. It help to indicate the level of development in the country. If is high or low through census.
3. It help to know the dependent ratio in the country.
4. They enable the government to plan for future development.
5. It help to indicate the rate of working class age group.
6. It helps in creation of job opportunities. After knowing the number working class age group.
7. It help to know the sex ratio in the country.
POPULATION CHANGE/DYNAMIC
Population change/dynamic: refers to the changing in population over time due to dynamic components like birth, death and migration. However population change can be Increase or decrease (positive growth and negative growth).
DETERMINANTS/ MAIN FACTORS INFLUENCING POPULATION CHANGE
i. Fertility rate.
ii. Mortality rate.
iii. Migration.
1. FERTILITY RATE
Fertility: refers to the ability to produce. It is measured by counting the number of people (live births in a population).
Fertility and Birth Rates: Fertility is the occurrence of live births in a population. It is measured by Crude Birth rate (CBR) which is calculated by taking the total number of live births divided by the total population in a given year then multiplied by 1000 or 100.
Crude birth rate: refers to the number of births per year per 1000 of the population. It is called Crude Birth Rate because it includes all ages and both sexes in the development and attempt has been made to reach women at risk. Its weakness is that it is too general and hence in some respects it is not a good measure of fertility. Africa has the highest levels in the world compared to other selected regions, it has a CBR of 43 per thousand, whereas North America has 13, Asia has 26 and Europe has 12 per thousand.
Fertility Rates: is the number of births per 1000 of the population. Birth Rate is a measure of fertility.
Fecundity: Refers to the physiological capacity of a woman to conceive and given birth to a child, regardless of whether is a live birth or a still birth.
Infertility: refers to the inability of a woman to bear a child and this includes those who cannot give a live birth to a live baby. Infertility can be primary or secondary.
Primary infertility: is also referred to as involuntary childlessness.
Secondary infertility: can also involuntary. For instance when a woman has two children and is now unable to have more due to biological or health factors. It is called secondary since it is caused by a second factor after the previous births.
Fecundity: It refers to the ability of a woman to reproduce. Bongaarts (1976) estimated that the maximum number of children an average woman can produce is about 15 if she stars bearing as soon as possible after menarche, which occurs between 12 and 14 years and continues till menopause in the middle or early 40’s (15 – 49 years).
Child – Women Ratio (CWR): Ratio computed from the number of children aged 0-4 divided by the number of women of a child – bearing age usually 15 – 49 years and is usually expressed per 1000. Only on rare occasions children of 0 – 9 years can be used.
General Fertility Rate (GFR): is the proportion of children born alive per thousand women in the reproductive period in a year
Reproductive period is a child bearing age for women 15 – 49.
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCING HIGH FERTILITY RATE
1. Cultural factors: some cultural values such as poliganism, bride prices and religions encourage hidh birth rate. Also some people are interested on naming natives. Therefore these include:-
i. Sex preference: Some people consider giving birth to girls only as incomplete hence they continue getting more children with the hope of getting a male child.
ii. Prestige or measure of manhood and womanhood: Also many people feel secure when they have many children since they will not get problems in their old ages.
iii. Early marriages: also encourage women having many children from their young ages to menopause (45-49 years).
iv. Polygamy: has also led to the high rate of child bearing and some men regard polygamy as a measure of manhood and self esteem.
v. Naming of relatives: is another cultural factor. The couples like getting sons and daughters in order to name their parents and other important relatives in the clan.
vi. Religion: Religious ideas influence the patterns of individual fertility behavior. Some religious do accept artificial methods of birth control saying that they are quite abominable before God and hence they encourage or advocate natural methods like abstention from sex, which are less effective in birth control. Examples are Roman Catholic and Muslims who say that people should use their common sense instead of banking their ideas on the use of condoms as proper ways of control. They encourage people to love and respect God so as to control the rate of birth in a natural way.
2. Improvement health services: Improved health services have led to the decline in death rate. With improved health services there has been a great control of diseases like malaria, small pox, etc. The life expectancy has been increasing and infant mortality rate has also declined leading to the increase of fertility.
3. Improvement of food nutrition: With improved farming techniques people can produce surplus food hence their reproductive capacity has increased due to improved health. People also are not worried since they feel that they can feed more population as a result of high food production.
4. Modernization: Youth nowadays mature faster than before due to improved nutrition. Due to early maturity they become parents very early and hence start getting children. The provision of better social amenities like water, roads and schools has improved the standard of living of the people, consequently causing a decline in the death rate and increase in population growth rates.
5. Economic factors: Due to poverty people like having many children so that they can provide cheap labor. This is common among the Nyamwezi, Ruira, Konongo, and the Sukuma.
6. Low Level of education: This is due to lack of family planning education on how to use the family planning methods, such as condoms, cintraceptives, etc.
7. Urbanization: It contributes to the high interaction among people.
8. Poor medical care: Due to lack good medical care peple they are not sure that few children will survive, hence cause high fertility rate.
MEASURES TO ADDRESS HIGH FERTILITY RATE
1. Provision of education, especially foamily planning education.
2. Improvement of social services.
3. Eradication of some cultural practice such as early marriage and forced marriages.
4. Formulation of population control policy.
5. Eradication of poverty.
6. Abolition of early marriages.
2. MORTALITY/DEATH RATE
Mortality: refers to the number of deaths occured in the a given population. categories of death/mortality rates
i. Infant mortality rate: The number of death from 0-2 years.
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): Is the number of deaths occurring to children born alive but under one year old per thousand live births during the same year.
ii. Child mortality rate: Number of death of children aged between 1-5 years per 1000 live birth.
Child Mortality Rate (CMR): Is the umber of deaths occurring to children aged between 1-5 years. This measure expresses the proportion of survivors per thousand children born alive.
iii. Adult mortality rate: Is the number of adults dying per 1000 of the total population.
Dependency Ratio: Is the ratio between population of aged group of 0-14 (young) to population aged group of 65 (elders) and population of aged group of 15 to 64 working class.
Sex Ratio (SR): Is the ratio between male and female in a given population. This is defined as the number of males per 100 females in a population.
In many parts of the world more males are born but because of endogenous and exogenous factors, after one to several years the difference appears whereby more males die than females. Sex ratio determination at certain age group is also affected by misreporting old ages. Males tend to report older ages than female for prestigious purposes.
FACTORS INFLUENCING HIGH DEATH RATE IN DEVELOPN COUNTRIES
1. Severe hunger/famine.
2. Diseases.
3. Natural disasters.
4. Wars.
5. Accidents.
6. Poor social services.
7. Poverty.
DECLINE IN DEATH RATE IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES
FACTORS FOR THE DECLINE OF MORTALITY RATE TO THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Normally in recently years there is drastic decline in death rate to most dub Saharan countries due to the following reasons:-
1. Improvement of food nutrition.
2. Improvementbof medical care.This has eliminated some dangerous diseases which contribute high death rate.
3. Improvement of personal hygines.
4. Improvement environmental conservation against natural calamities.
5. Improvement of reproductive health education.
6. Advancement of science and technology. This contribute to high innovation of modern medicine which prevent dangerous diseases.
7. Improved urban planning. This has reduced many road accidents.
NB:
DEPENDENY RATIO
Dependeny ratio: Is the retio between the total number of old people and the total number of children in given population per working class age group. It us usually obtained by dividing the total number of children aged 0-14 plus old people aged 65 and above per total number of aged group 15-64 in a given population then its expressed per 100.
LIFE EXPECTANCY
Life Expectancy: Is the average number of years in which an individual person expected to live.
NATURAL POPULATION GROWTH
Natural population growth: Is the different between the birth and death in a given population.
SEX RATIO
Sex ratio: Is the ratio between the number of male and female expressed per hundred in a given population.
3. POPULATION MIGRATION
Population migration: refers to the movement of people from one place to another place which can either temporary or permanent change of residences. Normally migration affects population distribution, density and structure.
TYPES/CLASSIFICATION OF MIGRATION
Population migration is categorized based on several criteria such as:-
A. According to boundaries
1. Internal (Domestic) migration: isthe movement of people from one place to another place which can either temporary or permanent change of residences within the country. Example: rural-urban, urban-rural, rural – rural and urban – urban migration.
2. External (international) migration: Is the type of migration which invloves people moving from one country to another country. Example: Malawi to South Africa in the mining areas. from Italy to Switzerland, etc
B). According to duration
1. Temporary migration: This involves people moving from one place to another place or from one country to another country for temporal change of residences. Example: Students going for studies outside the country or to other place within the country, etc.
2. Permanent migration: This type of migration involves people moving from one place to another place for total permanent change of residences. It can also either international or local migration.
C). According to volition
3. Voluntary (willing) migration: This involves people moving from one place to another place by willingly. Example: people moving from rural to urban for searching employment opportunities.
4. Involuntary (Forced) migration: This involves people moving from one place to another place by force. This type of migration is caused by varous bad forces which cause peple to away from the region. Example: political conflicts like refugees moving from Rwanda to Tanzania.
D). Government plans
5. Planned migration: This is the migration which influenced by government plans. It occurs due to the attempt by the government to reduce uneven development and solve the problem of overpopulation as well as to speed up the development of people like the establishment of Ujamaa villages in Tanzania and resettlement schemes adopted in different parts of the world for solving the problem of overpopulation and opening up the areas.
FORMS OF MIGRATION
1. Immigration (in-migration): This is a form of population migration which involves people coming in to the place of country either for temporary or permanent change of precedences.
2. Emigration (out migration): This is a form of migration in which people are moving a way from the regions.
CHARACTERISTICS OF POPULATION MIGRATION
1. Migration is age and sex selective: This means that a certain sex category and age is more migratory than other sex category and age. Especially women are more migratory than men and youths are more migratory than old people.
2. Most migrants are poor since has been forced to move by different bad conditions: especially refugees who have experienced problems like floods, earthquake, wars, volcanic eruptions etc.
3 Most of migrants are travel shorter distance and their number decrease with increase in journey.
4. Migration occurs in two way or stages (in and out): This means that one movement from one place leaves a chance hence the gap has to be filled by another movement of population from other place. In this way population progresses in waves (stages) towards the eventual goal.
5. During migration the number of persons are going to the given destination and the direct proportional to the number of opportunities (pull factors) and inversely.
6. Most migrants are associated with economic factors like finding employment opportunities.
FACTORS INFLUENCING POPULA MIGRATION
Migration can occur due to the influence of either PUSH factors or PULL factors. PUSH FACTORS
Push factors: Are those factors that can force people to move out from the place to another place. Normally in general push factors are those bad factors or conditions which can force/makes people to move a way from the regions. Normally the push factors include:-
1. Presence of natural calamities: These are such as earthquake, volcanic eruptions, floods, Tsunami, cyclones, hence this resulted in to people moving a way.
2. Bad climatic conditions: This include shortage of reliable rainfall and high temperature. Example in desert areas. Therefore this situation can makes people to move out from their residences.
3. Presence of poor soils: Normally people are discouraged to live in areas with poor soil especially in fertile soil cause most people living in rural areas to move a way to find places with fertile soil for agriculture activities.
4. Presence of pest and diseases: People do not attracted to settle in areas with pest and diseases which attacks crops, livestock and people hence this can makes people to move out from the regions.
5. Political instabilities: Always people are more attracted to settle in areas with peace and stability than areas with social tentions and other insecurity. Example civil wars can makes people to move out.
6. Absence or shortage of natural resources: People do not much attracted to live in areas with scarcity of resources like minerals, soil, forests and water bodies.
7. Shortage of good social services: People do not attracted to live in areas with no good social services like health services, water supply, electricity, goods education services and other social amenities.
8. Shortage of economic activities: People do not much likely to settle in areas with no economic activities like employment opportunities.
PULL FACTORS
Pull factors: are the factors that attract people into the place. Normally pull factors include all goods factors such as:-
1. Absence of natural calamities: Normally people are likesly to live in areas with no natural calamities. These are such as earthquake, volcanic eruptions, floods, Tsunami, cyclones, hence absence of this condition resulted in to people moving a way.
2. Good climatic conditions: People are more likely to live in areas with reliable ainfall and moderate temperature.
3. Presence of good soils: Normally people are attracted to live in areas with good soil especially fertile soil for agriculture, hence this attract people.
4. Absence of pest and diseases: People are attracted much to settle in areas with no pest and diseases which attacks crops, livestock and people hence this can attract people to settle in the regions.
5. Political stability: Always people are more attracted to settle in areas with peace and stability than areas with social tentions and other insecurity.
6. Absence or shortage of natural resources: People are much attracted to live in areas with many natural resources like minerals, soil, forests and water bodies.
7. Availability of good social services: People at much attracted to live in areas with good social services like health services, water supply, electricity, goods education services and other social amenities.
8. Availability of economic activities: People are highly attracted to settle in areas with many economic activities like trade, mining, agriculture and transportation.
GENERAL FACTORS INFLUENCING POPULATION MIGRATION
Normally the general factors which influencing people's mobility include physical, economic, social, political, and biological.
PHYSICAL FACTORS /ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
1. Climate: Good climate like having enough rains, moderate temperature attract people in to a place while poor climatic conditions like shortage of rain fall, extremely high temperatures and extremely low temperature force people away or do not attract people into a place. E.g. people cannot be attracted to live in very cold region like very high mountain areas of Himalaya and Kilimanjaro.
2. Edaphic (soil) factors: Areas with good soils attract people for example the villages of the Ganges River, Yang tse Kiang, Hwang HO and the Nile have attracted people while areas with poor soils force people away from a place.
3. Relief: The areas, which are free from floods like highlands, attract people while the areas, which experience floods like lowlands force people away. Also, people go to places with gentle slopes for easy cultivation and leave place with steep slope since they are prone to erosion.
4. Presence of natural resources: like mineral attract migrants like the rand in South Africa while the exhaustion of mineral or absence of minerals force people away from those places.
5. Natural hazards: like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and storms, etc people away from a place while the absence of these natural hazards attracts people to a certain place.
6. Pest and diseases: The area which is free from diseases and pests attracts people but where pests and diseases are predominant people move away to other place. For example there are common movements of people from the central parts of Tanzania due to tse-tse fly infestation of other with healthy conditions like the southern highlands of Tanzania, etc.
HUMAN FACTORS
7. Economic activities: Lack of income opportunities can force people out of the place to other areas while availability of income opportunities attracts people. This is manifested by rural – urban migration. For example industries in towns attract people from rural areas to urban centers.
8. Social factors: Lack of social amenities in certain place can force people make people move away while the presence of social amenities attract people into a place. For example, availability of electricity, medical services, transport and entertainment attract people in towns and absence of these aspects in the rural areas forces them out of villages to urban areas.
9. Political factors: Where there is peace due to stable political system people are attracted to move into those places while places with political problems force people away. For example, people move away from areas with civil wars like Rwanda and Burundi areas with peace like Tanzania. Also, tourists like visiting the countries, which are peaceful and avoid the countries, which are full of political fracas or turmoil.
IMPACTS OF POPULATION MIGRATION
Normally population migration has impact to both in the region or area of origin and areas of destination
Impacts of migration in the region or point of origin
1. Depopulation of people: Leaving people who do not produce and reproduce
2. Decline of production process due to shortage of labour.
3. Occurrence of poverty.
4. Drain skills: since people migrate with their skills.
5. Shortage of labour.
6. Increase in poverty: due to low production caused by shortage of labour.
7. Poor utilization of resources: due to shortage of skilled labour.
Impacts of migration to the destination Negative impacts
1. It leads to over population: over population may cuase pressure over resources.
2. Shortage of food: because there are too many people.
3. Unemployment: this problem is very common in urban areas due to rural-urban migration.
4. Increase of social evils such drug abuses and prostitution.
5. Increase of crimes such robbery due to unemployment.
6. Shortage of social services such such as books in schools, medicine in hospitals.
7. Spread of diseases by immigrants such Ebola, HIV/AIDS, Cholera, et.
8. Environmental degradation such pollution, deforstation and soil erosion.
Positive impacts
1. It increase the supply of labour to the point of destination.
2. Expansion of markets of goods and services.
3. Growth of towns.
4. It encourage diffusion of technology
.
5. Development of industrial sectors.
6. Improvement of infrastructures such as roads, electricity and water supply.
RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION
Rural – urban Migration: This involves people moving from rural areas to urban areas in searching for non – agricultural employment which is more paying.
Causes of rural-Urban migration
1. Presence of better social services in town: like medical services, education, reliable water supply, efficient transport and entertainment.
2. Shortage of employment opportunities in rural areas.
3. Fluctuation of prices of agricultural crops.
4. Poor infrastructure in rural areas.
5. Poor government support in rural areas: most of development opportunities are imphasized in urban areas than rural areas.
6. Low level of education: many youth believes that, better life is obtained in urban areas.
IMPACTS OF RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION
Impacts in rural areas
1. Rural depopulation: leaving old people who cannot produce or reproduce.
2. Shortage of labour in rural areas: because most migrants are youth aged between 15- 64.
3. Decline of production in rural areas: due to shortage of labour.
4. Poverty in rural areas due to low production.
5. Famine in rural areas.
6. Poor utilization of resources in rural areas due to shortage of skilled labour.
Impacts in urban areas
1. Over population in urban areas.
2. Unemployment in urban areas.
3. Environmental degradation such pollution, reforestation and soil erosion.
4. Sorces of cultural interference due to intensive interaction.
5. Emergence of street children.
6. Incrase of social evils such as prostitution and drug abuse.
7. Increase in number of beggers (machinga) in towns.
SOLUTIONS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION
1. Improvement of social services in rural areas such as hospitals, schools, etc.
2. Improvement of infrastructure such as roads, tape water, electricity, etc.
3. Inroduction of development program in rural areas by government. E.g. agricultural schemes, industries, etc.
4. Provistion of education to the people: so that they can identify many opportunities within rural areas than beliaving better life in urban aseas.
5. Improvement of prices of agricultural products in rural areas.
6. Government support by enacting laws to reduce the rural-urban migration. E.g villagelization policy.
URBAN-RURAL MIGRATION
Urban – rural Migration: Is the migration in which people move from urban areas to rural areas. This is also called counter urbanization. It is common in Africa but now common in the developed countries where many people like staying in the countryside within the sub urbanized villages.
CAUSES OF RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION
1. People go to rural areas to avoid air or noise pollution in the urban centers.
2. Other people go back to rural areas after retirement since they find it difficult to cope with vagaries of the urban life.
3. Unskilled people from rural areas can find it difficult to secure jobs in towns hence can decide to return to rural areas.
4. In the developed countries, people are encouraged to go to rural areas by the supply of necessary social and economic amenities, which are also available in towns.
5. The government can encourage or force people to go to rural areas to open up the potential land lying or to solve the problem of population pressure in towns.
6. The outbreak of terrible and moribund diseases in towns like meningitis, cholera and AIDS can force people to rural areas.
7. Lack of safety due to vandalism or hooliganism and burglary as well as frequent conflicts and social tensions can force people to run away from urban areas to rural areas.
8. Lack of space to locate industries and other large – scale economic sectors can lead to urban rural migration since these need large space.
IMPACTS OF URBAN-RURAL MIGRATION
Negative impacts
Problems which can be caused by urban – rural migration can include
1. Outbreak of conflicts with the old residents because of encroaching into their pieces of land or land deprivation.
2. The rise in the house prices and hence leading to the problem of housing.
3. Land degradation like soil erosion as well as deforestation can occur.
4. Interference with culture in the rural areas leading to moral deterioration.
5. Decline in agricultural activities since most of the arable land turns into residential areas and industrial centers.
6. Increase in pollution like air pollution, noise pollution and water pollution.
7. Increase of crimes and other vices which are common in urban areas.
Positive impacts
1. It can stimulate utilization of resources in rural areas. People can provide labor to work on the land lying idle like in the Rufiji basin, exploiting minerals, etc.
2. It reduces population pressure in towns and leads to the environmental improvement hygienic conditions.
3. It reduces the burden facing the government in terms of providing social services even to people who are idle.
4. Reduces the problem of beggars in urban centers.
5. It facilitates the general economic development in rural areas and reduces the economic gap between rural and urban areas.
Rural – rural Migration: This is the movement of people from one village to another village. One shifts to another village which is more economically advanced, more peaceful, to avoid witchcraft, running away from enemies or to follow his or her relatives.
Urban – urban Migration: It’s the movement of people or person from one town normally less developed to another town, which is normally more developed. For example one can move from Tanga to Arusha, Morogoro to Dar es Salaam, etc
POPULATION PROBLEMS
1. Low level of technology leading to poor and unsustainable utilization of resources.
2. Environmental problems like floods, drought, soil erosion, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storms, pollution, deforestation etc that pose adverse effects on population.
3. Social problems like crimes, congestion, prostitution, theft and street children as well as poor
4. social services like medical treatment and housing due to overpopulation. Other social problems include gender imbalance in which women are marginalized in many important social economic sectors of the country, illiteracy, unemployment, etc.
5. Rapid population growth that exceeds the potential capacities of resources.
6. Resource exhaustion caused by over exploitation for economic development.
7. Political instability characterized by frequent wars that have brought massive deaths and movement of people as refugees and tribalism like in Kenya and Nigeria which causes civil wars.
8. Some areas are overpopulated due to uneven distribution and rapid population growth caused by either high birth rate or migration.
9. Poverty as a result of poor economic performance caused by low technology and unnecessary massive migration.
10. Transport and communication systems are poor in many countries especially the developing world leading to low mobility, low industrial development and poor trade.
11. Spread of diseases like AIDS and cholera.
12. Excessive migration from rural areas to urban areas leading to depopulation in rural areas and overpopulation in urban areas.
WAYS TO ADDRESS POPULATION PROBLEMS
1. Manpower development: is one of the ways geared towards solving population problems as well as economic and environmental predicaments. Manpower development involves the strategies of improving the potentially viable capacities among the individuals in the country in order to make use of resources more rationally and sustainably. Strategies of manpower development in Tanzania include:
2. Training centers like vocational centers for imparting various skills to people like carpentry, plumbing, computer training, commercial studies and masonry. Examples of centers for manpower development are LITI in Morogoro, Tengeru in Arusha, Uyole in Mbeya, ADEM (formerly, MANTEP) in Bagamoyo, and National services camps like Mafinga in Iringa.
3. Adult education programs like workshops, evening classes and seminars have been used to give skills and experiences to people in Tanzania.
4. People are also being educated through public media like radios, Newspapers, Television, Internet services, books from libraries etc.
EFFECTS OF POPULATION CHANGE
1. High death rate can lead to increased poverty.
2. High birth rate and immigration can led to unemployment, poor housing, poor health facilities, high demand for food.
3. High population increase can be a source of labour power when population is high.
4. Population decreasing by high death rate and emigration can cause technological stagnation.
5. Population change can affect population distribution and density.
6. Under population due to either high death rate or emmigration can led to shortage of labour supply.
7. Under population can led to poor utilization of resources.
RAPID POPULATION GROWTH
Rapid population growth: refers to the increasing in number of people in given area through high birth rate and immigration.
Causes of rapid population
1. Increase in fertility rate.
2. Immigration.
3. Availability of natural resources.
4. Availability of employment opportunities.
5. Presence of good climate.
6. Presence of good social services.
7. Presence of political stability.
EFFECTS OF RAPID POPULATION GROWTH
Negative impact of rapid population growth
1. The rapid population growth cause shortage of social services such as education, health and water.
2. It create pressure over resources.
3. Rapid population growth cause over utilization of resources.
4. Rapid population growth is a source of unemployment.
5. Rapid population growth cause eruption of diseases such as chorela etc.
6. Rapid population growth is a source of environmental pollution.
Positive impact of rapid population growth
1. Rapid population growth cause availability of labor force to various productive activities.
2. Rapid population growth leads to expansion of markets.
3. Rapid population growth leads to diffusion of technology.
4. Rapid population growth contributes to urbanization.
5. Rapid population growth contributes to the improvement of infrastructure such as roads, electricity, railway etc.
6. Rapid population growth cause the sustainable use of resources.
7. Rapid population growth it contributes to land use planning.
POPULATION PRESSURE
What is Population Pressure?
Population Pressure: is a situation in which the number of peplebis greater than the carrying capacity of the land and its resources. In this case the resources are fewer than the number of people and hence cannot satisfy the needs of the people in that particles .
Population pressure is related to overpopulation. At a national level, Tanzania seems to have no population pressure. This is the case when one relates the available area of land to the population of the country at large. Nonetheless population pressure can be said to exist only at local levels such as family or regional level. For example the Chagga land has got a population pressure unlike other parts of central Tanzania, which are still under populated. Rufiji basin is also under populated and can support more population.
Therefore population pressure in Tanzania is not all that much a problem since it can be solved. The success can be achieved once Tanzania embarks on strategic development of agricultural by tapping the potential land, which is lying idle like Rufiji basin. There should be a great focus on investing in the rural areas by opening up the virgin land and establishing irrigation schemes so as to encourage people to settle in rural areas rather than flooding the urban areas.
FACTORS INFLUENCING POPULATION PRESSURE
Population pressure can be brought by the following factors:-
1. Availability of fertility of soil: which attracts people in certain area. People go to settle in those areas for carrying out agricultural activities. Examples are the Netherlands and the Southern slopes of the Kilimanjaro Mountain.
2. Availability of minerals resources: in certain area, which also attracts a big number of people.
3. Presence of good climatic conditions: especially in the highland areas where there is cool with low diseases incidence.
4. Availability of water solders and constant supply of water: like along the river banks of the Nile valley.
5. High fertility rates and immigration.
6. Cultural aspects: like land inheritance and tenure can lead to population pressure. Some tribes continue staying in areas that belonged to the forefathers and are continue staying in areas that belonging to the forefathers and are reluctant to shift to other places.
7. Scarcity of arable land: can make people concentrate on the available small piece of land to carry out their agricultural activities
8. Poor policy on population control: The policy has control of population growth and distribution as well as land ownership. But where the policy is poor there occurs population pressure problems.
IMPACTS OF POPULATION PRESSURE
1. It leads to inadequacy in social services like medicine and education opportunities as well as water supplies.
2. It leads to unemployment due to the excessive number of people who are more than the available economic sectors.
3. It can cause deforestation since people clear vegetation for establishing settlement or cultivation.
4. It can lead to mineral exhaustion as a result of over exploitation where mineral deposits are small.
5. Population can also cause land degradation especially soil erosion after clearing vegetation.
6. There can occur on outbreak of diseases due to prostitution and environmental pollution like water and air pollution.
7. It can restrict or hamper the development of industries by posing the locational problems. When there are so many people becomes problematic to locate heavy industries in a particular area.
8. Population pressure leads to the problems of poor housing such that many people can share one room. This can turn facilitate the spread of contagious diseases.
9. Unemployment caused by population pressure can lead to the prevalence of crimes and increase in prostitution.
10. Decline of resources leads to the occurrence of poverty in a particular place or country.
SOLUTION FOR ADDRESSING POPULATION PRESSURE
1. Formulation of family planning program: There should be family planning programs focusing on birth control.
2. The government should establish resettlement schemes: which can lead to the shifting of people from the overpopulate areas to the under – populated areas like Rufiji basin and central parts of Tanzania.
3. Establishing irrigation schemes: which can attract people from the over – populated areas.
4. Establishing land tenure system: so that people can concentrate on their own pieces of land rather than migrating from place to place and lead to the occurrence of population pressure in the destination areas.
5. Provision of education: iding profound and viable ‘education to the people so as to resign them from cultural aspects, which force them to continue reproducing, and remaining in the same place inherited from the forefathers.
6. Establishing other economic activities: This will reduce over depending on agriculture, people should engage themselves in other activities like trade and fishing.
POPULATION POLICY
Population policy: refers to the statement, laws or regulations enacted so as to attain some demographic goals. The major aim of the population policy is to influence population size, composition, distribution and growth. The policy also tends to take into consideration the relationship between population and development as well as its impact on the environmental condition.
Types of population policy
1. Explicit population policy: refers to the document or clear statement issued by the governmental department and its commissions, which is intended to control population growth and raise the living standard of people in the country. Explicit polices can also stem from the laws, policy declarations by a party or directives issued by the President of a country. Explicit policies are well stipulated and have direct influence toward the population control. Such policies prevailed in China where the limit in the number of children was set and incentives were given to all those who could follow while penalties were given to those who did not follow.
2. Implicit population policy: refers to particular laws, regulations or statements, which may have direct or indirect effect on population growth. Implicit policy it is not well stipulated as explicit since it is some how unclear and cannot be easily understood leading to failure in terms of implementation.
POPULATION POLICY IN TANZANIA
The government started the process of formulating a national population policy by the 1988. A draft policy document was ready for discussion by various sectors of the population from nataional and international level. This process was finalized in 1992 when the final version of the population policy was adopted and was followed by the Programme of Implementation in 1995.
The National Population Policy (NPP) it was necessitated the needs to accommodates new development that have taken place nationally and internationally in population environment and development.
PRINCIPLES OF POPULATION POLICY IN TANZANIA
The implementation of the population policy is guided by the following principles:
1. Consideration of variation in level of development in the country: This include both regional and district variations with regard to the level of socio – economic development.
2. Adherence to the development vision: The policy emphasizes the role of the market in determining resources allocation and use.
3. Continued democratization of the political system with its attendant political pluralism: as symbolized in the emergence of various political parties / actors and mushrooming of independent mass media.
4. Sustainable exploitation of resource: in both renewable and non – renewable resources to meets the needs of present and for the future generations.
5. Recognition and appreciation of the central role of the government, NGOs, private sector, communities and individuals in population and development.
ACHIEVEMENT OF NATIONAL POPULATION POLICY
The achievements of both implicit and explicit past population policies included the following;
1. It has laid down the strategies for population control.
2. It has considered the concern of marginalize groups such as women and children.
3. It has shows clearly interrelationship between population and development.
4. It has raised awareness to people about population issues in the country.
5. It has encouraged the development of other population related policies. Example. Gender and women development policies.
6. It has encouraged more the participation of the civil societies, NGOs and other sectors in population issues.
7. It has encouraged full sustainable utilization of natural resources for development.
CHALLENGES/CONTRAINTS AND LIMITATION/ WEAKNESS OF TZ POPULATION POLICY
The constraints and limitations that were encountered during the implementation of the past population policies included the following:
1. Shortage of human and financial resources:This bring about difficult in implementation of the policy.
2. It is not known to majority: The national population policy it is writted by very difficult language which cannot be understood by majority in the country. Example the national population policy consist some terminologies such as, Fecundity, morbidity, fertility, etc.
3. Poor communication systems: this cause the policy to reach only few society.
4. It does not suggested where to get resources for implementation of the policy.
5. Most of strategies are too theoretical rather than practices.
6. It focus more on meeting demographic targets rather than the needs of individuals.
7. It does not show clerly the causal relationship between poverty, population and development.
GUIDING QUESTIONS
1. Explain the main factors that influencing high fertility rate in most developing countries like Tanzania.
2. Briefly explain six characteristics of human migration.
3. Elaborate six physical factors determining/influencing people's mobility.
4. Outline the Problems Associated with Population in Tanzania
5. Discuss six way to curb population problems to the developing countries like Tanzania
6. Rapid population growth is both asset and reliability. Discuss this statement by giving six points.
7. In six points relates rapid population growth and development.
8. Does Tanzania have some Population Pressure?
