Human Settlements
First Human Settlements
• Nomadic- Wandering in constant search of food
• When agriculture was introduced, people no longer needed to be Nomadic
Urban Populations
• River Valleys in Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China where there was fertile soil from annual flooding led to Urban Settlements
• People were able to grow a surplus of food to feed its people
Factors That Influence Settlement
Physical
• People tend to settle in temperate, fertile, non-mountainous areas, such as valleys and plains
• People settle near sources of fresh water• People settle not to far from oceans• Fewer people settle in dry, wet, cold or
mountainous areas
Human
• Transportation routes – coastlines, rivers, canals, railroad lines, or roads
• Technology improvements can expand areas of settlement
• Discoveries Gold (California), Oil (Texas)
Population Pyramids
What is a population pyramid?
A visual representation of the population of a country.
• graphically display a population's age and gender composition
• show numbers or proportions of males and females in each age group
• show gains of members due to immigration and birth, and loss of members due to emigration and death
• reflect population growth or decline
Interpreting a Population Pyramid
•Remember that a population pyramid is basically a bar graph turned on its side. Each line is showing you what percentage of the population is a certain age.
•Examine the title and the type of data presented. (ex. Age breakup, numbers listed below, male-female notation.)
•True pyramids are developing countries. The majority of the population is younger and not many people live to an old age. Developed countries are more rectangular; the population is spread more equally through the age groups.
How to interpret population pyramids
The main types of pyramids– Rapid growth– Slow growth – Negative growth
Shape of rapidgrowth
Shape of Slow growth
Shape of negative growth
Rapid growth
Rapid growth pyramids
• Have a large base to show high birth rates
• Amount of people decreases as the ages goes up indicating a lower standard of living
• Associated with developing countries like
Brazil, Uganda, China
Slow Growth
Slow growth pyramids
• Take on a more rectangular shape
• Indicates population is remaining fairly steady
• Birth rates and death rates are similar
• Associated with developed countries like the UK, Germany, Canada
Negative growth
Negative growth pyramids
• Looks like a reverse pyramid
• Indicates the population of the country is decreasing
• Death rates are higher than birth rates
• Associated with developed countries like
Austria, Japan, Italy
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