What do I need to know about population and urban geography? Factors that Influence Population Distribution Natural resources (People live near arable land, water, and other resources that are valuable like oil) Climate (hot/cold; wet/dry) Economic development Government policy Rural/urban settlement Capital resources Conflicts Factors that influence growth rates Modern medicine and hygiene – If fewer people die of disease the population will increase Education Industrialization and urbanization – Industrialized countries have lower population growth rates Economic development Government policy – has a one child policy Role of women in society – In countries where women have fewer opportunities for education and to work the birth rate is normally higher Impact of migrations on regions Language Religion and religious freedom Customs/traditions Cultural landscape Characteristics of Human Populations Birth and death rates Age distribution Male/female distribution Life expectancy Infant mortality Urban/rural GDP Ethnicity Language Religion Education Push Factors (factors that cause people to migrate to other places) Overpopulation Religious persecution Lack of job opportunities (Mexicans immigrating to the United States) Agricultural decline (people leaving the Sahel in Africa because of desertification) Conflict Political persecution (Cubans immigrated to the U.S. because of the political persecution of Fidel Castro and the communists) Natural hazards – droughts, floods, famines, volcanic eruptions Limits on personal freedom Environmental degradation Pull Factors Religion Economic opportunity Land availability Political freedom Ethnic and family ties Arable land Examples of Site Examples of Situation Harbor sites: New York City; Alexandria, Egypt,; Istanbul, Turkey Island sites: Paris (originally located on an island in the Seine River) Hong Kong, Singapore Fall line sites: Richmond, Virginia Situation is another name for relative location – the location of a city with respect to geographic features, regions, resources, and transport routes Baghdad – Command of land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Confluence sites: Khartoum, Sudan (Confluence of Blue and White Nile); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Hilltop sites: Rome, Athens, Jerusalem Oasis sites: Damascus, Syria Sites where river narrows: London, Quebec City Functions of Towns and Cities Security, defense Religious centers Trade centers Government administration Manufacturing centers Service centers Examples of changes in cities’ functions over time Rio de Janeiro – Move of Brazil’s capital city from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – function connected to defense, then became steel manufacturing center, later shifted to diverse services New York City – Changes in trade patterns, coastal and transatlantic trade, trade from Great Lakes via Erie Canal, worldwide trade and finances Mining towns, “ghost” towns – resource depletion, changes in environment Problems associated with growth of areas Providing essential services (fresh water, sewage, electricity, schools) Air, water, and noise pollution Sprawl results in conversion of agricultural land to urban uses In developing countries cities are more connected to regions outside the country than to regions within the country Istanbul – Command of straits and land bridge to Europe Mecca, Saudi Arabia (Islam); Varanasi, India (Hinduism) – religious cities Samarkand, Uzbekistan; Xi’an, China; Timbuktu, Mali; Singapore – Cities that grew up along trade routes Timbuktu – trade route Singapore – Strait of Malacca Samarkand and Xi’an – Silk Road Cape Town, South Africa – Supply station for ships Omaha, Nebraska; Sacramento, California – Cities that grew up along the U.S. Transcontinental Railroad Novosibirsk, Vladivostok – Cities that grew up along the Trans-Siberian Railroad Influences of urban areas on their regions and countries Nation-building (monuments) Transportation/communication hubs Magnets for migration Seed beds of new ideas and technologies Diversity leading to creativity in the arts Universities, educational opportunities Corporate headquarters Media centers Problems associated with growth of urban areas Transportation problems emerge, especially as automobile travel increases Rich and poor neighborhoods exist in different areas isolated from one another Shantytowns