World population: size and composition
Answers are for parents and teachers.
1
Using an atlas, find 2 densely and 2 sparsely populated regions of Asia.
Dense: Ganges valley, North China Plain; sparse: Tibetan Plateau, interior deserts of Arabia, or Siberia.
2
In a country with a birth rate of 14‰ and a death rate of 12‰, what is natural increase in ‰?
2
3
Area 200 thousand km², population 50 million. Find the density (people/km²).
250
4
About Uzbekistan: which age group do you think has a large share, and why? Give your opinion without calculations.
Children and young people form a relatively large share in Uzbekistan because births were high until recently; this creates needs for schools and jobs.
5
Explain in 3–4 sentences the link between natural increase and population ageing.
When births fall, the share of the young shrinks, and when lives lengthen, the share of the elderly grows; natural increase then falls or turns negative.