What is a Census? Why are they important? When was the first census conducted in the United States? What are some of the limitations of the census?

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Study Questions for Chapter 3

  1. What is a Census? Why are they important? When was the first census conducted in the United States? What are some of the limitations of the census?
  2. What is a biometric census? Do you agree with this type of census? Why or why not?
  3. Identify and discuss four major ways in which the census data is used in the United States?
  4. Who are four major groups that typically get undercounted in the United States? Why is this so?
  5. What city in America was uncounted by as much as 10.9 percent in the 1990 census?
  6. The world was inhabited by how many people in 2011?
  7. What is meant by population distribution? Explain why some parts of the world are heavily populated while other places hardly have any people at all? The sparsest populations are found in what kind of geographic areas?
  8. Explain four geographic or topological factors that shape geographic distribution or explain why people are located where they are?
  9. Where is the population most concentrated in the country of Egypt? Why is this so?
  10. What are some of the non geographical or physical factors that affect population distribution? Cite one primary example.
  11. What role does culture, religion, and historical factors play in how populations are distributed throughout the globe. Cite one primary example.
  12. What continent has the largest population in the world? Country has the largest population in the world? What is it? What continent has the smallest population in the world?
  13. What is a guest worker?
  14. What is a transnational migrant? Give several examples of transnational migrants?
  15. What is the difference between an IDP and a refugee?
  16. How many IDPs were there estimated to be in 2010 around the world? What two regions of the world have the greatest problem with IDPs?
  17. What conflict prompted the exodus of Libyans in 2011?
  18. What is meant by international forced migration? Cite 5 or six examples of international forced migration that has been identified in your text. Discuss the scattering of the Palestinians in states in and around Israel? Why are there so many IDPs in that region?
  19. What is meant by internal voluntary migration? Identify and discuss the three important waves of migration in the United States and place dates and locations on each wave. What caused each of these waves? The first internal migration in the United States occurred in two parts. Identify each part and tell when and where they occurred?
  20. What states in the United States make up the sunbelt? What is the difference between the sunbelt and the snowbelt? What are some other names given to the snowbelt region?
  21. Where is the demographic center of the United States today? What year did the United States make the transition from a rural to an urban nation? What is your proof?
  22. What is meant by the term eco-migration? What problems are occurring in Bandladesh, Vietnam, Spain, sub-Saharan Africa , Yemen and China which is causing a great number of people to be displaced? What unique problems took place in Ethiopia in 2008?
  23. Who is Thomas Malthus? What did he advocate?
  24. What is a Neo-Malthusian. How do they differ from Malthusians?
  25. Who is David Harvey? What did he say was the consequences of adopting Malthus’s approach? What did he say was or were the consequences of adopting Marx’s approach?
  26. Who were the main critics of Malthus? What were the fundamental differences between Godwin’s thesis and Marx and Engels?
  27. What is the primary difference between a population policy and a population program?
  28. At the turn of the century (2000) how many core countries had zero population growth? What was happening in peripheral countries? How many peripheral countries had rates of natural increase (RNI) of 3.0 and above? At that rate of growth, how many years would it take for these countries to double in population?
  29. Discuss some of the current family planning practices in countries like China, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Cuba.
  30. What do demographers say is the relationship between women’s status and fertility? Give examples to support your response. What do successful family-planning programs rely on for their success?
  31. What does the term empowerment of women mean? Why is that so important from a demographic perspective as far as poverty and fertility is concerned?
  32. Identify 8 goals established by the UN Development Program as part of the UN Millennium Summit.
  33. Identify the six countries that will account for half the increase in the world’s population over the next half century. During the next 40 years, what percent of the world’s total growth will take place in the periphery?
  34. Define the Demographic Transition Model. What are the four stages or levels of this model? What type of countries does it fit better and why?
  35. What will the median age be by the year 2050? What is it today?
  36. What is an overseas contract worker?
  37. What is the primary reason population growth is increasing around the world today, particularly third world or peripheral countries?