Geography of population 1

1. Geography of population 1 Generalities

2. Key notions • Human beings in geography • Demography • Population geography • Population dynamics

3. Individual body Society Environment spirit soul Human beings in geography

4. Demography • Greek ’demos‘ = the people • Demography = description of the people, i.e. the science of population • A-spatial • Theoretical and quantitative study of the population and its dynamics

5. Population geography • The spatial and temporal differentiation of the population and its dynamics • Study at various scales (from global to local) • Investigations into the consequences of structures and processes

6. Population dynamics • Natural change (births and deaths) • Migrations • Related social phenomena (marriage patterns, family structures) and cultural background

7. Data sources • Censuses (regular) • Micro-censuses (regular sampling) • Registration (place of residence) • Sample surveys (irregular)

8. Data presentation • Use of various communication modes: - Numeracy (tables) - Graphicacy (graphs, maps) - Literacy (written interpretation) - Articulacy (oral presentation)

9. Commonplace statements • The following information is common knowledge and must not be emphasized • However, it has to be emphasized as we have to be conscious of its implications • In particular, the informative value of certain figures must always be questioned • Statistics are not objective but depend on subjective definitions

10. Quantitative aspects • Absolute data • Relative data - percentage - rates (birth rate, mortality rate etc.) - densities • Balance (migration, natural dynamics)

11. Total number of inhabitants in a country Number of births and deaths Total number of migrants in a year Etc. Natural balance: births minus deaths Migration balance: immigration minus emigration Migration volume: the sum of immigration and emingration Absolute data and balance

12. 1000 immigrants 990 emigrants Balance: + 10 100 immigrants 90 emigrants Balance: +10 1000 immigrants 990 emigrants Volume: 1990 100 immigrants 90 emingrants Volume: 190 Migration balance and volume The two are therefore complementary

13. Population definitions 1 • Prior to a census, the population to be counted has to be defined according to certain categories • Socio-cultural (religion, language, ...) • Socio-economic (activity, status, ...) • Demographic (age, sex, ethnicity, ...) • Every country has ist own way of doing it and its own problems with coming to grips with this problem

14. Population definitions 2 • Switzerland: the four national languages are set on the questionnaires (German, French, Italian, Romansh), other languages have to be specified • Age groups: some countries define 0-4, 5-9, 10-14, etc., others 0-1, 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, etc. (non comparable internationally)

15. Population definitions 3: the case of South Africa since 1865 • 1865: European, Kafir, Hottentot, other • 1904: European, Kafir and Bechuana, Fingo, Hottentot, Malay, mixed and other • 1951: White, native, coloured, Cape Malay, Asiatic • 2001: White, African/black, coloured, Indian/ Asian, unspecified and other (simplified from Christopher, 2002)

16. Problems with definitions • Political background (who is called what?) • Comparability (in space and time) • Reliability of data (credibility of respondents) • Subjectivity (perspective of the interviewer)

17. Warnings Statistics are the raw material for scientific investigation. Compiling statistics is not a scientific work, although behind there may be scientific reasoning. Statistical data are never absolutely correct. They have been defined and compiled by humans, and errors can always occur.