Map Analysis

From the map above, it can be noted that sub-Saharan Africa has the highest child mortality rates, in comparison to other regions in Africa (with the exception of Somalia) and in the world. In addition, there are no other countries outside of Africa that have a child mortality rate that is between 100 and 199, thus one could say African countries have greater child mortality rates than other continents. There are a variety of reasons for this. All of these are developing countries, so they still may be struggling with access to healthcare and the likes. Due to this, children can get many diseases like Malaria and die from them. The standards of living in African countries such as Mali and Chad (who have the highest child mortality rates) can’t be compared to those of developed countries, as there are many people who live in rural area’s, shanty towns and camps in Africa that have poor sanitation and hygiene. These countries also suffer from famine and droughts which can greatly contribute to child mortality.

In addition, developed countries such as the United Kingdom, and the United States of America and Australia have very low child mortality rates, which can be considered an indicator of good quality of life, and good healthcare services and systems as well. This positive on these countries Human Development Index as well. Developed nations usually have good access to healthcare and standards os living, so children who die in developed nations, dont die for the same povery related reasons that children in developing countries die from.

It can also be noted that there are no countries in the red zone, which can be considered a good sign, as there are no countries in the world with child mortality rate which is greater or equal to 200, which is somewhat positive.

Activity 2 - Video Critic

POPULATION GROWTH

I chose this particular video for a variety of reasons because I found it to be very simple, facutal and informative. The video was very visual which I found to be exceptionally helpful because you can see the individual growth of each continent and the figures are provided as well.The video simplies the concept of population growth through the glasses, with people coming in and coming out. I found it to be a memorable analogy that will help me remeber important information about population trends in the world such as - China, India and the rest of Asia have always been the largest contributors to our world's population. I found that unlike the other video's provided, this one in particular provided a history that goes all the way back and through the visuals, it allows you to see the growth of every continent individually. If I ever wanted to revise and focus on a particular country in depth, this video would be a helpful study tool because it is such a simple and well explained model. I also have the opportunity to compare and contrast the population growth of different continents, and consider the causes and influences for each continent - how are they the same and how do they differ. Another thing that I like about this video is its simplicity in explaining concepts that may not be so easy to grasp. This is very important as there will be manh topics to cover in IB Geography, and the video will serve me well as a revison tool. I can also watch it for fun as well, as it is very intersting, and I believe intersting things are easy to rememeber and connect with.

In additon, the factors that have contributed to population growth such as better medicine & agriculture were introduced and explained in a simple manner. Its important to know and udnerstand the concepts that influenced population growth way back then as well.The auditory explanation along with the visual aspect make it easy to understand and also intersting to watch and keep up with. I consider myself to a both a visual and auditory learner, so this particular video also works very well with my learning style, and I think that I could also use the diferent colored liquid glasses model to explain to other people how population growth works, which in turn will also help me remeber it fairly well.

Activity 1: Glossary & Map Analysis

. The first activity in Population Growth was definig key terms in population studies. Most of these terms are population statistics, such as population growth rate.

The second part of this activity was to find a map that represented one of the statistics that we learnt about and defined, then analyse the map, and identify trends and patterns.

Click on the map to view the key terms :)

The second activity was to select one video out of 3 that attempt to simply the concept of population growth, and critique that particular video. We are to discuss the strentghs of that video, and why we think it will be a very good revision tool in the future/

Actvitiy 3 - Population Pyramids and the Demopgraphic Transition Model

The third activity was based on the Demographic Transition Model. After watching the video on the left, we were to select three countries with different GDP per Capita and analyze their population pyramids, in order to see where a country is on the Demographic Transition Model. Below is all the information for my chosen countries, Malawi, Malysia and Denmark. Each one is at a different stage of developmennt

Malawi

Malaysia

Triangle Graph

The triange graph to the left indicates the age structure of the three countries I focused on in depth for the population pyramid, which are Denmark, Malaysia and Malawi . The benefits of this graph is that it can depict three different vaiables all together, and one can easily see the relationship between the different age cohorts.

Malawi is a devoloping country that is ranked #186 on the 2014 GDP Per Capita list, which is the very bottom. They have a very high birth and death rate, and a coninously growing population. For further analyis on Malawi's poplation pyramid, my opinion of their place on the Demographic Transition Model, click on the countries population pyramid. :)

Malaysia is still considered a developing country, but one that is doing much better as it is currently ranked #64 on the 2014 GDP per Capita list. With regards to their population pyramid, they have a considerable youth buldge, and high death rates. For an indepth analysis of Malaysia's population pyramid, their place on the Demographic Transtion Model, click on the image of the population pyramid :)

Denmark

Denmark is a developed country which is ranked #6 on the 2014 GDP per Capita list. The country has low birth rares, and their population is slowing down, and living longer. For further analysis on Denmark's population pyramid, depndeny ratio calculations and an analysis of Denmarks place on the Demographic Transition Model, click on the image of the pyramid above :)

Population growth is the fisrt sub-topic of the core unit 'Population's in Transition'. The aim is to get a better understanding of all the relevant terminology with population, and understand the different factors that continbute to increase, and decrease in population.

Activity 4: Overpopulation essay

The final activity in this module was a 500 word essay based on the question "Is Africa Overpopulated?". To do so, we had to evualte different sources, one which stated that Africa is indeed overpopulated, and another which said that Africa is infact underpopulated. We got to evaluate both of their articles and compare and contrast them. Please click on the image to the right to view my essay on this topic :)