Unit: population
POPULATION
The population is the number of people who inhabit a particular place.
The population of a place changes continually because of the birth rate, the death rate, emigration, and immigration.
-The birth rate or natural increase is the number of people born in a place every year.
-The death rate or natural decrease is the number of people who die in a place every year.
-The natural growth rate is the difference between the birth and the death rate. it can be positive or negative.
Depending on if there are more people that die (would be negative) or if there are more
people that are born ( would be positive).
We obtain the real growth rate by adding and subtracting immigration and emigration to
the natural growth rate.
Aging population
Population aging is an increasing median age in the population of a region due to declining birth rates and/or rising life expectancy. An increase in longevity raises the average age of the population by increasing the numbers of surviving older people.
Multicultural population
Multiculturalism refers to people of different communities living alongside each other. Different cultures living together: race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or socioeconomic status in society. People need to accept and embrace the differences of others in their lives.
Population of Spain
Spain is a country with great demographic contrast. Between 1990 and 2010, more than
5 million immigrants came to Spain from Central and South America, Eastern Europe and
North Africa. As a result, Spain's population grew to more than 46 million.
The population of Spain has increased a lot because of the decrease in the death rate and an increase in the rate of immigration
SPAIN'S DEMOGRAPHIC CONTRASTS
Spain's geographical diversity is the cause of the great contrasts in the country's population
density.
Mountainous areas have the lowest population density as their geography limits and their
economic activities.
Regions with extensive arable and livestock farming are also sparsely populated because
there is less work available.
On the other hand, population density is high in industrial areas, zones where the service
sector is important and on the coast.
The population density in general
Population density is the average number of people per square kilometer.
-Densely populated areas, (great amount of people) have fertile agricultural lands, mineral resources, developed industries and/or advanced technology.
-Sparsely populated areas (poor amount of people) or demographic deserts usually have adverse conditions that do not attract population, such as mountains, deserts, forests and jungles
Spain currently has an average population density of almost 92 people per square kilometer. This is much lower than most other Western European countries, but it is almost double the average world population density.
Spain's population density is very uneven. The coastal areas are the most densely populated. Inland areas are the most sparsely populated, with the exception of Madrid.
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Distribution of Spanish Population
Madrid is the most densely populated, followed by Barcelona (702 people per square kilometer), Vizcaya (512 people per square kilometer), and Guipúzcoa,
Alicante and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which all have more than 300 people per square kilometer.
The provinces with the lowest population densities are Soria (8.9 people per square
kilometer), Teruel (9.3 people per square kilometer), Cuenca (12 people per square kilometer)
and Huesca (14 people per square kilometer).
Migration is the movement of people from one location to another, to settle temporarily or permanently.
Emigrants are people who leave their country of origin.
Immigrants are people who enter a country that is not their place of origin.
People can migrate for:
- economic,
- social,
- political
- or environmental reasons.
Today, migration is mostly voluntary: people seek better opportunities and living conditions.
However, migration is also sometimes forced: people escape from wars, religious.purposes...
Net migration is the difference between the number of immigrants entering a place and the number of emigrants leaving a place in the course of a year.
Net migration (of a place in a year) = immigrants entering - emigrants leaving
When the result is positive, the population is growing;
When the result is negative, it is falling.
Developed countries usually have positive net migration.
Developing or less-developed countries (for example in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central America) or countries in conflict (such as Syria, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Nigeria) usually have negative net migration.
Between 2000 and 2010 Spain experienced significant economic growth, which attracted about 5 million immigrants from various regions: from Central and South America (for example Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Argentina), from Eastern Europe (for example Romania, Poland, Bulgaria and Ukraine), from Africa (for example Morocco, Algeria, Senegal and Nigeria), and from China.
There was also some immigration from other EU countries, mainly consisting of retired British,
French, German and Italian people who moved to the Mediterranean coast or to Canarias.
Cities attract population because they are the centers of economic activity and employment.
Nowadays, more than half of the world's population lives in cities. In developed countries, this
can be as high as 77%.
These are some of the major trends in migration.
-The European Union: the EU receives immigrants from Africa, Asia, and South America.
They are attracted by economic development, high living standards, political freedom, and
religious tolerance. Europe is currently receiving refugees from war zones such as Syria and
Iraq.
Irregular migration is a migration that is not controlled by the host countries in question. In recent years, irregular migration has reached a record high.
The coast of North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean
The Strait of Gibraltar, the southern coast of Italy and the coasts of Greece and Turkey are
highly frequented irregular migration routes.
Emigrants try to cross borders illegally to escape poor living conditions or war zones such as
Syria and Iraq.
People risk their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea in boats that are dangerously
overloaded with passengers. As a result, the boats often sink and large numbers of people
lose their lives.
The southern border of the United States
This is the route used by Mexicans trying to enter the United States, as well as Central and
South Americans.
The English Channel
This is the frontier between the United Kingdom and the rest of the European continent.
There are many immigrants in Calais (France) looking for any possible means of entering the
UK – one of the preferred destinations for irregular immigrants. They try to cross the channel
running through the tunnel or hiding on different vehicles.
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