Dossier of Activities for Globla Classrooms

1. Global Classrooms
Dossier for the Population Project
Countries:
Portugal, Honduras, Uzbekistan, South Korea and Madagascar.
Research about your country:
In this dossier you will find information for your project
1)Factors for Population Distribution
2)Population Rates
Ways to measure the birth rate:
1) Birth rate: relates the number of births in one year to the total population and
it is expressed as a number per thousand
High: more than 30‰
Medium: Between 20 and 30‰
Low: Less than 20‰

2. Birth Rate = Number of Births x 1000 ‰
Total Population
2) Fertility Rate: indicates the average number of children per woman. For one
generation to replace itself, a fertility rate of at least 2.1 children per woman
High: more than 3.5 children
Medium: Between 2.1 and 3.5 children
Low: Less than 2 children
Measures of mortality rate:
1. Death rate: relates the number of deaths in one year with the total
population and is expressed as a number per thousand
High: more than 15‰
Medium: Between 10 and 15‰
Low: Less than 10‰
Mortality Rate (Death rate) = Number of Deaths x 1000 ‰
Total Population
2. Infant mortality rate: relates the number of children who die before
reaching one years old with the total number of births that year, and is
expressed as a number per thousand
High: more than 50‰
Medium: Between 25 and 50‰
Low: Less than 25‰
Infant Mortality Rate = Number of infant deaths (children under one year old) x 1000 ‰
Total number of births that year
3. Life Expectancy: relates the number of years that all members of a
population live with the number of individuals that make up this population
Long: more than 70 years
Medium: Between 60 and 70 years
Short: Less than 60 years
Measures of Natural Growth:
1) Absolute growth:
Natural growth = Total number of births – total number of deaths
Growth is either rapid, slow, stagnant (not moving) or negative (population
is shrinking instead of growing)

3. 3) Reasons (for explaining population rates)
LEDC'S MEDC'S
- High birth rate (20 – 30 ‰ )
- High death rate (over 15 ‰ )
- High infant mortality rate (>30 ‰)
- Short life expectancy (47 – 70)
- High fertility rate ( 3 – 4 or more)
- Rapid growth (15 – 21‰)
- Stage 2 or 3 of Demographic
Transition Model.
- Expansive population pyramid.
- Low birth rate (10 – 15‰)
- Low death rate (under 10 ‰)
- Low infant mortality rate (under 10 ‰)
- Long life expectancy (80 years old)
- Low fertility rate (< 2)
- Slow growth (1 – 2 – 3 ‰)
- Even zero growth or natural decrease
(negative growth rate)
- Stage 4 (or 5) of Demographic
Transition Model.
- Stationary (or constrictive) Population
Pyramid.
REASONS/FACTORS REASONS/FACTORS
High Birth Rate and High Fertility Rate:
- Religious beliefs.
- Lack of family planning
- Lack of education.
- Need for workers in agriculture.
- Children are considered an investment
for the future.
High Death Rate and High Infant Mortality
Rate:
- Bad health conditions.
o Disease, famine
o Lack of clean water and sanitation
o Limited food supply
- Lack of wealth.
- Poor diet.
- Not reliable food/water supply.
- Political instability.
- War.
Low Birth Rate and Low Fertility Rate
- Better education
- Secular ideas.
- Family planning.
- Improvements in contraceptive
technology.
- Changes in values about children.
- Rising costs of dependent children to a
family.
- Parents need fewer children.
- Working women (improved status of
women)
- Later marriages.
Low Death Rate and Low Infant Mortality Rate:
- Better health conditions.
o Vaccinations.
o Improved hygiene.
o Improved sanitation.
o Pre-natal care.
- More Hospitals and Doctors
- Improved quality and quantity of food
- Rich and varied diet
- Great amount of wealth

4. 4) Population Pyramid
There are three types of population pyramids. What is the shape of the population pyramid of your
country?
Expansive
Expansive population pyramids are used to describe populations that are young and growing. They
are often characterized by their typical ‘pyramid’ shape, which has a broad base and narrow top.
Expansive population pyramids show a larger percentage of the population in the younger age
cohorts, usually with each age cohort smaller in size than the one below it. These types of
populations are typically representative of developing nations, whose populations often have high
fertility rates and lower than average life expectancies.
Stationary
Stationary, or near stationary, population pyramids are used to describe populations that are not
growing. They are characterized by their rectangular shape, displaying somewhat equal percentages
across age cohorts that taper off toward the top. These pyramids are often characteristic of
developed nations, where birth rates are low and overall quality of life is high.
Constrictive
Constrictive population pyramids are used to describe populations that are elderly and shrinking.
Constrictive pyramids can often look like beehives and typically have an inverted shape with the
graph tapering in at the bottom. Constrictive pyramids have smaller percentages of people in the
younger age cohorts and are typically characteristic of countries with higher levels of social and
economic development, where access to quality education and health care is available to a large
portion of the population.