CAIE IGCSE Geography 0460 Theory Notes

Theme 1: Population and Settlement

Population Dynamics

• World Population Growth: Increasing daily.
• Overpopulation: More people than available resources.
• Underpopulation: Fewer people than available resources.
• Optimum Population: Balance between population and resources.

Keywords

• Birth Rate: Average live births per 1000 people.
• Death Rate: Average deaths per 1000 people.
• Natural Increase: Birth rate minus death rate.

Causes and Impacts

• Overpopulation Causes: High birthrate, low death rate, lack of family planning, low education, high infant mortality, religious beliefs.
• Underpopulation Causes: Low birthrate, high death rate, increased family planning, high education, low infant mortality.
• Impacts: Resource scarcity, unemployment, environmental degradation, aging population.

Population Change

• Migration: Movement from one place to another.
• Natural Change: Birth rate minus death rate.

Migration

• Keywords: Migration, Immigrants, Emigrants, Net Migration.
• Types: Internal, International, Temporary, Permanent, Involuntary, Voluntary, Refugees, Asylum Seekers.
• Reasons:
  • Push Factors: Unemployment, war, pollution.
  • Pull Factors: Job opportunities, better living standards.

Impacts

• Country of Origin: Less pressure on resources, brain drain.
• Country of Destination: Labour shortage solutions, cultural diversity.
• Migrants: Job opportunities, cultural challenges.

Population Structure

• Keywords: Ageing population, dependent population.
• Population Pyramid: Graph showing age and sex distribution.

Implications

• Dependents: Impact on economy, healthcare, and education.

Population Density & Distribution

• Keywords: Density, sparsely populated, densely populated.
• Factors:
  • Physical: Climates, relief, disasters.
  • Economic: Job opportunities, infrastructure.
  • Social & Political: Crime rates, government stability.

Settlements and Service Provision

Settlement Patterns

• Types: Isolated, linear, nucleated.
• Factors Influencing Settlements: Water supply, building materials, defensive sites.

Hierarchy of Settlements

• Hierarchy: Based on population, services, number of settlements.

Urban Settlements

• Central Business District (CBD): High land prices, central location.
  • Land Uses: Retail, transport, industry.

Urban Growth

• Challenges: Overcrowding, pollution, crime.
• Urbanisation: Driven by rural-urban migration, better opportunities.

Squatter Settlements

• Characteristics: High density, poor infrastructure, lack of legal claims.

Theme 2: The Natural Environment

Note: Due to space limitations, only Theme 1 is covered here. Theme 2 was not included in the provided transcript.