POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS

Population has the following general characteristics

population density describe the number fof people living in a given area, usually a square kilometer (km). Population densities are often show by means of a choropleth map. Demsotoes are obtanined by dividing the total population of a country by the total area of coutry densities are then grouped into dasses each of which is coloured sigter or darker to reflect lesser or reter density 345.

Population distribution discribe the way in which people are spread out cross the earhis surface. Distribution is un even and are often considerable changes over period of time. Population distribution can be shown by means of number f people, when drawing a dot map there fore it is important to select the best possible distri value and to bear in mind its simitation. (msabila 2003: 2)

Pupulaiton structure, the rate of natural increase the botrh and death rates of a country represents structure, a second important aspect is population this is important becouse the make up of the population by its age and gender together with its life expectancy.

Population dynamic, means that the number of distribution structure and movement ar constantly cange oner time and space also population change over time and space also population changes interms of number it tend to increase in some pleces and decrease in other places.

 LINKS BETWEEN POPULATION GROWITH, USE OF RESOURCES (CAPITAL) AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

            An international team, known collectively as the club of nome, predicted in 1972, through the use of computers that if then rapid trend in population growith and resource utilisation continued. Then a sudden decline in economic growith would occur in the next centruty, Their suggested plans for global equilibrium, for of which have been implemented, included.

a)      The stabilisation of population growith and the use of resources.

b)      An emphasis of food production and conservation.

            At the world population conference in mexico city in 1984 the emphasis was put on takiry positive steps to reduce population growith. Targely through family planning programmes.

            General consensus view particulated the need population strategies in intergration with ther development strategies, by 2005, international organisation were suggesting that high population growith rates were asymptions of povery  not the cause  fo it they clarmed that all the sprding on birth control measures and family planning programmes wer haveing little effect in places where poverty remained the key influence on peoples everyday lives.

                          Ecological fort print

the ecological fort print is a resource management tool that aims to measure the impact of peoples life style upon planet the it alculates how much productive land and sea a human population needs to generate the resource it consumes in order to provide all the food water enery and raw materials required in people’s every day lives. It also calculates how long it takes to absorb and render harnless the waste that hunanity creates or for the ecological balance of renew it self.

 INTEGRATION OF POPULATIN VARIABLES IN DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

1.      INTRODUCTION.

            In the preceding units it has been noted. That population situation in many develovping coutries characterised by hing fertility land mortality levels and consequent high growith rates. In addition, it has been noted that uneven resource distribution and development contribute to migration. The demographic situation in most developing countries, however, is contrary to the level of development. in many coutries rates of economic growith are marginal or negative.

            As it will be shown later, the majority of the developing countries have experienced many problems. These inclued the decline in GDP, food deficits environmental degradation and increasing poveruy, in addition, there are gender concerns that reinforce prectices the couse inequalities between men and women.

            In order to address some of the problesm identified in the previous units there is a need to bring to the front in the planning process some of the issues raised above. Thus there is a need to harmonise economic planning process with the populatin growith process, by integrating population variables into the development planning process.

DEFINING INTEGRATION OF POPULATINON IN DEVELOPMENT PLANNING (IPDP)

According to UNECA (1991), IPDP Inolves incorporating determing the demographic impact of diverse economic and social programmes; and, defing those complementary and specific actions needed to induce increasing balance between demographic dynamecs and economic potential. In effect IPDP implies that demographic variables are taken into account in the elaboration of development plans; formulating population policies within the context of development policies; and intergrating the processes of development and populatin planning with the ultimate goal of eliminating and or minimising povery, unemployment and inequality. Some of the elements that the IPDP process utilises are.

·         Preparing estimates and projections of demographic levels and trends;

·         Examining the demographic and development interrelationships;

·         Conducting research to examine the socio-economic factors influencing populatin change; and

·         Using monitoring and evaluation to analyse the implementation of integration as well as the population policy programme.

Means for integrating population variables into development planning are various. Ekanem, (1997) amd Elame, amd Arowolo (1995) suggest the following steps;

·         Assembnling of data on the indices of population and development for the coutry shoud be assemled and the interrelationships between these;

·         Using an index of population growith as a criterion variable;

·         Other population and development variables to be used as explanatory variablesl and

·         Identification of correlates of population growith and use the correlates for developing strategies for reducing the coutry’s populatin growith rate.

Once this is done policy makers and planners can set achievable targets to be attained during the plan perion as an integral part of an action plan for implementing the policy strategies (ekanem, 1997) the policy maker and planner can use different models to achieve this goal. These include the TMI computer software that, among other things, can study the demographic changes and their implications to socio-economic development. 

In the stubsequent units an attempt is made to describe some of the most important development aspect s and the way they relate to population variables. In each unit key strategies, priority variables and indicators are suggested so as to make planners and policy makers see how population variables can be integrated into development planning. Consequently TMI is introduce, as steted earlier, as one of the models that can show the implications of populatin dynamics on the selected socio-economic sectors

The following are the population variables

Birth rates and fertilite rates.

            Birth rate is the number of births per of the population. Birth rate is a measure of fertility the physiological capacity of a women to concerne and give birth to a child, regardless of whether it is a live birth or a still birth is called fecundity lack of fecility is called ifecundity or wstertility on the other hand. Refers to inability of a women to bear a child and this include those who can not give a birth to a live baby.

Mortality rate and death rates

            Mortality rate is the gecurance of dealth in s population, and is one of the major causes of change int he populatin size, mortality is measured in term of CDR which refers to the number of dealth per year 1000 of the peopulation (Msabila 2003:14).

            CDR is very high in Africa, in the period between 1990-1995 the avarage CDR was 13 per 1000 against the world average of 9 per 1000. In the same period the avarege CDR of asla was a per 1000 and Europe was 10 per 1000.

            In african most contries have a CDR of between per 1000 to 21 per 1000, edxcept in the small is lands such as mauritus reunion and cape verde.

Internal and external migration rates

Internal migration refers to population moverment within a coutry, where as extenal migration involves a movement eccross national boundaries and between countries. External megration, unlike internal movement, affects the population of a country, the migration between the numebr of emigrants (people who leave the coutry) and immitrates (new comers arriving the coutry) countries with a net migration loss lose more through emigration than they gain by immigration and  depending upon the balance between berth and death rates, may have a dedining population. Countries with a net migration gain receive more by immigration than they lose through emigration and so are likely to have an over all population increase.

            Migration laws and a migration models in 1885, E.G, Ravenstein put fowrd seven laws of migration, based on his studies of migration within the uk. These laws stated that

(1)   Most migrants travel short distance and their numbers decrease as distance increases.

(2)   Migration occurs in waves and the vaccum left as one group of people moves out will leter be filled by a crunter, corrent of people moving in.

(3)   The process of dispersion (emigration) is the increse of absorption (immigration)

(4)   Most migration show a two-way movement as people move in and out.

(5)   The longer the journey, the more likely it is that the migrant will end up in a mojar centre of industrial or commerce

(6)   Urban dwellers are less lekely to move than their rurla conterparts

(7)   Female migrates more more than male with their coutry of birth but males are more likely to more further a field.

                                              REFFERNCE.

Barley A. (2005) Making population geography hodder arnold

Browning, K (2002) shanty towns. A south african case study, geography review vol 15 no 5 may

Ekanem, I (1997) R eport of mission to Tanzania, 21-25, 1997.

Ekanem, I and Arowolo, O. O. (994) Populatin and evelopment An integrated approach, thrd Press. New Rochelle.

Msabila T. D (2003) An integrated regional study on Human and economic geography advanced level paper 2, Nyamhari Nyangwine publisher, Dar, And Tanzania.

Storey, D 92006) peo;e on the move, refugees and asylum seekers. Gergraphy review vol 19 or 5 (may)

UNECA, (1991), Manual for the integration of populating variables into development plans in african countries, ECA/POP/TP/91/1 (1. 1 (ii)