Population composition
Population composition
The world's population is very heterogeneous. It varies by gender, age, ethnicity, religious preference, and so on. All this makes it possible to talk about the composition and structure of the population of the countries of the world. A more detailed consideration of these issues will highlight the heterogeneity of the population according to certain characteristics, as well as get an idea of the existing relationships between groups of people.
The gender, age, ethnic, and religious composition of the population are distinguished
.
Sex composition
population characterizes the ratio between the number of female and male populations in a particular country in the world. It is estimated that for every 100 girls in the world, from 104 to 107 boys are born, but by the age of twenty the ratio between them evens out. First of all, this is due to the increased mortality of boys in infancy and the greater susceptibility of males to various diseases. Further, in different countries of the world, the formation of the gender composition of the population proceeds in different ways.
In most countries of the world, women predominate in the gender composition of the population, although there are approximately 40 million more men than women in the world. The predominance of women is explained by the fact that their average life expectancy is longer than the average life expectancy of men, and in some regions of the world, for example, in Foreign Europe and the CIS countries, the predominance of women is associated with the losses of the male population during the First and Second World Wars. In Latin America, Australia and Oceania, the gender ratio is approximately the same, but in Asian countries, especially in East, South and South-West, men predominate in the gender structure of the population. There are several reasons for this. First, these regions contain the most populated countries in the world. Secondly, a significant part of the workforce here consists of immigrant men (especially in the oil-producing countries of South-West Asia). Thirdly, the long-standing degraded position of women in this region (early age of marriage, early childbearing in conditions of poverty, illness).
Age composition
of a population shows the relationship between its different age groups. There are several approaches to identifying age groups. Thus, according to the United Nations, the age group is as follows: from 0 to 14 years old - children, from 15 to 65 years old - the working population, over 65 years old - elderly people.
Age groups are also distinguished according to reproductive characteristics. Then the entire population is divided into the following ages: from 0 to 15 years - children, from 16 to 49 years - the generation of parents, and from 50 years and older - the generation of grandparents. In different regions of the world the ratio between these groups is different. For example, in countries belonging to the first type of reproduction, as a rule, “aging of the nation”
, i.e. The share of elderly people in the age structure of the population is greater than the share of children. In countries of the second type of reproduction, on the contrary, the share of children in the age structure is much higher than the share of older people.
Based on the ability to work, the following age groups are distinguished: from 0 to 15 years - pre-working age, from 16 to 54 (59) years - working age, and from 55 (60) years - post-working age.
Age groups of the population
However, this division is quite arbitrary, since the beginning and end of working age are different in different countries of the world. For example, in England and Canada, working age begins at 15 years, and in Mexico and Portugal - at 12 years. In most European countries, the end of working age is 60-65 years. And, for example, in a country like Ireland, the retirement age is 66 years. Due to the current demographic and economic situation in these countries, a further increase in the retirement age cannot be ruled out. That part of the working-age population that participates in the production and non-production spheres is called the economically active population
. The share of such a population varies in different regions of the world. Its highest indicator is in Russia, as well as the countries of North America (about 70%), the lowest these indicators are in the countries of Africa and Latin America (only 50%), since these are the most economically backward countries with a large share of children in the age structure. The age-sex structure of the population is clearly shown by age-sex pyramids.
Age and sex pyramids
Ethnic composition
The population is characterized by its division into ethnic groups.
Ethnicity
is historically formed social groups of people that are united by territory, language, economy, culture, traditions and national identity. Currently, there are approximately 4-5 thousand ethnic groups in the world. The main characteristics used in their classification are the number of peoples and common language.
Based on their numbers, all nations can be divided into large and small. Large nations include the Chinese, of whom there are more than 1 billion 300 million, Arabs, Hindustanis, Americans, and Bengalis. Along with them, there are also peoples in the world whose number does not exceed hundreds of people. For example, the number of Pitcairn
is only 60 people, and the number of
Kereks
living in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug region is even less. According to the latest census, their number is only 4 people.
more than 2000 languages in the world
.
The classification of peoples on this basis is based on the principle of their kinship. So, for example, for the group of Romance languages of Southern Europe the ancestor was the Latin language, and for the Eastern Slavs - the Old Russian language. According to the degree of proximity, all languages are united into families and groups. language families
are distinguished : Indo-European language family (the most common), Sino-Tibetan, Niger-Kordofanian, Afroasiatic, Austronesian and so on.
Language families
In addition, according to the characteristics of their ethnic composition, mononational, binational and multinational countries of the world are distinguished. Mononational countries are those countries in the world in which 9/10 of the population are people of the same nationality. These are Belarus, Ukraine, the Baltic countries, Finland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Egypt.
Features of the ethnic composition
Binational countries around the world are home to two ethnic groups. There are quite a few such countries. This is Belgium, Canada.
Features of the ethnic composition
Most countries in the world are multinational, in which, along with the predominance of one nation, there are a significant number of national minorities, or peoples of different national compositions live within the same country. These are Russia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Philippines, Mozambique and so on. However, the existing rather complex national composition of the population in such countries leads to the emergence of a number of interethnic problems. Let us recall such separatist regions of the world as the Transnistrian Republic in Moldova, or Catalonia in Spain.
Features of the ethnic composition
Speaking about the religious composition of the population
, we mean the composition of the population by religion, by its religious affiliation.
Unlike other types of population composition, the religious composition does not refer to all parts of the population, but only to the believer. Based on how widespread a particular world religion is among the population, it is customary to divide them into world and national religions
.
World religions are those that are widespread among the peoples of different continents. These include Christianity, Islam and Buddhism
. The most widespread world religion is Christianity. It is professed by about 2 billion 300 million people. Christianity includes several movements: Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism. The vast majority of Christians live in America and Europe.
The world's second largest religion is Islam. This religion is professed by approximately 1 billion 200 million – 1 billion 600 million people. Like Christianity, Islam also has several movements: Sunnism and Shiism. This religion is most widespread in Asia, as well as on the African continent.
Buddhism ranks third. The number of its adherents ranges from 350 million to 500 million people. Buddhism is divided into Hinayana and Mahayana movements. This religion is most widespread in the countries of East and Southeast Asia.
National religions include those religions that, as a rule, are widespread within one country or have a small number of adherents. Such religions include Hinduism, Shintoism, Judaism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
Religions of the world
However, unfortunately, in many countries of the world, not only interethnic but also religious conflicts often arise, leading to the emergence of “hot spots”, new wars and bloodshed.
Let's summarize.
The gender, age, ethnic, and religious composition of the population are distinguished.
The gender composition of the population characterizes the ratio between the number of female and male population. Currently, most countries in the world have a female-dominated population.
The age composition of the population gives an idea of the ratio of age groups of the population. Conventionally, there are three age groups: pre-working age, working age, post-working age.
Ethnic composition is the division of the population into ethnic groups. They are classified according to population size and common language.
In terms of religious composition, all religions of the world are divided into world ones (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism) and national ones.
Open lesson A scattering of open problems on the topic: “World population”, grade 10
Scatterings of open problems on the topic: “World population”.
Grade 10
Objectives: This game is played in the course “Economic and Social Geography of the World” after studying the topic “World Population”. It allows you to repeat the topic material in a playful way and arouses great interest among students. Problems of varying complexity are used, requiring a short monosyllabic answer, or, conversely, reasoning. Students’ knowledge in other academic subjects and simply their life experience, albeit small for now, are also involved.
Equipment: atlases, interactive visual aid “Political Map of the World”.
Lesson type: TRIZ (theory of solving inventive problems).
During the classes
Organizing time.
Students in the class are divided into groups. You should set yourself the goal of finding a way to solve all problems in one and simple way.
I. Warm-up.
1. Name the countries located in two parts of the world at the same time.
Answer: Russia and Türkiye.
2. In which European country can you not worry about an unexpectedly broken tooth? Why?
Answer: Principality of Liechtenstein. In the city of Shan back in 1933. On the basis of the porcelain factory arose, which produces porcelain teeth and dentures. Therefore, while in Liechtenstein, you don’t have to worry about a suddenly lost tooth.
3. What cities and states do you know?
Answer: Vatican. Monaco is a principality consisting of three cities - Monaco, Monte Carlo, La Condamine.
4. Which city in Europe is located on 118 islands? (Venice).
5. Which countries do not have villages? Which countries don't have cities? Answer: Vatican. Monaco, no villages. There are no cities in Nauru and Palau.
Which country has the name of the hydrocarbon? (Kingdom of Bhutan)
6. Name the most significant export product of the Kingdom of Bhutan.
Answer: Postage stamp. Local residents are proud that their country introduced people to 3D stamps, miniatures on thin foil and silk, sometimes with a scent and sound design. The country brings in annual income of 150 thousand dollars.
7. Which island looks like a crocodile? (Island of Cuba).
8. Which island “floats” on the asphalt? (Trinidad. Industrial mining of natural asphalt is organized around the island of Peach Lake).
9. What name do the five namesake cities located in Ukraine, Romania, Canada, the USA and Egypt bear? (Alexandria).
II. solving .
I distribute tasks (selectively).
1. THE PROBLEM OF THE KINGDOM OF TONGA.
Tonga is a small island state in Oceania near the one hundred and eightieth meridian. It is separated from the more famous state of Western Samoa only by a relatively small strait. Tonga is a fairly modern country. It even has its own constitution. It states that the state religion of Tonga is Methodism (one of the areas of Baptistism). However, about 30% of the population are Seventh-day Adventists. And between them and the Methodists, however, about 30% of the population are Seventh-day Adventists. And conflicts constantly arise between them and the Methodists. How can these conflicts be resolved?
This is a typical intercultural problem. Students will make different suggestions. The fact is that in such a formulation the problem is insoluble. And primarily because we do not know what the conflict is. Let's imagine that before us are two Tongans - a Methodist and an Adventist. What will they tell us? Most likely, they will start with mutual accusations of all mortal sins. But, basically, there is no conflict. He is not there on Monday, or Tuesday, or even Friday. It starts on Saturday.
TASK. The Kingdom of Tonga is a small island state in Oceania near the one hundred and eightieth meridian. It is separated from the more famous state of Western Samoa only by a relatively small strait. Tonga is a fairly modern country. It even has its own constitution. It states that the state religion of Tonga is Methodism (one of the areas of Baptistism). According to the norms of Methodism - and this is written in the constitution - the day off is Sunday. However, about 30% of the population are Seventh-day Adventists. And according to their rules, their day off is Saturday. Many household and industrial problems arise. Taking two days off is unacceptable for either religious or economic reasons. What should I do? This problem can already be solved. Because this is a typical open task. And it is solved, like all open problems, using resources. If you remember, Tonga is located near the 180 meridian, that is, the date line. And beyond this line is Western Samoa. So Togan Adventists live according to the Samoan calendar. And when Sunday comes for Methodists, for Adventists it is Saturday for them to rest. This is how Tongans have lived for more than half a century. So, inside the insoluble cultural problem lay a completely solvable task. 2. INHERITANCE. One young man’s very rich parents, who had recently lived apart, died. The mother's will stated that her inheritance would be transferred to her son under two conditions:
1) If he marries before the age of 20.
2) If he fulfills his father's will.
The father wrote that he was transferring all his millions to his son under two conditions:
1) If he marries after 20 years.
2) If he fulfills his mother's will.
The heir was horrified. He won't get a penny! In addition, according to the laws of his country, you cannot get married on your birthday, which should be in a week. On June 2 he turned 20 years old! Having learned about his grief, a school friend, a geographer, came to him and helped the heir become a millionaire.
How could this happen?
Answer: When ships cross the International Date Line (180° longitude, in the Pacific Ocean). The wedding yacht dropped anchor on June 1 exactly on the 180° meridian. Exactly at midnight, the newlyweds got married. The bow of the yacht faced the west, so it was already June 3 at the bow, and June 1 at the stern. Thus, there were two dates on the ship at once. The groom was both nineteen and twenty years old.
3. THE BEDOUIN PROBLEM.
The birth of a son is a real holiday for Bedouins. In honor of this event, a sheep is supposed to be slaughtered and a feast is held. However, if the child’s father is away at that moment (and this is a frequent occurrence, the Bedouins are a nomadic people), preparations for the celebration are in jeopardy. If the feast is not organized, the mother and child will be covered in shame for life.
How to preserve the good name of a woman and her son?
In this form, this problem is insoluble. But we already know what to do. Let's ask the Bedouins about the essence of the matter. And it turns out that the whole point is that slaughtering a sheep is a purely male matter; it is simply indecent for a woman to do it. But it is equally indecent to address any other man. The task becomes concrete, and therefore solvable.
TASK. The birth of a son is a real holiday for Bedouins. In honor of this event, a sheep is supposed to be slaughtered and a feast is held. However, if the child’s father is away at that moment, then there is no one to slaughter the sheep - this is a purely male matter, a woman has no right to do this. It is also indecent to turn to other men for help. How to slaughter a sheep?
You need a man - and there is one. This is a newborn son. To slaughter a sheep, he lacks only strength and skill. But the mother has them! And in such cases, Bedouin women put a knife in the child’s hand and use that hand to slaughter a sheep.
4. TASK Leaving Buenos Aires, according to Argentinean concepts, you can travel from one capital to another, which is sometimes called the “city of diagonals.” How in one country, after leaving the capital, can you return to another city, also the capital?
It is not surprising, traveling along the highway from Buinos Aires, after only 60 km. You can get to another capital - the city of La Plata. The first city is the capital of the country, La Plata, the administrative center of the province of Buines Aires, in which this city is located. La Plata is a relatively young city. He is just over 100 years old. The city was built according to a clearly defined plan and from above it very much resembles a chess field. The streets here are marked with numbers, and some effort is required to find the way to the desired house. A well-known landmark of the city is the Museum of Natural Sciences, which houses unique collections of flora and fauna of the American continent, past and present.
5. MEAT-EATERS AND VEGETARIANS
There were two Indian settlements. One was meat eaters, the other was vegetarian.
Why? Some ate meat, others plant foods.
Answer: Meat eaters were warriors, they had to be well fed. And vegetarians raised livestock to feed the warriors well.
6. PLUMS OF SMOKE
Among the Dalavar Indians, the pipe was used at every important moment. Where did the first five puffs of smoke go?
Answer: The first to earth or to heaven (they worshiped all gods).
The rest to the cardinal directions (so that higher powers send a favorable wind).
7. BLACK FACES.
Among the Indians there were those whose entire face was painted black with charcoal, and sometimes only stripes.
In what case completely? In what case with stripes?
Answer: Mourning for relatives; fully colored if parents have died; stripes of distant relatives.
8. Name the most significant export product of the Kingdom of Bhutan.
Answer: Postage stamp. Local residents are proud that their country introduced people to 3D stamps, miniatures on thin foil and silk, sometimes with a scent and sound design. The country brings in annual income of 150 thousand dollars. 9. PIES
The Indians built birch bark pies. WHY?
Answer: Birch bark is light and durable. It could be easily carried, and could also hold a lot of people.
10. RUSSIAN NAME
As you know, all original Russian (full) female names end in “A” or “Z”: Anna, Olga, Maria, etc. However, there is only one female name that does not end in either “A” or “ I". Name it. Answer: Love.
11. NAME THE COUNTRY.
The legend says that God collected all the material that was superfluous during the creation of the Earth and dumped it in the farthest corner of the planet. This is how an amazing country arose. It stretches along the ocean at the foot of high mountains. Frequent and strong earthquakes change the outlines of its coasts and the appearance of its landscapes. Here you can see fjords and labyrinthine straits among islands, like in Norway, glaciers, like in Switzerland, tropical deserts where not a drop of rain falls for years, and dense temperate forests. What country is it?
Answer: Chile. Andes. Atacama.
12.Name the most significant export product of the Kingdom of Bhutan.
Answer: Postage stamp. Local residents are proud that their country introduced people to 3D stamps, miniatures on thin foil and silk, sometimes with a scent and sound design. The country brings in annual income of 150 thousand dollars.
13.Follow the guys’ conversation carefully and answer the last question. — Is this country located in the eastern hemisphere?
- No. – Is it located on the North American continent?
- No.
— Is there an important geographical object of great international significance located on the territory?
- No. — Is it crossed by the equator?
- Yes.
— Does this country owe its name to him?
- No. — Is it the largest country in South America?
- No. — What country are we talking about? Answer: This is Colombia.
14. The Old World gave the world almost all domesticable animals, all types of cereals suitable for cultivation (except one); The New World, or America, of all the domesticable mammals - only the llama, and of all the cultivated cereals, only one - maize (corn). But in Australia we cannot name a single mammal domesticated by humans. Australia has not given humanity a single cultivated plant. Why?
Answer: Before the arrival of Europeans, the aborigines of Australia did not know agriculture and cattle breeding, but were engaged only in hunting and collecting wild edible plants. That is why Australia did not give the world either cultivated plants or domestic animals.
15. PRECIOUS ICE.
Many American cities fly in ice from Greenland. It is extracted from mines there by polar miners. This ice is immediately sold out, although it is not cheap. Why do you think people buy ice? Answer: Ice is used as a source of drinking water. It does not contain nitrates and other harmful impurities.
16. IN THE NAMIB DESERT. In the Namib Desert in June, a lost traveler sees a shadow cast in front of him. In what direction does he need to move to reach the nearest ocean coast?
Answer: A lost traveler on a June afternoon sees his own shadow in front of him. This means that the Sun is behind it, i.e., north of the Namib Desert. Consequently, the traveler was walking south and, to get to the shore of the nearest ocean - the Atlantic, he needed to turn west (to the right).
17. LAWN GAMES
One American farmer was haunted by his neighbor's children. They chose the lawn in front of his house for their noisy games. The constant running and screaming drove the farmer crazy. The first thing he did was yell at the boys. The result was zero, the “atrocities” continued. Then the farmer changed tactics. He invited the guys into the house, treated them to sweets and made an agreement with them. After a few days, peace reigned on the farm. What did the farmer offer the guys?
Answer: The farmer said sincerely: “I’m so glad, boys, that you are playing in front of my house. I'm already old, and I'm so pleased to look at you. Please come to my house every day and play. For this I will pay everyone 20 cents.” The boys happily agreed, and the games continued the next day. But after a couple of days, the farmer called the children again and said: “The boys, grumbling, went away. But the next day they came to work off their wages. True, without the same enthusiasm. Then the farmer told the boys: “I’m a little tight, so I’ll have to reduce your salary to 5 cents.” - “Well, no, old man!” For such pennies, run around your own lawn!” From that day on, peace reigned on the farm.
18. Justify the construction “from scratch” of the new capital of Nigeria - Abuja.
Answer: The decision to move the capital here was a kind of political compromise between the tribal communities of the northern and southern parts of the country.
19. Many bays, straits and islands have made the country’s coastline the longest in the world. What country is it?
Answer: Canada
20. Why is Ireland called the “Emerald Isle”.
Answer: The reason for this figurative name was the emerald color of the meadows covering most of the island, which, in a temperate oceanic climate (average temperature in January 5°-8° C, July 14-16° C) are green almost all year round. 21. Why in cafes and restaurants in Taiwan is an ordered bottle of vodka served with a tag attached to the neck and a tape with half-centimeter divisions attached?
Answer: In Taiwan, it is believed that even a group of people cannot drink a bottle of vodka in one evening. Therefore, before the customers leave, the waiter will note the volume and write down the customer's name and order date on the cue ball so that the next time the person can have the same bottle on his table again.
22. Every joke has some truth. Brazilians joke that “the fastest, cheapest and easiest way to see abroad is a trip to Sao Paulo.” What reason do they have to joke like that?
Answer: Sao Paulo, the largest city in South America, is distinguished by unimaginable ethnic diversity. No wonder. The city has the largest Japanese community outside Japan and the largest Portuguese community outside Portugal. There are large Italian, German, Jewish, Arab communities here, preserving their traditions, having their own restaurants and newspapers. The flow of immigrants does not dry up, although the authorities are making efforts to curb it. Therefore, visiting different parts of Sao Paulo is like traveling around the world.
23. This European state exports only spring water from its commercial products; its indigenous inhabitants speak the language of one of the peoples of the Old World and, since medieval times, have annually paid symbolic tribute to the leaders of the northern and southern border countries. Identify this peculiar country.
Answer: Republic of Andorra. Since time immemorial, its people have been paying a formally symbolic “indemnity” to the President of France and the Bishop of Spain as a territory of a dual protectorate, although in fact an independent state. There is no army, unemployment, railways, airports, large industry.
24. There is only one place in the world where free import of gold is allowed. What is the name of this place and where is it located?
Answer: The former tiny Portuguese colony of Manao, or Macau (today included in China), picturesquely located on the shores of the South China Sea, is a unique place in the world where gold can be freely imported with almost no restrictions. It is delivered there completely openly, its weight amounts to hundreds of tons. Both officially authorized organizations and numerous smugglers are actively involved in the gold trade. In local banks and shops, those interested can freely purchase gold bars and gold coins.
25. This city-state has the world's smallest income tax (17%), the largest Buddha statue, and the largest number of ultra-expensive hand-built Rolls-Royce cars per 1,000 population. Where is this city located?
Answer: Hong Kong (Hong Kong). Officially, in the summer of 1997, he returned to China.
Theses
An educational game in the form of TRIZ is carried out in the course “Economic Social Geography of the World” after studying the topic “World Population”. It uses tasks and questions of varying complexity that require a short monosyllabic answer or, conversely, reasoning. Cognitive game in this form allows you to broaden your horizons, promotes the development of interest in the subject and erudition.
