geo100 Geography

In the 19^th century French philosopher Auguste Comte famously said, “demography is destiny”. Familiarity with spatial dimensions of population (migration, density, fertility, etc…) is the baseline for human geography. In this light, students are to create a population and migration profile of a country.

Students will randomly be assigned a country and carry out extensive research on population and migration characteristics of that country. Ultimately, this assignment is all about how human population is organized geographically, and why the population is growing or declining.

This assignment/essay will be organized in an essay format and requires some aspects of an argument. You need multiple sources – at least five. Please use APA referencing system with in-text references.

The following content needs to be included:

Explain the following for your country:

· Current population

· Population density

· Five Most populated cities

· RNI

· Doubling Time

· Life expectancy

· Dependency Rate

· Literacy Rate

· Average income

· Population vs. availability of resources

· The stage of the demographic transition model the country is in

· Population policies (current or past)

· Current population related concerns (too big? too small? too old? too young?)

Explain the following migration patterns:

· Current internal or external net migration and explanation

· Push and/or Pull factors for migrants

· Immigration policies

Figures/images to include:

· Population pyramid

· Pick two different types of maps to show population

- for example a dot distribution or cartogram

· Migration map or graph if possible

When writing this essay, it is best to think not so much in terms of answering a question or presenting information and data as of illuminating a problem. To illuminate a problem is to do such things as: explain what the problem is and why it matters; consider different ways of thinking about the problem; construct arguments and counter-arguments; give examples; assess supporting evidence; explore implications; make relevant  connections; and uncover hidden assumptions. So, this population and migration essay should be both analytical and descriptive.

Your essay needs to be more than a summary of other people’s opinions or published data. Some parts of your essay need to have a persuasive argumentative angle.