Geography, Demography, Malthusian theory and Population structure
The study of people, places and their interaction with the natural environment forms the discipline referred as Geography. The Geographers are mainly scientists and they are interested in exploring the physical properties that constitutes the planet Earth along with exploring the interaction of human societies with the planet. The complexities of the nature are studied in Geography. Broadly, the field is divided into physical geography and human geography. The field also explores the changes that have occurred on the Earth’s surface over a period of time. Since the discipline is considered as a combination of human and physical geography, therefore, it forms a part of both social science (human aspect) and physical science (physical aspects).
The field of Demography mainly deals with the study of human populations using statistical methods. The density, distribution, size and other relevant statistics such as birth rate and death rate forms a vital part of Demographics (Lundquist, Anderton & Yaukey, 2014). Apart from that, the consequences of population explosion, illegal immigration, urban congestion and labour force related statistics are also explored. Hence, it is part of the social sciences (mainly physical anthropology). Contributions in this field have been made by Englishman John Graunt. During the 16th century, Graunt’s work “Natural and Political Observations….Made upon the Bills of Mortality” (1662) included an examination of weekly records regarding baptism and deaths. In his work, the birth-death ratio and male-female ratio in rural communities in London has been estimated.
Malthusian theory is the theory of “exponential population” and it mainly explores population growth along with growth in food supply. The “Essay on the Principle of Population” (1798) has been written by Thomas Robert Malthus and since then, the idea of Malthusianism has gained popularity. According to the theory, a balance between constant food supply and population demands can be met through prevention and positive checks (Smith, 2013).
Lastly, population structure can be defined as the organization created due to genetic variation. The population structure has taken shape due to the combining effects involved in the evolutionary processes. The effects mainly refer to genetic drift, recombination, natural selection and mutation along with demographic history. Therefore, demography plays a vital role in the study of population structure. Age, density, sex and numbers are vital aspects of population structure.
References
Lundquist, J. H., Anderton, D. L., & Yaukey, D. (2014). Demography: the study of human population. Waveland Press.
Smith, K. (2013). The malthusian controversy. Routledge.