AP Human Geography : Geographical Analysis of Population

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Human Geography

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Example Questions

Example Question #21 : Geographical Analysis Of Population

Population density is a measure of the number of people that live in a given geographical area.  The United States population is now approximately 320 million.  The land area of the United States is approximately 9 million square kilometers.

Which of the following answers best approximates the population density of the United States?

Possible Answers:

40 persons per square kilometer

35 persons per square kilometer

30 persons per square kilometer

25 persons per square kilometer

38 persons per square kilometer

Correct answer:

35 persons per square kilometer

Explanation:

The population density of the United States is closest to 35 persons per square kilometer. To arrive at this answer choice, divide the population of the US (320 million people) by the geographic land area of the US (9 million kilometers).

320 million people /9 million square km = 35.56 or approximately 35 persons per square km.

Example Question #1 : Composition

In 2014, which of the following countries had the largest Muslim population?

Possible Answers:

Indonesia

Saudi Arabia

Iran

India

China

Correct answer:

Indonesia

Explanation:

In 2014, Indonesia had the largest Muslim population in the world. With more than 200,000 Muslims residing there, Indonesia was home to more than twelve percent of the world's Muslim population at the time.

Example Question #2 : Composition

In 2013, which of the following countries was the birth place of the largest share of the United States of America's foreign-born immigrant population?

Possible Answers:

Vietnam

China

Mexico

India

Canada

Correct answer:

Mexico

Explanation:

In 2013, Mexico was the birthplace of the largest share of the United States of America's foreign born immigrant population, accounting for almost one-fourth of America's total foreign-born population.

Example Question #3 : Composition

Which of the following would create a population pyramid in which the age 20 to 30 demographic range was much larger than any of the other demographic ranges?

Possible Answers:

A population with a high birth rate

A population with a birth rate that had radically declined in the past two years

A population with a low birth rate

A college town

A retirement community

Correct answer:

A college town

Explanation:

This population pyramid would portrays the population of a college town. The large population within the 20 to 30 population group shows the presence of a university. A retirement community would have almost no one under the age of 55. Populations with high birth rates have pyramids with large bases, while populations with low birth rates are shaped like rectangles.

Example Question #2 : Composition

What would the population pyramid for a college town look like?

Possible Answers:

Mostly homogenous/even like a rectangle

None of these answers accurately describe the makeup of a college town.

A larger than average distribution of males and females around the age of 20

A triangle with its point pointing down

A triangle with its point facing up

Correct answer:

A larger than average distribution of males and females around the age of 20

Explanation:

College towns have a higher population of males and females around the age of 20. There will be other age groups living in the town, but most of its population will be centered around that age. 

Example Question #4 : Composition

How often does the U.S. government conduct a national census?

Possible Answers:

Biannually

Every 100 years

Every 25 years

Annually

Every 5 years

Correct answer:

Every 5 years

Explanation:

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts a census every 5 years, in years ending in "2" and "7." This census, authorized by Title 13 in the U.S. Code, requires participation of all state and local governments in the United States. The first national census occurred in 1957.

Example Question #22 : Geographical Analysis Of Population

In a country like Italy, with an aging population, the dependency ratio is __________.

Possible Answers:

remaining fairly stable

impossible to predict

unsustainable

shrinking

growing

Correct answer:

growing

Explanation:

The dependency ratio of a country reflects the number of people in a country whose labor supports the rest of the country that is incapable of working. It is usually determined by adding the number of retired people and children on one side, and the number of working adults on the other. In a country where the population is aging, like Italy and much of Northern Europe, the dependency ratio is growing as fewer and fewer people are supporting more and more retirees. Some geographers would argue that this is “unsustainable,” but there is as of yet insufficient evidence to conclusively say this is true.

Example Question #2 : Implications Of Density & Distribution

While people in developed countries tend to blame overpopulation for the environmental problems of the world, people in the developing world tend to blame __________.

Possible Answers:

inefficient agricultural and industrial production

underpopulation

the disproportionate consumption of resources by the developed world

the declining emphasis in the developed world to provide aid and loans to the developing world

the influence of Western religious values on the developing world

Correct answer:

the disproportionate consumption of resources by the developed world

Explanation:

In recent years, many politicians, scientists, and activists have raised the issue of the environmental changes to the Earth being caused by human consumption of resources. Almost all informed individuals agree that such extensive consumption and population growth cannot continue without dire consequences. While people in the developed world tend to decry overpopulation and rapid population growth as the main cause of environmental problems in the world, most politicians and activists in the developing world blame the disproportionate consumption of resources by the developed world.

Example Question #1 : Implications Of Density & Distribution

As the “baby boomers” continue to age, they exacerbate the growing __________ in the United States.

Possible Answers:

maternal mortality rate

carrying capacity

natural increase rate

doubling time

dependency ratio

Correct answer:

dependency ratio

Explanation:

The “dependency ratio” refers to the percentage of people within a population who are either too young or too old to work and must therefore be supported by the labor of working adults within that population. As the “baby boomers” continue to age, they exacerbate the burden on the Social Security system and the average American worker. In the United States, this is somewhat tempered by immigration and the high natural increase rate of the immigrant population, but in some European countries, the problem could soon become disastrous if the aging of the population continues.

Example Question #2 : Implications Of Density & Distribution

A triangle-shaped population pyramid tells you that the population of that country is __________.

Possible Answers:

decreasing rapidly

remaining steady

decreasing slowly

increasing rapidly

increasing slowly

Correct answer:

increasing rapidly

Explanation:

A population pyramid is used to show the percentage of the population who fit into various age groups. If a population pyramid is triangle-shaped that means the bottom section (where babies and children are represented) is bigger than the middle section (where working adults are represented), which is in turn bigger than the top section (where retired older people are represented). This means that much of the population is young and that the population is increasing rapidly. A country like Nigeria or Bangladesh would have a triangle-shaped population pyramid.

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