3.1.7 Demographics — section quiz — the 6 pairs that get mixed up
Most mix-ups happen when two words sit next to each other. These are the 6 pairs
worth practicing apart. The 5 marked most confused are the ones the course
itself flags, or that sit closest together.
Cover the right-hand column with your hand, read the left definition, and say which term it
is out loud before you look. Then swap sides.
most confused
population
How many people, total.
vs
population density
How many people per unit of area — how crowded it feels.
How to tellBangladesh beats Utah on BOTH measurements — far more total people, and far more people per square mile. They don't always move together, but in this pair, Bangladesh wins both.
most confused
birthrate
Births per 1,000 people, per year.
vs
fertility rate
Average number of children a woman has in her whole lifetime.
How to tellBirthrate is a yearly snapshot of the whole population. Fertility rate tracks one woman's lifetime total.
most confused
natural increase rate
Birthrate minus death rate — growth from births and deaths only.
vs
total growth rate
Natural increase rate combined with migration rate.
How to tellA country can have a positive natural increase rate but still shrink overall if emigration is large enough, or the reverse, like Germany propped up by immigration.
most confused
forced migration
Coerced — war, persecution, government relocation.
vs
voluntary migration
Chosen — pulled by jobs, climate, or political conditions, or pushed by overcrowding and unemployment.
How to tellAsk whether the person had a real choice. If extreme circumstances left none, it's forced.
most confused
urbanization
The process — a society becoming more city-oriented over time.
vs
urbanism
The culture — a society's emphasis on dense, city-centered living, work, and recreation.
How to tellUrbanization is the shift happening. Urbanism is the resulting way of life, which the course names the United States as a strong example of.
thematic map
Colors countries by a value but keeps their real size and shape.
vs
cartogram
Resizes the countries themselves by a value like population or GDP.
How to tellIf the shapes balloon or shrink, it's a cartogram. If they just change color, it's thematic.
