iGCSE Geography Case Study Guide
1.1 Population Dynamics
A country which is overpopulated
Indonesia
Indonesia has a population of 260 million people.
Jakarta, the capital city is on the island of Java. It is a megacity with a population over 10 million.
Causes of overpopulation in Indonesia
● People move to live in Java because it has a lot of big cities.
● Indonesia also has very fertile soil because of the many volcanoes it has. This makes farming
very easy.
● The climate is good (warm and wet) which makes farming easy also.
● Lots of islands so easy for fishing and trading (food and jobs).
● Lots of natural resources (oil, tropical rainforests, minerals, fish)
● Indonesia has quite a high birth rate of 15/1000.
Consequences (effects) of overpopulation in Indonesia
● Traffic congestion is very bad in many places, especially Jakarta.
● There is a lot of litter and pollution in major cities.
● Landfills are overflowing and it’s dangerous for workers and scavengers who work in landfills.
● There are not enough jobs for everyone.
● Many people live in informal houses (slums) because there is not enough cheap housing.
A country which is underpopulated
Australia
Australia has a population of 23 million but has a land area the same as the USA. This means it is very
sparsely populated.
The main reasons for under-population in Australia
● Much of Central and Western Australia are deserts. This means the rainfall is very low and the
temperature is very high. This makes it hard to grow crops and provide enough water for cities.
● Most of the cities are on the east coast (because of the higher rainfall) so this is where most
people live. There are more jobs and services there so people want to live there.
, ● There is poor accessibility in Central Australia. It takes a long time to travel to the center of the
country so it’s hard to have successful businesses. There are no major cities inland.
● The birth rate is very low so the population is not growing naturally.
The consequences for under-population
● The economy sometimes grows very slowly because there are not many customers.
● The economy sometimes grows very slowly because it is hard to find skilled workers. Australia
has shortages in many areas such as motor mechanics, ICT technicians, hairdressers.
● The country doesn't make the most of its natural resources like coal, nickel, gold. It has to attract
migrant workers to work in the mines.
● The population ages. This means the proportion of older people increases.
● There are not enough children to go to small schools so they have to close. This might lead to
people moving away from small towns which makes the problem worse.
● Less people paying tax. 43% of the labour force will be due to retire in next 20 years.
● There may be less innovation (clever ideas) and business development.
● Conflicts have happened in major cities between migrant workers and locals.
A country with a high rate of natural population growth
South Sudan
Birth rate: 36.4
Death rate: 11.4
Rate of natural increase: 25.33
Reasons for a high population growth rate is South Sudan
Traditional attitudes- people think large families give parents a high status.
Youth marriage is common so girls start having children young.
The civil war against Sudan killed many people. Parents want to replace the people who died.
“As many children as God gives” is a common attitude. People don’t like using birth control
(contraceptives).
Men have higher status than women so men decide when to have sex and whether or not to use
contraception.
Girls often lack education so have less opportunity to have careers.
1.1 Population Dynamics
A country which is overpopulated
Indonesia
Indonesia has a population of 260 million people.
Jakarta, the capital city is on the island of Java. It is a megacity with a population over 10 million.
Causes of overpopulation in Indonesia
● People move to live in Java because it has a lot of big cities.
● Indonesia also has very fertile soil because of the many volcanoes it has. This makes farming
very easy.
● The climate is good (warm and wet) which makes farming easy also.
● Lots of islands so easy for fishing and trading (food and jobs).
● Lots of natural resources (oil, tropical rainforests, minerals, fish)
● Indonesia has quite a high birth rate of 15/1000.
Consequences (effects) of overpopulation in Indonesia
● Traffic congestion is very bad in many places, especially Jakarta.
● There is a lot of litter and pollution in major cities.
● Landfills are overflowing and it’s dangerous for workers and scavengers who work in landfills.
● There are not enough jobs for everyone.
● Many people live in informal houses (slums) because there is not enough cheap housing.
A country which is underpopulated
Australia
Australia has a population of 23 million but has a land area the same as the USA. This means it is very
sparsely populated.
The main reasons for under-population in Australia
● Much of Central and Western Australia are deserts. This means the rainfall is very low and the
temperature is very high. This makes it hard to grow crops and provide enough water for cities.
● Most of the cities are on the east coast (because of the higher rainfall) so this is where most
people live. There are more jobs and services there so people want to live there.
, ● There is poor accessibility in Central Australia. It takes a long time to travel to the center of the
country so it’s hard to have successful businesses. There are no major cities inland.
● The birth rate is very low so the population is not growing naturally.
The consequences for under-population
● The economy sometimes grows very slowly because there are not many customers.
● The economy sometimes grows very slowly because it is hard to find skilled workers. Australia
has shortages in many areas such as motor mechanics, ICT technicians, hairdressers.
● The country doesn't make the most of its natural resources like coal, nickel, gold. It has to attract
migrant workers to work in the mines.
● The population ages. This means the proportion of older people increases.
● There are not enough children to go to small schools so they have to close. This might lead to
people moving away from small towns which makes the problem worse.
● Less people paying tax. 43% of the labour force will be due to retire in next 20 years.
● There may be less innovation (clever ideas) and business development.
● Conflicts have happened in major cities between migrant workers and locals.
A country with a high rate of natural population growth
South Sudan
Birth rate: 36.4
Death rate: 11.4
Rate of natural increase: 25.33
Reasons for a high population growth rate is South Sudan
Traditional attitudes- people think large families give parents a high status.
Youth marriage is common so girls start having children young.
The civil war against Sudan killed many people. Parents want to replace the people who died.
“As many children as God gives” is a common attitude. People don’t like using birth control
(contraceptives).
Men have higher status than women so men decide when to have sex and whether or not to use
contraception.
Girls often lack education so have less opportunity to have careers.
