Page 559 - Sociology and You
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US Y o u r
I Sociological
NG Imagination
Suppose you read the following story in your local newspaper.
On October 12, 1999, the United Nations of- ficially declared that the world’s population had reached six billion. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan was visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia, when the historic mile- stone was reached. To symbolize the event, he chose a baby boy born in a local clinic at two minutes after midnight to be named “Baby Six Billion.”
How big is six billion? If you counted a hundred numbers every minute for eight hours a day, five days a week, it would take you five hundred years to reach six billion!
According to Zero Population Growth (ZPG), the world’s population is currently growing at a rate of 86 million people per year. If asked about the reason for this rapid world population growth, what would you say? Like most people, you would probably refer to the high birth rate in developing countries. You could point out that every year, 94 million in- fants are born—equal to the population of Mexico—or that every time you watch a half- hour TV program, 4,860 infants are born.
This explanation, however, is only half of the story. It leaves out the other side of the equation—the death rate. The popula- tion in these countries is growing rapidly because their birth rates remain high while their death rates have dropped sharply, thanks to modern medicine, improved sani- tation, and better hygiene. In this chapter, we look at demography and discuss why this issue is important to sociologists.
Sections
1. The Dynamics of Demography
2. World Population
3. The Urban Transition
4. Urban Ecology
Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you will be able to ❖ identify the three population processes.
❖ relate the ideas of Thomas Malthus to population changes.
❖ predict world population trends.
❖ trace the development of preindustrial
and modern cities.
❖ compare and contrast four theories of city growth.
Chapter Overview
Visit the Sociology and You Web site at soc.glencoe.com and click on Chapter 16— Chapter Overviews to preview chapter information.
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