Key Population and Urbanization Terms

Population Terms

Census: Population count at a specific time, collecting and analyzing demographic, cultural, economic, and social data of all inhabitants.

Zero Growth: When births and deaths are equal in number.

Demographics: The quantitative study of populations, including births, deaths, migrations, age, sex, and education.

Population Density: The ratio of inhabitants to the area they occupy.

Emigration: The act of leaving one’s place of origin; negatively impacts natural growth. Net migration is the balance between emigration and immigration.

Life Expectancy: The average number of years a person is expected to live, varying by sex and country.

Rural Exodus: Movement of people from rural areas to cities.

Immigration: The arrival of people to a new destination, encouraging natural population growth.

Habitat Types

Concentrated Habitat: A rural cluster where houses are grouped together, surrounded by farmland.

Scattered Habitat: A rural pattern where houses are dispersed among fields, meadows, and mountains.

More Population Concepts

Born: Individuals who have survived more than 24 hours of life.

Municipal Census: Detailed population data including name, address, sex, and marital status.

Population Pyramid: A histogram showing population distribution by age and sex.

Labor Force: People aged 16-65 who are willing and able to work, divided into employed and unemployed (actively seeking work). The inactive population includes retirees and students.

Population of Law: The sum of residents and temporary visitors.

Rural Population: People living in the countryside, typically in towns with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants (census considers fewer than 2,000 as rural).

Urban Population: People living in cities, characterized by social isolation, shallow relationships, and weaker family structures.

Economic Sectors

Primary Sector: Activities involving the extraction or transformation of natural resources.

Secondary Sector: Industrial activities transforming raw materials into manufactured goods.

Tertiary Sector: Service-based activities.

Growth and Mortality

Natural Growth Rate: The difference between births and deaths in a year, relative to the total population.

Real Growth Rate: The sum of natural growth and net migration.

Mortality Rate: The ratio of deaths in a year to the total population.

Infant Mortality Rate: The ratio of deaths of children under one year old to the total live births in that year.

Birth Rate: The ratio of live births in a year to the total population.

Urbanization Terms

City Structures

Old Town: Pre-industrial city, usually walled.

Central Business District (CBD): Area with a high concentration of specialized business functions.

Bedroom Community: Residential area with limited local employment, where residents commute for work.

Conurbation: When two or more cities grow and merge physically while remaining administratively independent.

Shanty Town: Urban areas characterized by poverty, unemployment, and crime.

Urban Widening: Expansion of urban areas outside the old city due to housing demand.

Megacity: A very large city resulting from the growth of an urban agglomeration.

Metropolis: Large urban area with regional, national, and international influence.

Urban Planning

Urban Morphology: The external form of a city, including its layout, land use, and buildings.

Urban Plan: A graphical representation of a city’s built and non-built areas, reflecting its historical evolution.

Suburban Area: Municipalities on the metropolitan periphery, characterized by a mix of detached houses and apartment blocks, often serving as dormitory towns.