Geography a Level Dtm Description

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Examine how population structure changes at different stages of the demographic transition model. Population structure changes in different ways at each stage of the DTM. To begin with, the DTM has a high and fluctuating birth and death rate, which counter one another, causing a low and fluctuating population, this is stage one of the model, and is often seen in extremely isolated cultures such as Amazonian tribes. The high birth rate is due to the need for children in order to maintain a population and have free workers, furthermore, many children will die at a young age, which adds to the high birth rate, for the same reason. At stage 2, the DTM starts to change, with the total population increasing, due to a fall in the death rate and a still high birth rate. This can be seen in many developing countries now, such as Ethiopia, and many others from Africa. The death rate falls due to an increase in the availability and effectiveness of healthcare, and also due to an increase in the mechanisation of work, causing less people to die while working from accidents. The birth rate however remains high, as it takes time for the population to fully realise that less children are dying, and therefore they do not need to have as many children in order to support themselves. Another reason due to the high birth rate in countries such as Ethiopia is the lack of use of contraceptives. Stage 3 changes less than stage 2 does from stage 1, as the population continues to increase rapidly, but the death rate continues to fall, but finally the birth rate begins to decline alongside it. Stage 3 can be seen in countries such as India, and the USA (surprisingly) as families start to realise that having more children is more of a burden than a form of support, and they don’t need to have as many children as very few are dying in childbirth. The continuing decline in the death rate is due
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