Topic: Population Pyramids
Definition- A bar graph that displays a countries population by age and gender.
Below is an example of a Population Pyramid of Gambia.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Population_Pyramids_for_Gambia.png
Basic summary: The basic idea of a Population Pyramid is to make it easy for demographers to read and record the population of an area. It also helps demographers compare how the demographic transition effects the population of different countries. Population pyramids play the biggest role during the second stage of the transition and then goes on from there . To see how and why population pyramids are used in the demographic transition, visit the web page below called Another Demographic Transition Page. When geographers want to examine the structure of a population and the potential for growth in that population, they turn to a basic tool in demography: the population pyramid.
To get a better understanding you can use these websites:
- http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/09/g68/pyramids.html
- http://www.nationmaster.com/country/us/Age_distribution
- http://www.fsl.orst.edu/pnwerc/wrb/Atlas_web_compressed/5.Human_Populations/5h.pyramids_web.pdf
- Another demographic transition page
