Geography Resources Online

The demographic transition model is a way of understanding how populations change over time. It describes the stages that a country goes through as it develops and how these stages affect the birth rate and death rate. In the first stage of the model, both the birth rate and the death rate are high, so the population grows slowly. This is because many children are born, but many people also die from disease and poor living conditions. In the second stage , the death rate starts to decline due to improvements in healthcare and sanitation. However, the birth rate remains high, so the population grows quickly. In the third stage , the birth rate starts to decline as people begin to have fewer children due to changes in lifestyle and more access to family planning. The population growth slows down. In the fourth stage , the birth rate and death rate are both low, and the population growth is stable. This is because people are having fewer children and are living longer due to advance...

  Global population distribution The term  'population density'  is used to describe the pattern of where people live in the world. There are many reasons for the differences in population density. They can be divided into physical factors and human factors. Physical reasons include accessibility, climate, relief, resource, soil and vegetation. Human reasons include economic factors, political factors and social factors. The demographic transition model The population of the world grows according to two factors: birth rate and death rate. The relationship between these two is called the  natural increase . The relationship between birth rate and the death rate has been used to create a four-stage model of a country's population change, called the demographic model. Stage One:  High birth rate (BR) and a high death rate (DR). Stage Two:  BR remains high, but DR falls by the end of the stage. Stage Three:  BR falls rapidly, and DR continues to slowly fal...

Find out more about BoKlok homes being built in Gateshead . BoKlok involves providing space-saving, functional and high quality properties at a price that enables as many people as possible to afford a comfortable home. First pioneered in Sweden by furniture company IKEA and construction firm Skanska, BoKlok has now arrived in the UK. BoKlok, roughly translated, means ’live smart' and its concept is based on customers’ real needs and wishes – a safe environment, roominess and access to green space. BoKlok homes have a flexible, open-plan layout, high ceilings and large windows, giving the rooms a light, airy and contemporary feel.

Test this one out in class: World Map

Drag the names of the countries onto the correct locations on the map: Map Game

This is a link to the Government's "Act on CO2" carbon calculator: http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/index.html Visit the site to work out your carbon footprint.

BBC resources for greenbelt issues

A Profile of the World — Infoplease.com

Renewables, ground source heat, etc... HERE !!

This is pretty cool. Perhaps you could use it on a whiteboard and produce some mindmaps based on what you know about a subject? http://bubbl.us/ Once you have created an account you can produce brainstorms online. You can then share these brainstorms with other ‘friends’ who also have accounts. You can start the mind mapping on the classroom computer/IWB and then shared it with your students so that they could carry on! They could then ’share’ it back with you to check their progress. You can also print the brainstorms and post them into websites and blogs! via Mr Allaway at geographyalltheway.com

Population Links www.prb.org The Population Reference Bureau. www.un.org UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs - Population Division. www.peopleandplanet.net 'This provides a global gateway to the greatest issue of our time: the future health and wellbeing of the human family as it presses ever more heavily on the natural resources of our planet.'

Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the most populous city in India, and is one of the biggest cities in the world with an estimated population of about 13 million (they think!). Dharavi is one of Asia's largest slums, and it's up for sale. Some of India's biggest property developers are set to bid for tenders to develop it. Mumbai officials hope to see Dharavi transformed into a tourist destination. Karishma Vaswan reports for the BBC from Mumbai. The Dharavi slum case study is the perfect example of slum demolition. First, watch this video . ...and then read these articles: Bombay's billion dollar slum India's poor seek budget relief - consider some of the causes of housing problems in Mumbai. Growth gives hope to India's poor Selling India's slums India's 'biggest slum demolitions' List the positive and negative consequences of the demolition. If you've got time left, read these about Surat: Surat - a success story? Surat is a port city...

Worksheet explaining Relief and Contour lines... HERE .

Fun game to help with 4 figure and 6 figure grid references MapZone - Homework Help - Maptivity - Grid references

These might be useful one day.

This is interesting: Two photographers have traveled the world to meet "average" families and report on their dietary habits, then taken photos of the families with their weekly food totals. Link . Check it out!

An interesting little site that features representations of the world map with re-sized proportions - based on factors such as population, HIV prevalence and wealth: Here's a preview of one for purchasing power: Worldmapper: The world as you've never seen it before via Ian @ Amazing Grades

Did you know that every 6,000 miles a car travels, it produces its own weight in CO2? There are 30 million cars in the UK and each car is driven on average 9,000 miles a year. That's a lot of CO2 being pumped into our air. These photos show some examples of current electric hybrid models: Toyota Prius What are hybrid electric vehicles? Hybrid vehicles are powered by a combination of a petrol or diesel engine and electricity. This cuts down on the amount of fuel needed, meaning hybrid vehicles produce fewer emissions. and spend less on petrol. Most hybrids also use regenerative braking, which means that energy is put back into the battery when braking - this improves energy efficiency and reduces brake wear. Honda Insight What are the environmental benefits of hybrid electric vehicles? As well as producing fewer emissions, hybrid technologies improve fuel efficiency and therefore provide considerable fuel savings compared to a non-hybrid vehicle. Honda Civic Hybrid How much does i...

A plan to create a £24m wood-fuelled energy plant is closer to being built after securing more than £5m of government funding. If it goes ahead, the combined heat and power plant will be capable of heating 20,000 homes a year. The biomass scheme will use wood fibre to produce steam to make electricity. Heat generated during this process will be used to manufacture 100,000 tonnes of wood pellets a year, offering an alternative to fossil fuels, such as oil. The new plant will create around 30 local jobs. Full Story

Lots (one hundred) ways to conserve energy, use less water protect our air and create less rubbish. It's... 100 Ways to Save the Environment Huzzah for saving the environment!