Unit 4 · 6 lessons
Changing Populations
How Canada's population is counted and why it changes; population pyramids, aging and dependency; immigration and migration within Canada; where Canadians live and why; quality of life and well-being measured with real data; and the population issues, from housing to refugees, that Canada and the world face now.
- 49 practice questions
- 52 flashcards
- 2 interactive lessons
Lessons
- 1Measuring Population: Rates, Growth and the CensusHow geographers measure a population: the census and population estimates, birth and death rates per 1000, natural increase, net migration, the demographic equation, growth rate and population density, using Statistics Canada data to see why Canada's growth surged and then slowed sharply between 2022 and 2026.9 questions
- 2Population Pyramids, Aging and DependencyHow to read a population pyramid, the expansive, stationary and constrictive shapes and what they reveal about birth and death rates, how the baby boom shaped Canada's pyramid, the dependency ratio and median age, and why Nunavut, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Indigenous population of Canada have very different age structures.Interactive8 questions
- 3Immigration to Canada: Categories, Sources and TrendsWho immigrates to Canada and how: the economic, family and refugee categories, temporary residents such as international students and workers, where newcomers come from and settle, the push and pull factors behind migration, and how immigration levels rose to a record and were then cut back from 2024 to 2028.8 questions
- 4Internal Migration and Settlement PatternsHow and why Canadians move within the country (interprovincial moves to Alberta and the Maritimes, rural-to-urban migration), the pattern of settlement: the ecumene near the US border, the Windsor–Quebec City corridor, urban and rural shares and the six largest metropolitan areas, northern and Indigenous communities, and the physical and human factors that explain population size, distribution and density.8 questions
- 5Quality of Life and Well-Being: Indicators and DataWhat quality of life and well-being mean, the indicators used to measure them (life expectancy, income, education, housing, clean water, infant mortality), the Human Development Index and Canada's Quality of Life Framework, how Canada compares with other countries, and how the Community Well-Being Index reveals a gap between First Nations and other communities that is rooted in history and policy.8 questions
- 6Population Issues for Canada and the WorldThe economic, social, cultural, political and environmental effects of Canada's aging and changing population (health care, pensions, labour shortages, housing, schools, a young and growing Indigenous population), the strategies governments and organizations use to respond, the opportunities and challenges for different groups, and global issues: world population growth, contrasting countries such as Japan and Nigeria, the demographic transition, and refugees, with Canada's role in resettlement.Interactive8 questions