china case study geography

• 0 Shopping Cart

Case Study: China

The Chinese government introduced the ‘One Child Policy’ in 1979. The aim of this policy was to attempt to control population growth. The policy limited couples to one child. Under this policy couples have to gain permission from family planning officials for each birth.

If families followed this policy they received free education, health care, pensions and family benefits. These are taken away if the couple have more than one child.

The benefits of this policy are that the growth rate of China’s population has declined. Without the policy it is estimated that there would be an extra 320 million more people in a country whose population is estimated to be 1.3 billion.

The scheme has caused a number of problems in China. This is particularly the case for hundreds of thousands of young females. Many thousands of young girls have been abandoned by their parents as the result of the one child policy. Many parents in China prefer to have a boy to carry on the family name. As a result large numbers of girls have either ended up in orphanages, homeless or in some cases killed. Also, 90% of foetuses aborted in China are female.

Latest Blog Entries

Related Topics

Use the images below to explore related GeoTopics.

Previous Topic Page

Topic home, next topic page, share this:.

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)

Please Support Internet Geography

If you've found the resources on this site useful please consider making a secure donation via PayPal to support the development of the site. The site is self-funded and your support is really appreciated.

Search Internet Geography

Top posts and pages.

Pin It on Pinterest

• Click to share
• Print Friendly

Case Study: The Three Gorges Dam

The 3 Gorges Dam project - China

• This is an example of a large scale development project designed to:
• Create more jobs
•  Allow large ships to navigate the river and reach Chungong Create thousands of jobs Develop new towns and farms
• Provide 10% of China’s electricity through HEP Increase tourism along the river
• Protect precious farmland from flooding
• However it also has a number of disadvantages:
• Over 150 towns and 4500 thousand villages will be flooded displacing people from their homes
• 1.3 million people will be forced to move
• The river landscape will be forever changed
•  The lake which will be created could become very polluted from industrial waste

This video showcases the Chinese Three Gorges Dam Project

Growing Populations, Changing Landscapes: Studies from India, China, and the United States (2001)

Chapter: chinese case studies: an introduction, chinese case studies: an introduction.

Zhao Shidong Institute of Geographic Science and Natural Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences

With the rapid development of China's economy over the last decades, its land use patterns have changed significantly, especially since the central government's adoption of socioeconomic reform policies, beginning in the late 1970s. Across China, the speed and scale of land use change have varied because of the country's diverse natural and socioeconomic conditions. In order to understand the process and the mechanism of land use change, and then provide a solid basis for the future sustainable planning of land use in China's many different regions, the Chinese research team chose the Jitai Basin, a typical rural area, and the Pearl River Delta, characterized by rapid urbanization, as its study sites (see map , p. 178).

JITAI BASIN

The Jitai Basin, located in Jiangxi Province in south-central China, is made up of four counties that contain two cities. At the end of 1995, the Jitai Basin was home to 2.47 million people; its population density was 198 persons per square kilometer.

Historically, the Jitai Basin was a relatively developed area for agricultural production and handcraft industries such as shipbuilding and textiles, because the Ganjiang (Gan River) served as a main transportation artery between north and south. But with the development of modern industry and communications, the opening of foreign trade ports (Guangzhou, Shanghai, Fuzhou, Xiamen, and Ningbo) in the late nineteenth century, and the building of the Guangzhou–Wuhan and Wuhan–Beijing

railways, the direction of the flow of goods changed rapidly, weakening the transportation function of the Ganjiang River. From then on, China saw its economy grow rapidly in coastal areas, and the Jitai Basin gradually lost its dominant position in communications and the economy and slipped into a declining state.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the central government began to promote the development of the more rural regions of the country. As a result, in the 1950s and 1960s the Jitai Basin was the beneficiary of significant investment in an industrial program, technological assistance, and an influx of trained migrants from the more developed regions. Development of the country as a whole, however, was at a very low level, and cultural, political, and economic restrictions hampered the assistance efforts. In the end, then, no significant socioeconomic development occurred in the Jitai Basin from 1949 to 1978, and, indeed, population pressure and extreme economic policies resulted in serious damage to the region's natural resources. For example, overcutting of forests to provide fuel for steel smelters caused deforestation and soil erosion. And the expansion of agriculture to marginal hilly and mountainous areas in order to meet the subsistence demands of the rapidly growing population for food and fuel further accentuated the serious problems of environmental degradation.

Since the introduction of government reforms in 1978, the Jitai Basin has achieved relatively remarkable economic development in absolute terms. With implementation of the “household responsibility” system in 1982, agricultural productivity increased and the transition from cereal production to cash crop production (such as fruits and vegetables) accelerated. Meanwhile, the local government, aware of the damage to the ecosystem generated by deforestation and soil erosion, successfully implemented a series of policies to reforest the hills and mountains. Despite these achievements, the Jitai Basin still lags behind the coastal regions in economic development and urbanization. In fact, the gap between its socioeconomic development and that of developed regions (for example, the Pearl River Delta) is widening. One important reason is that the central government's economic development strategy tends to favor coastal areas. Other reasons are the Jitai Basin's location in China's hinterlands and its limited access to investment, technology, and the markets in metropolitan areas. In addition, because the region had a surplus of agricultural laborers stemming from the significant lack of development of the nonagricultural sectors, the massive out-migration of young laborers from the Jitai Basin to developed regions such as the Pearl River Delta increased. This development relieved the pressure on local employment, but also weakened agricultural production.

PEARL RIVER DELTA

Formed by the alluvium delivered by the West, North, and East Rivers, the Pearl River Delta is located in southern China's Guangdong Province. The study region, which lies in the central part of Pearl River Delta, consists of 13 counties or cities, which belong to six municipalities and are distributed on either side of the Pearl River estuary. The Pearl River Delta is one of the most heavily populated regions of China. In 1995 its permanent population density was 743 persons per square kilometer, compared with 378 for all of Guangdong Province and 126 for China as a whole.

Historically, the Pearl River Delta was known nationally for its production of grain, sugar, silk, freshwater fish, and fruits. Indeed, the region was referred to as the “Fish and Rice County.” The Delta also was one of the places in China where modern industry first appeared. However, from 1866, when industry first arrived, to 1949, when the new China was founded, the region's economy developed very slowly, and many residents of the Delta left to earn a living abroad. One factor in its slow growth was its location; because the Delta is situated at the frontier of the national defense, very few of the important industries were allowed to set up operations in the region.

After implementation of socioeconomic reforms in 1978, the Delta quickened its pace of development and now is one of the richest areas in China. But rapid industrialization and urbanization also have produced dramatic changes in the Pearl River Delta's landscape, as well as environmental pollution. Overall, within less than 20 years the Delta area was transformed from a rural agricultural area into a highly developed region through rapid industrialization and urbanization. Within this process, the interactions between population growth, land use change, and the relevant economic and environmental problems are complex and unique.

As the world’s population exceeds an incredible 6 billion people, governments—and scientists—everywhere are concerned about the prospects for sustainable development.

The science academies of the three most populous countries have joined forces in an unprecedented effort to understand the linkage between population growth and land-use change, and its implications for the future. By examining six sites ranging from agricultural to intensely urban to areas in transition, the multinational study panel asks how population growth and consumption directly cause land-use change, and explore the general nature of the forces driving the transformations.

Growing Populations, Changing Landscapes explains how disparate government policies with unintended consequences and globalization effects that link local land-use changes to consumption patterns and labor policies in distant countries can be far more influential than simple numerical population increases. Recognizing the importance of these linkages can be a significant step toward more effective environmental management.

READ FREE ONLINE

Welcome to OpenBook!

You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

Show this book's table of contents , where you can jump to any chapter by name.

...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

Switch between the Original Pages , where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter .

Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

View our suggested citation for this chapter.

Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

Get Email Updates

Do you enjoy reading reports from the Academies online for free ? Sign up for email notifications and we'll let you know about new publications in your areas of interest when they're released.

Population geography in China since the 1980s: Forging the links between population studies and human geography

• Published: 09 July 2016
• Volume 26 , pages 1133–1158, ( 2016 )

Cite this article

• Yu Zhu 1 , 2 , 3 ,
• Jinhong Ding 4 ,
• Guixin Wang 5 ,
• Jianfa Shen 6 ,
• Liyue Lin 1 , 2 &
• Wenqian Ke 1 , 2  

530 Accesses

12 Citations

Explore all metrics

This paper reviews the progress of population geography in China since the 1980s. The review results suggest that contrary to the common perception of its invisibility and marginalized status in the field, tremendous progress has been made in population geography in China since the 1980s. Population geographers have made significant contribution to the understanding of a wide range of population issues from geographical perspectives, including migration, urbanization, population distribution, the relationships between population, environment and resources, aging, marriage patterns, and migrants’ crimes, although such contribution often did not appear in the geographical circle. Furthermore, population geographers have played an indispensable role in revitalizing population studies in China and forging its links to human geography, occupying an important position in this multi-disciplinary field. Population geographers’ contribution to the areas of migration and urbanization research has been particularly significant, reflected in their leading roles in these areas’ research. The paper demonstrates that as latecomers in the field after more than 20 years of isolation, population geographers in China have gone through a process of catching up and increasing engagement with developments in social sciences and increasing interaction with social scientists since the 1980s, and have benefited greatly from it; however, there is a tendency for population geography to be increasingly alienated from the main stream human geography, a phenomenon similar to but not exactly the same as Anglo-American geography in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The paper argues that population geography is only half way in the course to forge the links between population studies and human geography, and it needs to return to geographical sciences to strike a healthy balance between the field of population studies and that of human geography, and promote its further development in a multi-disciplinary field.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price includes VAT (Russian Federation)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Rent this article via DeepDyve

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

The past, present, and future of population geography in China: Progress, challenges and opportunities

Population distribution and urbanization on both sides of the hu huanyong line: answering the premier’s question, population distribution patterns and changes in china 1953–2010.

Cai F, 1998. A study on two types of the population living under poverty line and relevant countermeasures. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (1): 32–38. (in Chinese)

Google Scholar  

Cai J M, Wang G X, Yang Z S, 2007. Future trends and spatial patterns of migration in China. Population Research , 31(5): 9–19. (in Chinese)

Cao G Z, Li M, Ma Y et al. , 2015. Self-employment and intention of permanent urban settlement: Evidence from a survey of migrants in China’s four major urbanising areas. Urban Studies , 52(4): 639–664.

Article   Google Scholar  

Cao G Z, Liu T, 2011. Rising role of inland regions in China’s urbanization in the 21st century: The new trend and its explanation. Acta Geographica Sinica , 66(12): 1631–1643. (in Chinese)

Chan K W, Zhang L, 1999. The hukou system and rural-urban migration in China: Processes and changes. The China Quarterly , 160: 818–855.

Chen H, 1999. An analysis on the distributional characteristics of the Tujia population and its urbanization level in China. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (1): 57–61. (in Chinese)

Cui G H, 2001. Urban planning for metropolitan regions: A new trend of territorial spatial planning. Urban Planning Overseas , (5): 1. (in Chinese)

Ding J H, 1993. On the level and mechanism of population urbanization in China: An analysis based on the 1990 population census. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (1): 16–23. (in Chinese)

Ding J H, 1994. Reasons and flow field characteristics of inter-provincial migration in China. Population Research , 18(1): 14–21. (in Chinese)

Ding J H, Liu Z Y, Cheng D M et al. , 2005. Areal differentiation of inter-provincial migration in China and characteristics of the flow field. Acta Geographica Sinica , 60(1): 106–114. (in Chinese)

Ding J H, Yang H Y, Yang J et al. , 2001. Characteristics of the floating population’s crimes in Shanghai and its social control: An analysis based on news reports. Population Research , 25(6): 53–58. (in Chinese)

Ding J H, Zhu T S, Zhu L L et al. , 1999. Growth, characteristics and policy implications of the marriages with two-place household registration: The case of Shanghai. Population Research , 23(5): 1–8. (in Chinese)

Duan C R, Yang G, 2009. Trends in destination distribution of floating population in China. Population Research , 33(6): 1–12. (in Chinese)

Feng J, 2002. Modeling the spatial distribution of urban population density and its evolution in Hangzhou. Geographical Research , 21(5): 635–646. (in Chinese)

Feng Z M, Yang Y Z, You Z et al. , 2014. Research on the suitability of population distribution at the county level in China. Acta Geographica Sinica , 69(6): 723–737. (in Chinese)

Gao G H, Li X J, Qiao J J, 2009. Research on the influencing factors of employment location choice for farm households in agriculture area of Central China: A case study for three sampling villages in Henan Province. Geographical Research , 28(6): 1484–1493. (in Chinese)

Gao X D, Jiang Q Z, 2002. An investigation into changes in urban population distribution and suburbanization in Shanghai. City Planning Review , 26 (1): 66–69, 89. (in Chinese)

Gao X D, Wu W J, 2005. Changes in Shanghai’s population distribution in the 1990s and their modelling. Acta Geographica Sinica , 60 (4): 637–644. (in Chinese)

Ge M L, Feng Z M, 2008. A study on the pattern of China’s population distribution in 2000 based on GIS: A comparison to the study of Hu Huanyong in 1935. Population Research , 32(1): 51–57. (in Chinese)

Graham E, 2004. The past, present and future of population geography: Reflections on Glen Trewartha’s address fifty years on. Population Space & Place , 10(4): 289–294.

Graham E, Boyle P, 2001. Editorial introduction: (Re)theorising population geography: Mapping the unfamiliar. International Journal of Population Geography , 7(7): 389–394.

Gu C L, Cai J M, Zhang W et al. , 1999. A study on the patterns of migration in Chinese large and medium cities. Acta Geographica Sinica , 54(3): 14–22. (in Chinese)

Gu C L, Yu T F, Li W M et al. , 2008. China’s Urbanization: Pattern, Process and Mechanism. Beijing: Science Press. (in Chinese)

Guo Y C, Deng Z Q, Ding J H, 2014. An analysis on the spatial choice and its determinants of interprovincial marriage migration of the youth population. Journal of China Youth Research , (7): 61–66. (in Chinese)

Guo Y C, Ding J H, Huang Y, 2014. Urban-rural gradient characteristics of marriage migration in metropolis: A case study of Huangpu District in Shanghai. Urban Problems , (8): 95–100. (in Chinese)

Hu H Y, 1935. Distribution of China’s population: Accompanying charts and density map. Acta Geographica Sinica , 2(2): 33–74. (in Chinese)

Hu H Y, 1983. The Population Densities of China’s Eight Major Regions & the Relevant Population Policies. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.

Hu H Y, Yan Z Y, 1992. Population Development and Living Environment. Shanghai: East China Normal University Press. (in Chinese)

Hu H Y, Zhang S Y, 1982. World Population Geography. Shanghai: East China Normal University Press. (in Chinese)

Hu H Y, Zhang S Y, 1985. Population Geography of China. Shanghai: East China Normal University Press. (in Chinese)

Hu X W, Zhou Y X, Gu C L et al. , 2000. Studies on the Spatial Agglomeration and Dispersion in China’s Coastal City-and-Town Concentrated Areas. Beijing: Science Press. (in Chinese)

Huang Y F, Xu Y H, Ding J H, 2002. Regional differences of Chinese population urbanization in 1990s. Population Research , 26(4): 72–78, 80. (in Chinese)

Jin R T, Wang G X, 2013. Empirical research on the relationship between China’s population urbanization and carbon emissions: Econometric test based on 1978–2009 time series data. Population and Development , 19(1): 38–43, 12. (in Chinese)

Li J N, 2001. A New Edition of Population Theories. Beijing: China Population Press. (in Chinese)

Li R J, 1992. Population redistribution in mainland China in the period between 1840 and 1990. Journal of Zhongshan University (Social Science Edition) , (1): 63–69. (in Chinese)

Li R J, 1993. On spatial and temporal changes of present urban population in China. Chinese Geographical Science , 3(4): 40–47.

Li R J, 1993. The characteristics of the evolution in China’s population distribution in the period between 1982 to 1990. South China Population , (1): 20–25. (in Chinese)

Li R J, 2006. Migration and stabilization: The research of regional features of population aging in Guangdong Province. South China Population , 21(4): 11–18. (in Chinese)

Li R J, 2007. Propensity for permanent settlement and mobility of migrants in Guangdong Province. Population Research , 31(6): 45–54. (in Chinese)

Li S Z, 1994. A study on regional economic development and population migration in the 1980s in China. Population & Economics , (3): 3–8, 16. (in Chinese)

Li X D, 1985. A Brief Introduction to Human Geography. Beijing: Science Press. (in Chinese)

Li Z G, Wu F L, Xiao Y, 2014. Residential segregation of new migrants in Guangzhou, China: A study of the 6th census. Geographical Research , 33(11): 2056–2068. (in Chinese)

Lin L Y, Zhu Y, 2015. The space-time paths of migrants’ mobility across cities and their gender difference: Based on a survey in Fujian Province. Scientia Geographica Sinica , 35(6): 725–732. (in Chinese)

Liu J S, 2014. A review of population geography research in China. Acta Geographica Sinica , 69(8): 1177–1189. (in Chinese)

Liu J Y, Yue T X, Wang Y A et al. , 2003. Digital simulation of population density in China. Acta Geographica Sinica , 58(1): 17–24. (in Chinese)

Liu S H, Chen T, Cai J M, 2003. Provincial disparities of the relationship between industrialization and urbanization. Acta Geographica Sinica , 58(6): 937–946. (in Chinese)

Liu S H, Jiang F, Zhang Q, 2007. The regional differences of China’s urbanization development and countermeasures for its coordinated development. Population Research , 31(3): 7–19. (in Chinese)

Liu T, Qi Y J, Cao G Z, 2015. China’s floating population in the 21st century: Uneven landscape, influencing factors, and effects on urbanization. Acta Geographica Sinica , 70(4): 567–581. (in Chinese)

Liu Y, Shen J F, 2014a. Spatial patterns and determinants of skilled internal migration in China: 2000–2005. Papers in Regional Science , 93(4): 749–772.

Liu Y Q, Liu Y, Li Z G, 2014. Settlement intention of new migrants in China’s large cities: Patterns and determinants. Scientia Geographica Sinica , 34(7): 780–787. (in Chinese)

Liu Y, Shen J F, 2014b. Jobs or amenities? Location choices of interprovincial skilled migrants in China: 2000–2005. Population, Space and Place , 20(7): 592–605.

Ma Z D, 2001. Urban labor-force experience as a determinant of rural occupation change: Evidence from recent urban-rural return migration in China. Environment and Planning A , 33(2): 237–255.

Meng X J, Jia S F, 1993. A quantitative analysis of factors influencing population distribution in China. Geographical Research , 12(3): 56–63. (in Chinese)

Ning Y M, 2011. Definition of Chinese metropolitan areas and large urban agglomerations: Roles of large urban agglomerations in regional development. Scientia Geographica Sinica , 31(3): 257–263. (in Chinese)

Niu X Y, Ding L, Song X D, 2014. Understanding urban spatial structure of Shanghai central city based on mobile phone data. Urban Planning Forum , (6): 61–67. (in Chinese)

Pan Q, Jin X B, Zhou Y K, 2013. Population change and its spatial-temporal patterns of distribution in China in recent 300 years. Geographical Research , 32(7): 1291–1302. (in Chinese)

Population Census Office of the State Council and Institute of Geography (PCOSC/IG), 1987. National Population Altas of China. Beijing: China Statistics Press. (in Chinese)

Qi W, Li Y, Liu S H et al. , 2013. Estimation of urban population distribution at daytime and nighttime and analyses of their spatial pattern: A case study of Haidian District, Beijing. Acta Geographica Sinica , 68(10): 1344–1356. (in Chinese)

Qi W, Liu S H, Zhao M F, 2015. A study on the stability of Hu Line and different spatial patterns of population growth on its both sides. Acta Geographica Sinica , 70(4): 551–566. (in Chinese)

Ru Q, Huang Y, Meng J et al. , 2005. Distribution differentiation of migrants in central part, near suburb and outer suburb of Beijing. Scientia Geographica Sinica , 25(6): 655–663. (in Chinese)

Shen J F, 1987. A population projection system on micro-computers. Population Research , (3): 50–52. (in Chinese)

Shen J F, 1991. Analysis of urban-rural population dynamics for China. Environment and Planning A , 23(12): 1797–1810.

Shen J F, 1993. Analysis of urban-rural population dynamics for China: A multiregional life-table approach. Environment and Planning A , 25(2): 245–253.

Shen J F, 1996. Internal migration and regional population dynamics in China. Progress in Planning , 45: 123–188.

Shen J F, 1999. Modelling regional migration in China: Estimation and decomposition. Environment and Planning A , 31: 1223–1238.

Shen J F, 2005a. Analysis of the trends of urbanization levels in Chinese provinces since 1982. Acta Geographica Sinica , 60(4): 607–614. (in Chinese)

Shen J F, 2005b. Counting urban population in Chinese censuses 1953–2000: Changing definitions, problems and solutions. Population, Space and Place , 11(11): 381–400.

Shen J F, 2006. Estimating urbanization levels in Chinese provinces in 1982–2000. International Statistical Review , 74(1): 89–107.

Shen J F, 2012. Changing patterns and determinants of inter-provincial migration in China: 1985–2000. Population, Space and Place , 18: 384–402.

Shen J F, 2013. Increasing internal migration in China from 1985 to 2005: Institutional versus economic drivers. Habitat International , 39(1): 1–7.

Shen J F, 2015. Explaining interregional migration changes in China: 1985–2000, using a decomposition approach. Regional Studies , 49(7): 1176–1192.

Shen J F, 2016. Modelling interregional migration in China in 2005–2010: The roles of regional attributes and spatial interaction effect in modelling error. Population, Space and Place, Early View.

Shen J F, Wang G X, 2000. Modeling population distribution and its changing trend in Shanghai’s central city in the 1990s. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (5): 45–52. (in Chinese)

Shen J, Feng Z, Wong K Y, 2006. Dual-track urbanization in a transitional economy: The case of Pearl River Delta in south China. Habitat International , 30(3): 690–705.

Shen J, Wong K Y, Feng Z, 2002. State sponsored and spontaneous urbanization in the Pearl River Delta of South China, 1980–1998. Urban Geography , 23(7): 674–694.

Silvey R, 2004. On the boundaries of a subfield: Social theory’s incorporation into population geography. Population, Space and Place , 10(4): 303–308.

Solinger D J, 1999. Contesting Citizenship in Urban China: Peasant Migrants, the State, and the Logic of the Market. Berkeley: University of California Press.

The Geographical Society of China (GSC), 2012. Report on Advances in Geography. Beijing: China Science and Technology Press. (in Chinese)

Tian M, 2013. The migration patterns of floating population across cities in eastern China. Geographical Research , 32(8): 1486–1496. (in Chinese)

Tong Y F, 2010. Dynamic simulation and analysis on population carrying capacity of Beijing. China Population, Resources and Environment , 20(9): 42–47. (in Chinese)

Tong Y F, 2012. Research on population carrying capacity: Evolution, problems and prospect. Population Research , 36(5): 28–36. (in Chinese)

Tong Y F, Wang Y Y, 2015. The choice of floating migrants in China: Why megacities are always preferred? A cost-benefit analysis. Population Research , 39(4): 49–56. (in Chinese)

Wang C L, Ding J H, 2007. Analysis of the factors influencing floating population’s living inclination in the urban. South China Population , 22(1): 22–29. (in Chinese)

Wang D, Wang C, Xie D C et al. , 2015. Comparison of retail trade areas of retail centers with different hierarchical levels: A case study of East Nanjing Road, Wujiaochang, and Anshan Road in Shanghai. Urban Planning Forum , (3): 50–60. (in Chinese)

Wang F, 1993. Analysis on the composition of China’s urban population growth between the third and fourth censuses. Population Research , (4): 11–18. (in Chinese)

Wang F, 2004. Analysis on the composition of China’s urban population growth between the fourth and fifth censuses. Population Research , 28(3): 60–67. (in Chinese)

Wang F, 2014. Composition of China’s urban population growth between the fifth and sixth censuses. Population and Development , 20(5): 16–24. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, 1986. My opinion on accelerating the development of urbanization in Shanghai’s suburban areas. Population Research , (2): 26–30. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, 1987. A quantitative analysis on several issues of population distribution. Northwest Population Journal , (2): 44–52. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, 1989. Some suggestions on the rational definition and statistics of urban and rural populations in metropolitan regions in China. Population & Economics , (5): 43–45. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, 1992. A discussion on the relationship between inter-provincial migration and distance in Shanghai. Population Research , (4): 1–7. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, 1994. The age pattern and its characteristics in the process of out-migration in China’s inter-provincial migration. Population Research , 18(2): 9–17. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, 1996. A study on the regional structure of inter-provincial migration in China. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (1): 22–29. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, 1997. Population Distribution and Regional Economic Development in China. Shanghai: East China Normal University Press. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, 2000. The regional model of inter-provincial migration and its changes since China’s economic reform. Population & Economics , 21(3): 8–16. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, 2011a. Containing the large city sizes and diseases by addressing their root causes. Exploration and Free Views , (7): 50–53. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, 2011b. China’s “megacity problems” and preventions. Social Sciences in Nanjing , (12): 55–60. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, 2012. Reflections on urbanization development in China. Population Research , 36(2): 37–44. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, 2013. The basic theory of urbanization and problems and countermeasures of China’s urbanization. Population Research , (6): 43–51. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, Dai X H, 2005. The floating population and the development of Shanghai: Influence, trend and countermeasures. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (S1): 7–15. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, Huang Y Y, 2005. Inter-provincial migration and economic development in east China: 1995–2000. Population Research , 29(1): 19–28. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, Huang Z Y, 2014. The growth composition of urban population in China and its contribution to urbanization: 1991~2010. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (2): 2–16, 126. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, Lu Y Q, 2014. A study on the dynamics of urbanization trend in the urban agglomeration of the Yangtze River Delta. Population & Economics , (1): 8–14. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, Pan Z H, 2013. China’s floating population spatial distribution and influencing factors: Evidence from year 2010 population census of China. Modern Urban Research , (3): 4–11, 32. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, Pan Z H, 2016. The robustness of China’s migration and “Heihe-Tengchong line”. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (1): 7–15. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, Pan Z H, Lu Y Q, 2012. China’s inter-provincial migration patterns and influential factors: Evidence from year 2000 and 2010 population census of China. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (5): 2–13, 111. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, Qing Z Q, Chen L L, 2012. Spatial distribution of population migration in China in the 1990s’. Scientia Geographica Sinica , 32(3): 273–281. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, Shen J F, Liu J B, 2008. Citizenization of peasant migrants during urbanization in China: A case study of Shanghai. Population and Development , 14(1): 3–23. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, Wei X, Liu J B et al. , 2005. A study on the features of development in urbanization and urban agglomeration in the Yangtze River Delta. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (2): 44–52, 97. (in Chinese)

Wang G X, Wei X, Shen J F, 2005. A study on inter-provincial migration’s influence on regional economic development in China. Fudan Journal (Social Sciences) , (3): 148–161. (in Chinese)

Wang M F, Cheng H, Ning Y M, 2015. Social integration of migrants in Shanghai’s urban villages. Acta Geographica Sinica , 70(8): 1243–1255. (in Chinese)

White P, Jackson P, 1995. (Re)theorising population geography. International Journal of Population Geography , 1(2): 111–123.

Withers S D, 2009. Population Geography. In: Zeng Y (ed.). Encyclopedia of Life Support System (EOLSS), Developed under the Auspices of the UNESCO, Oxford, UK: Eolss Publisheds. (http://www.eolss.net, retrieved September 3, 2009)

Wong K Y, Shen J, Feng Z et al. , 2003. An analysis of dual-track urbanisation in the Pearl River Delta since 1980. Tijdschrift Voor Economische En Sociale Geografie , 94(2): 205–218.

Wu J, Wang Z, 2008. Agent-based simulation on the evolution of population geography of China during the past 2000 years. Acta Geographica Sinica , 63(2): 185–194. (in Chinese)

Wu L, 1987. An introduction to the newly published “1 to 6 million” map of China’s population distribution and contour map of China’s population density. Population Research , (4): 59–60, 58. (in Chinese)

Xu X Q, Zhou C S, 1994. On the formation of the megalopolis of the Pearl River Delta. Urban Problems , (3): 3–6, 24. (in Chinese)

Yang C K, Ning Y M, 2015. Evolution of spatial pattern of inter-provincial migration and its impacts on urbanization in China. Geographical Research , 34(8): 1492–1506. (in Chinese)

Yang Y Y, 1996. The status of “informal” population migration in China since the reform and opening up: Based on the analysis of census data. Social Sciences in China , (6): 59–73. (in Chinese)

Yang Y Y, 1999. The Economics of Population, Resource and Environment. Beijing: China Economic Publishing House. (in Chinese)

Yang Y Y, 2003. Migration in China: Scale estimate and intensity analysis. Social Sciences in China , (6): 97–107, 207. (in Chinese)

Yang Y Y, Chen J Y, 1993. Data and estimation of the inter-provincial migration in China. Chinese Journal of Population Science , 13(2): 37–41. (in Chinese)

Yang Y Y, Chen J Y, Liu T, 1999. Migration in China: Regional model and empirical analysis. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (4): 20–26. (in Chinese)

Yang Y Y, Shi Z L, 2012. Family endowment and return migration in rural China. Population Research , 36 (4): 3–17. (in Chinese)

Yao S M, Zhu Y M, Chen Z G, 2001. The development of urban agglomeration in the information society. City Planning Review , 25(8): 16–18. (in Chinese)

Ye D A, 1988. Current situation and characteristics of population distribution in China: A review of research on population distribution. Population Research , (5): 57–59. (in Chinese)

Yuan J, Wu D T, Wu Z Z, 2007. An analysis on regional disparity in rural population aging in China and its contributing factors. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (3): 41–47, 95. (in Chinese)

Zhang H K, 2015. The influence of population floating on aging of provinces in China. Population Journal , (1): 95–102. (in Chinese)

Zhang S Y, 1990a. Major changes in the patterns of inter-provincial migration in China. Population Research , 14(1): 2–8. (in Chinese)

Zhang S Y, 1990b. The geographical characteristics of the contemporary population migration in China. Population Journal , (2):17–21. (in Chinese)

Zhang S Y, 1996. A Study on the Laws of Vertical Distribution of the Population and the Rational Redistribution of the Population in China’s Mountainous Area. Shanghai: East China Normal University Press. (in Chinese)

Zhang S Y, 1998. Introduction to Population Geography. Shanghai: East China Normal University Press. (in Chinese)

Zhang S Y, 2002. World Population Geography. Shanghai: East China Normal University Press. (in Chinese)

Zhang S Y, 2003. Population Geography of China. Beijing: Science Press. (in Chinese)

Zhou H, Liang Z, 2006. Return migration in China: An analysis of the fifth census data. Population Research , 30(3): 61–69. (in Chinese)

Zhou Y X, 1991. The metropolitan interlocking region in China: A preliminary hypothesis. In: Ginsburg N et al . (eds.). The Extended Metropolis: Settlement Transition in Asia. Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press, 89–111.

Zhou Y X, Shi Y L, 1995. Toward establishing the concept of physical urban area in China. Acta Geographica Sinica , 50(4): 289–301. (in Chinese)

Zhou Z G, Wang J L, 1992. A study on the application of the contour map of population density. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (5): 28–33. (in Chinese)

Zhu B S, 1989. New situation and issues in the urbanization process of the rural population: A survey on farmers’ migration and their hukou ’s transfer to towns in Shanghai’s suburban areas. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (6): 59–61, 36. (in Chinese)

Zhu B S, 1989. Population Ecology. Yangzhou: Phoenix Science Press. (in Chinese)

Zhu B S, 1993. A study on the regional matching mode between population and economic and resource carrying capacity. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (6): 8–13. (in Chinese)

Zhu B S, 1997. Stay and replacement of the urban non-native floating population: The case of Shanghai. Population Research , 21(5): 1–5. (in Chinese)

Zhu B S, 1999. A analysis on the duration of stay of the in-floating population in Shanghai. Chinese Journal of Population Science , (3): 38–45. (in Chinese)

Zhu B S, 2002. Population redistribution and social restructuring in the process of rural-urban convergence of suburban Shanghai. Population Research , 26(6): 47–54. (in Chinese)

Zhu B S, Wang G X, 1985. Rural population transfer and urban population control: The case of Shanghai. Economic Geography , (3): 202–206. (in Chinese)

Zhu Y, 1996. New towns and population redistribution in Hong Kong. City Planning Review , (1): 18–21. (in Chinese)

Zhu Y, 1998. Spatial effects of “informal urbanization” in China: The case of Fujian Province. Asia-Pacific Population Journal , 13(1): 25–44.

Zhu Y, 1999. New Paths to Urbanization in China: Seeking More Balanced Patterns. New York: Nova Science Publishers.

Zhu Y, 2000. In situ urbanization in rural China: Case studies from Fujian Province. Development and Change , 31(2): 413–434.

Zhu Y, 2002. Beyond large-city-centered urbanization: In situ transformation of rural areas in Fujian Province. Asia-Pacific View Point , 43(1): 9–22.

Zhu Y, 2004. Changing urbanization processes and in situ rural-urban transformation: Reflections on China’s settlement definitions. In: Champion A J et al . (eds.). New Forms of Urbanization: Beyond the Urban-Rural Dichotomy. Aldershot: Ashgate, 207–228.

Zhu Y, 2007. China’s floating population and their settlement intention in the cities: Beyond the hukou reform. Habitat International , 31(1): 65–76.

Zhu Y, 2012. Is the figure of 51.27 percent an overestimation of China’s urbanization rate? Some thoughts in the international context. Population Research , 36(2): 31–36. (in Chinese)

Zhu Y, 2015. In Situ Urbanization in China: Processes, Contributing Factors and Policy. World Migration Report Background Paper. Geneva: International Organization for Migration.

Zhu Y, Chen W Z, 2010. The settlement intention of China’s floating population in the cities: Recent changes and multifaceted individual-level determinants. Population, Space and Place , 16(4): 253–267.

Zhu Y, Lin L Y, 2014a. Continuity and change in the transition from the first to the second generation of migrants in China: Insights from a survey in Fujian. Habitat International , 42(2): 147–154.

Zhu Y, Lin L Y, 2014b. From ‘Integration into cities’ to ‘an integrated society’: Women migrants’ needs and rights in Fujian Province, China. In: Truong T D et al . (eds.). Migration, Gender and Social Justice: Perspectives on Human Security, Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace 9. Heidelberg: Springer: 153–171.

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Zhu Y, Lin M, Lin L Y et al. , 2013. The Extent of in situ urbanisation in China’s county areas: The case of Fujian Province. China Perspectives , (3): 43–52.

Zhu Y, Qi X H, Shao H Y et al. , 2009. The evolution of China’s in situ urbanization and its planning and environmental implications: Case studies from Quanzhou Municipality. In: Sherbinin A D et al . (eds.). Urban Population-Environment Dynamics in the Developing World: Case Studies and Lessons Learned. Paris: Committee for International Co-operation in National Research in Demography (CICRED): 213–246.

Zhu Y, Qi X H, Wang G D et al. , 2012. China’s In Situ Urbanization: Theories and Empirical Evidence. Beijing: Science Press. (in Chinese)

Zhu Y, Yu L, Lin L Y et al. , 2012. The continuity and change in the urban settlement intention between the two generation migrants: Based on a survey in Fujian Province. Human Geography , (3): 1–6. (in Chinese)

Zhuo L, Chen J, Shi P J et al. , 2005. Modeling population density of China in 1998 based on DMSP/OLS nighttime light image. Acta Geographica Sinica , 60(2): 266–276. (in Chinese)

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China

Yu Zhu, Liyue Lin & Wenqian Ke

Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Process (Fujian Normal University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, 350007, China

Asian Demographic Research Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China

Population Research Institute, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China

Jinhong Ding

Institute of Population Research, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China

Guixin Wang

Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Jianfa Shen

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yu Zhu .

Additional information

National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.41471132, No.41501163

Zhu Yu (1961–), PhD and Professor, specialized in migration, urbanization and regional development.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Zhu, Y., Ding, J., Wang, G. et al. Population geography in China since the 1980s: Forging the links between population studies and human geography. J. Geogr. Sci. 26 , 1133–1158 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-016-1319-7

Download citation

Received : 09 March 2016

Accepted : 30 March 2016

Published : 09 July 2016

Issue Date : August 2016

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-016-1319-7

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• population geography
• population studies
• human geography
• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

• Geographical skills and enquiry
• Human geography
• Physical geography
• Careers Spotlights
• Skills Boosts

China: Belt and Road Initiative

In this unit you’ll investigate how China is extending its global economic reach through the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI), widening the scope for trade, which has been so key to the country’s development. In doing so, China is also extending its influence in other ways – an example of the links between global economic and political change, so useful material for considering global systems and governance.

BACK TO A LEVEL MENU

OPEN POWERPOINT

Get in Touch

The Geographical Association 160 Solly Street, Sheffield, S1 4BF

0114 296 0088 [email protected]

Stay Social

Cookies Privacy Terms Sitemap

© 2020 The Geographical Association. Charity no. 1135148. Company no. 07139068. Website by QWeb Ltd

Case Study: China's Urbanisation

China’s urbanisation.

The urbanisation of China is one of the main reasons why Asia is the region with the highest urbanisation rate so far in the 21st century. China's cities (e.g. Chongqing) have grown hugely through rural-urban migration.

The growth of China’s cities

• Since the 1980s, China’s urban population has increased from 17% to 58%.
• During this time, 640 million people migrated from rural to urban areas.
• In 1990, Chongqing in central China has a population of 2 million. By 2014, it had a population of 12.9 million.
• This makes Chongqing a megacity as it has over 10 million people. (There are no megacities in the UK).

Reasons for China's growth

• China’s cities have grown because of large-scale rural-urban migration.
• Factories in urban areas offered jobs that were better paid than agricultural work in rural areas as the manufacturing sector in China grew.
• The workforce who moved to the city has helped China to develop as urban areas in China now produce 80% of China's GDP.

New cities in China

• China is different from other places in the world because it has been building entire, brand-new cities for people to move into.
• In 2017, China announced that is would build a new city called Xiongan.
• Xiongan will be 60 miles south of Beijing and will grow to 3 times the size of New York.
• The city of Xiongan will have universities, companies, and institutions provided by the capital of Beijing.
• China is building these cities so that people can move from existing, overcrowded cities to new ones for a better quality of life.

Pollution in China’s cities

• Air pollution is a key problem that China has faced with its urbanisation.
• Beijing is the worst place in China for air quality. In 2016, the air quality got so bad in Beijing that schools had to hold all sports lessons inside.
• Air pollution leads to an increase in deaths and causes health problems for the local population.
• Air pollution comes from coal-fired power stations. The use of coal as a relatively cheap source of energy has helped China to industrialise and develop.

1 Geography Skills

1.1 Mapping

1.1.1 Map Making

1.1.2 OS Maps

1.1.3 Grid References

1.1.4 Contour Lines

1.1.5 Symbols, Scale and Distance

1.1.6 Directions on Maps

1.1.7 Describing Routes

1.1.8 Map Projections

1.1.9 Aerial & Satellite Images

1.1.10 Using Maps to Make Decisions

1.2 Geographical Information Systems

1.2.1 Geographical Information Systems

1.2.2 How do Geographical Information Systems Work?

1.2.3 Using Geographical Information Systems

1.2.4 End of Topic Test - Geography Skills

2 Geology of the UK

2.1 The UK's Rocks

2.1.1 The UK's Main Rock Types

2.1.2 The UK's Landscape

2.1.3 Using Rocks

2.1.4 Weathering

2.2 Case Study: The Peak District

2.2.1 The Peak District

2.2.2 Limestone Landforms

2.2.3 Quarrying

3 Geography of the World

3.1 Geography of America & Europe

3.1.1 North America

3.1.2 South America

3.1.3 Europe

3.1.4 The European Union

3.1.5 The Continents

3.1.6 The Oceans

3.1.7 Longitude

3.1.8 Latitude

3.1.9 End of Topic Test - Geography of the World

4 Development

4.1 Development

4.1.1 Classifying Development

4.1.3 Evaluation of GDP

4.1.4 The Human Development Index

4.1.5 Population Structure

4.1.6 Developing Countries

4.1.7 Emerging Countries

4.1.8 Developed Countries

4.1.9 Comparing Development

4.2 Uneven Development

4.2.1 Consequences of Uneven Development

4.2.2 Physical Factors Affecting Development

4.2.3 Historic Factors Affecting Development

4.2.4 Human & Social Factors Affecting Development

4.2.5 Breaking Out of the Poverty Cycle

4.3 Case Study: Democratic Republic of Congo

4.3.1 The DRC: An Overview

4.3.2 Political & Social Factors Affecting Development

4.3.3 Environmental Factors Affecting the DRC

4.3.4 The DRC: Aid

4.3.5 The Pros & Cons of Aid in DRC

4.3.6 Top-Down vs Bottom-Up in DRC

4.3.7 The DRC: Comparison with the UK

4.3.8 The DRC: Against Malaria Foundation

4.4 Case Study: Nigeria

4.4.1 The Importance & Development of Nigeria

4.4.2 Nigeria's Relationships with the Rest of the World

4.4.3 Urban Growth in Lagos

4.4.4 Population Growth in Lagos

4.4.5 Factors influencing Nigeria's Growth

4.4.6 Nigeria: Comparison with the UK

5 Weather & Climate

5.1 Weather

5.1.1 Weather & Climate

5.1.2 Components of Weather

5.1.3 Temperature

5.1.4 Sunshine, Humidity & Air Pressure

5.1.5 Cloud Cover

5.1.6 Precipitation

5.1.7 Convectional Precipitation

5.1.8 Frontal Precipitation

5.1.9 Relief or Orographic Precipitation

5.1.10 Wind

5.1.11 Extreme Wind

5.1.12 Recording the Weather

5.1.13 Extreme Weather

5.2 Climate

5.2.1 Climate of the British Isles

5.2.2 Comparing Weather & Climate London

5.2.3 Climate of the Tropical Rainforest

5.2.4 End of Topic Test - Weather & Climate

5.3 Tropical Storms

5.3.1 Formation of Tropical Storms

5.3.2 Features of Tropical Storms

5.3.3 The Structure of Tropical Storms

5.3.4 Tropical Storms Case Study: Katrina Effects

5.3.5 Tropical Storms Case Study: Katrina Responses

6 The World of Work

6.1 Tourism

6.1.1 Landscapes

6.1.2 The Growth of Tourism

6.1.3 Benefits of Tourism

6.1.4 Economic Costs of Tourism

6.1.5 Social, Cultural & Environmental Costs of Tourism

6.1.6 Tourism Case Study: Blackpool

6.1.7 Ecotourism

6.1.8 Tourism Case Study: Kenya

7 Natural Resources

7.1.1 What are Rocks?

7.1.2 Types of Rock

7.1.4 The Rock Cycle - Weathering

7.1.5 The Rock Cycle - Erosion

7.1.6 What is Soil?

7.1.7 Soil Profiles

7.1.8 Water

7.1.9 Global Water Demand

7.2 Fossil Fuels

7.2.1 Introduction to Fossil Fuels

7.2.2 Fossil Fuels

7.2.3 The Global Energy Supply

7.2.5 What is Peak Oil?

7.2.6 End of Topic Test - Natural Resources

8.1 River Processes & Landforms

8.1.1 Overview of Rivers

8.1.2 The Bradshaw Model

8.1.3 Erosion

8.1.4 Sediment Transport

8.1.5 River Deposition

8.1.6 River Profiles: Long Profiles

8.1.7 River Profiles: Cross Profiles

8.1.8 Waterfalls & Gorges

8.1.9 Interlocking Spurs

8.1.10 Meanders

8.1.11 Floodplains

8.1.12 Levees

8.1.13 Case Study: River Tees

8.2 Rivers & Flooding

8.2.1 Flood Risk Factors

8.2.2 Flood Management: Hard Engineering

8.2.3 Flood Management: Soft Engineering

8.2.4 Flooding Case Study: Boscastle

8.2.5 Flooding Case Study: Consequences of Boscastle

8.2.6 Flooding Case Study: Responses to Boscastle

8.2.7 Flooding Case Study: Bangladesh

8.2.8 End of Topic Test - Rivers

8.2.9 Rivers Case Study: The Nile

8.2.10 Rivers Case Study: The Mississippi

9.1 Formation of Coastal Landforms

9.1.1 Weathering

9.1.2 Erosion

9.1.3 Headlands & Bays

9.1.4 Caves, Arches & Stacks

9.1.5 Wave-Cut Platforms & Cliffs

9.1.6 Waves

9.1.7 Longshore Drift

9.1.8 Coastal Deposition

9.1.9 Spits, Bars & Sand Dunes

9.2 Coast Management

9.2.1 Management Strategies for Coastal Erosion

9.2.2 Case Study: The Holderness Coast

9.2.3 Case Study: Lyme Regis

9.2.4 End of Topic Test - Coasts

10 Glaciers

10.1 Overview of Glaciers & How They Work

10.1.1 Distribution of Glaciers

10.1.2 Types of Glaciers

10.1.3 The Last Ice Age

10.1.4 Formation & Movement of Glaciers

10.1.5 Shaping of Landscapes by Glaciers

10.1.6 Glacial Landforms Created by Erosion

10.1.7 Glacial Till & Outwash Plain

10.1.8 Moraines

10.1.9 Drumlins & Erratics

10.1.10 End of Topic Tests - Glaciers

10.1.11 Tourism in Glacial Landscapes

10.1.12 Strategies for Coping with Tourists

10.1.13 Case Study - Lake District: Tourism

10.1.14 Case Study - Lake District: Management

11 Tectonics

11.1 Continental Drift & Plate Tectonics

11.1.1 The Theory of Plate Tectonics

11.1.2 The Structure of the Earth

11.1.3 Tectonic Plates

11.1.4 Plate Margins

11.2 Volcanoes

11.2.1 Volcanoes & Their Products

11.2.2 The Development of Volcanoes

11.2.3 Living Near Volcanoes

11.3 Earthquakes

11.3.1 Overview of Earthquakes

11.3.2 Consequences of Earthquakes

11.3.3 Case Study: Christchurch, New Zealand Earthquake

11.4 Tsunamis

11.4.1 Formation of Tsunamis

11.4.2 Case Study: Japan 2010 Tsunami

11.5 Managing the Risk of Volcanoes & Earthquakes

11.5.1 Coping With Earthquakes & Volcanoes

11.5.2 End of Topic Test - Tectonics

12 Climate Change

12.1 The Causes & Consequences of Climate Change

12.1.1 Evidence for Climate Change

12.1.2 Natural Causes of Climate Change

12.1.3 Human Causes of Climate Change

12.1.4 The Greenhouse Effect

12.1.5 Effects of Climate Change on the Environment

12.1.6 Effects of Climate Change on People

12.1.7 Climate Change Predictions

12.1.8 Uncertainty About Future Climate Change

12.1.9 Mitigating Against Climate Change

12.1.10 Adapting to Climate Change

12.1.11 Case Study: Bangladesh

13 Global Population & Inequality

13.1 Global Populations

13.1.1 World Population

13.1.2 Population Structure

13.1.3 Ageing Populations

13.1.4 Youthful Populations

13.1.5 Population Control

13.1.6 Mexico to USA Migration

13.1.7 End of Topic Test - Development & Population

14 Urbanisation

14.1 Urbanisation

14.1.1 Rural Characterisitcs

14.1.2 Urban Characteristics

14.1.3 Urbanisation Growth

14.1.4 The Land Use Model

14.1.5 Rural-Urban Pull Factors

14.1.6 Rural-Urban Push Factors

14.1.7 The Impacts of Migration

14.1.8 Challenges of Urban Areas in Developed Countries

14.1.9 Challenges of Urban Areas in Developing Countries

14.1.10 Urban Sustainability

14.1.11 Case Study: China's Urbanisation

14.1.12 Major UK Cities

14.1.13 Urbanisation in the UK

14.1.14 End of Topic Test- Urbanisation

14.1.15 End of Topic Test - Urban Issues

15 Ecosystems

15.1 The Major Biomes

15.1.1 Distribution of Major Biomes

15.1.2 What Affects the Distribution of Biomes?

15.1.3 Biome Features: Tropical Forests

15.1.4 Biome Features: Temperate Forests

15.1.5 Biome Features: Tundra

15.1.6 Biome Features: Deserts

15.1.7 Biome Features: Tropical Grasslands

15.1.8 Biome Features: Temperate Grasslands

15.2 Case Study: The Amazon Rainforest

15.2.1 Interdependence of Rainforest Ecosystems

15.2.2 Nutrient Cycling in Tropical Rainforests

15.2.3 Deforestation in the Amazon

15.2.4 Impacts of Deforestation in the Amazon

15.2.5 Protecting the Amazon

15.2.6 Adaptations of Plants to Rainforests

15.2.7 Adaptations of Animals to Rainforests

16 Life in an Emerging Country

16.1 Case Studies

16.1.1 Mumbai: Opportunities

16.1.2 Mumbai: Challenges

17 Analysis of Africa

17.1 Africa

17.1.1 Desert Biomes in Africa

17.1.2 The Semi-Desert Biome

17.1.3 The Savanna Biome

17.1.4 Overview of Tropical Rainforests

17.1.5 Colonisation History

17.1.6 Population Distribution in Africa

17.1.7 Economic Resources in Africa

17.1.8 Urbanisation in Africa

17.1.9 Africa's Location

17.1.10 Physical Geography of Africa

17.1.11 Desertification in Africa

17.1.12 Reducing the Risk of Desertification

17.1.13 Case Study: The Sahara Desert - Opportunities

17.1.14 Case Study: The Sahara Desert - Development

18 Analysis of India

18.1 India - Physical Geography

18.1.1 Geographical Location of India

18.1.2 Physical Geography of India

18.1.3 India's Climate

18.1.4 Natural Disasters in India

18.1.5 Case Study: The Thar Desert

18.1.6 Case Study: The Thar Desert - Challenges

18.2 India - Human Geography

18.2.1 Population Distribution in India

18.2.2 Urabinsation in India

18.2.3 The History of India

18.2.4 Economic Resources in India

19 Analysis of the Middle East

19.1 The Middle East

19.1.1 Physical Geography of the Middle East

19.1.2 Human Geography of the Middle East

19.1.3 Climate Zones in the Middle East

19.1.4 Climate Comparison with the UK

19.1.5 Oil & Natural Gas in the Middle East

19.1.6 Water in the Middle East

19.1.7 Population of the Middle East

19.1.8 Development Case Studies: The UAE

19.1.9 Development Case Studies: Yemen

19.1.10 Supporting Development in Yemen

19.1.11 Connection to the UK

19.1.12 Importance of Oil

19.1.13 Oil & Tourism in the UAE

20 Analysis of Bangladesh

20.1 Bangladesh Physical Geography

20.1.1 Location of Bangladesh

20.1.2 Climate of Bangladesh

20.1.3 Rivers in Bangladesh

20.1.4 Flooding in Bangladesh

20.2 Bangladesh Human Geography

20.2.1 Population Structure in Bangladesh

20.2.2 Urbanisation in Bangladesh

20.2.3 Bangladesh's Economy

20.2.4 Energy & Sustainability in Bangladesh

21 Analysis of Russia

21.1 Russia's Physical Geography

21.1.1 Russia's Climate

21.1.2 Russia's Landscape

21.2 Russia's Human Geography

21.2.1 Population of Russia

21.2.2 Russia's Economy

21.2.3 Energy & Sustainability in Russia

Jump to other topics

Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring

Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home

Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs

30+ school subjects covered

Urban Sustainability

Major UK Cities

Water transfer - Case study: China south-north water transfer project

• Electronics

3.7 River management

5.1 world population.

• This is a 50 year project to transfer water from the south of China to the north
• The project uses 3 canal systems to divert water from the Yangtze river in the south to the more arid & industrial north
• It ultimately aims to transfer 44.8 billion m 3 of water per year
• It had an initial budget of $62 billion but costs have now risen to $80 billion
• The north contains 40% of the population but only 4% of the country’s water
• The north gets a mean annual precipitation of less than 100 mm, facing droughts, whereas the south gets over 1000 mm, causing floods
• Water shortages cost $39 billion a year in lost crops and reduced industrial output
• Increasing food and water shortages threatens falling living standards, industrial decline and growing poverty
• The north has rich mineral & land resources with growing industrial cities, and the shortage of water is becoming a restrictive factor
• Over 350 thousand people have been displaced
• This could cause the water to be polluted: for example, fishers on the Yangtze river have complained that pollution was killing the fish
• Water conservation and agricultural improvements may have been better
• It is intensifying, if not causing an economic drought

Spatio-temporal evolution and influencing factors of the e-sports industry in China

• Yixin Zhu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7267-0789
• Zhenshan Yang
• Zhe Cheng https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3777-3934

The emergence and development of new industry play a key role in regional development and economic growth. This study explores the e-sports industry evolution, a typical cross-sector new industry, through a theoretical lens of the evolutionary economic geography (EEG) based on Chinese e-sports industry enterprise data between 1998–2018 and examines the influencing factor by multivariate regression. Results show e-sports industry development is a typical evolutionary process that combines spin-off, path creation, spatial evolution, and firms’ network. Furthermore, the e-sports industry is characterized by the integration of the sports and creative industries. However, technology correlated-based knowledge spillover from culture and sports does not significantly impact the e-sports industry, whereas the knowledge spillover from the information software industry promotes e-sports industry development. The regression result also confirms that the institution and culture significantly impact the industrial development. This study enriches the knowledge body of evolutionary economic geography from case studies of the e-sports industry, and also expands the existing study system of emerging industries.

Brian A (1994) Increasing returns and path dependence in the economy. Ann Arbor.

Boschma RA, Frenken K (2003) Evolutionary economics and industry location. Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft 23: 183–200.

Boschma RA, Frenken K (2011) The emerging empirics of evolutionary economic geography. Journal of Economic Geography 11: 295–307.

Boschma RA, Lambooy JG (1999) Evolutionary economics and economic geography. Journal of Evolutionary Economics 9: 411–429.

Boschma RA, Wenting R (2007) The spatial evolution of the British automobile industry: Does location matter? Industrial and Corporate Change 16: 213–238.

Boschma RA, Gianluca C (2015) Institutions and diversification: Related versus unrelated diversification in a varieties of capitalism framework. Research Policy 44: 1902–1914.

Boschma RA, Martin R (2007) Constructing an evolutionary economic geography. Journal of Economic Geography 7: 537–548.

Buenstorf G, Klepper S (2009) Heritage and agglomeration: The akron tyre cluster revisited. Economic Journal 119: 705–733.

Chu H, Hassink R (2023) Advancing spatial ontology in evolutionary economic geography. Cambridge Journal of Regions Economy and Society 16: 391-404.

Cole MA, Elliott RAR (2003) Determining the trade-environment composition effect: The role of capital, labor and environmental regulations. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 46: 363–383.

Essletzbichler J (2015) Relatedness, industrial branching and technological cohesion in US metropolitan areas. Regional Studies 49: 752–766.

Frenken K, Boschma RA (2007) A theoretical framework for evolutionary economic geography: industrial dynamics and urban growth as a branching process. Journal of Economic Geography 7: 635–649.

Frenken K, Van Oort F, Verburg T (2007) Related variety, unrelated variety and regional economic growth. Regional Studies 41: 685–697.

Giachino C, Nirino N, Leonidou E, Glyptis L (2023) Esport in the digital era: exploring the moderating role of perceived usefulness on financial behavioural aspects within reward-crowdfunding. Journal of Business Research 155: 113416.

Hallmann K, Giel T (2018) Esports – competitive sports or recreational activity? Sport Management Review 21: 14–20.

Hassink R, Isaksen A, Trippl M (2019) Towards a comprehensive understanding of new regional industrial path development. Regional Studies 53: 1636–1645.

Hassink R, Klaerding C, Marques P (2014) Advancing evolutionary economic geography by engaged pluralism. Regional Studies 48: 1295-1307.

Heere B (2018) Embracing the sportification of society: Defining e-sports through a polymorphic view on sport. Sport Management Review 21: 21–24.

Hidalgo CA, Hausmann R (2009) The building blocks of economic complexity. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences 106: 10570-10575.

Hidalgo CA, Klinger B, Barabási AL, Hausmann R (2007) The product space conditions the development of nations. Science 317: 482–487.

Hodgson GM (2009) Agency, institutions, and Darwinism in evolutionary economic geography. Economic Geography 85: 167–173.

Hu X, Hassink R (2017) Exploring adaptation and adaptability in uneven economic resilience: A tale of two Chinese mining regions. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society 10: 527–541.

iResearch (2023) China e-sports industry research report.

James L, Halkier H, Sanz-Ibanez C, Wilson J (2023) Advancing evolutionary economic geographies of tourism: Trigger events, transformative moments and destination path shaping. Tourism Geographies 25: 1819-1832.

Jordan-Vallverdu V, Plaza-Navas MA, Raya JM, Torres-Prunonosa J (2024) The intellectual structure of esports research. Entertainment Computing 49: 100628.

Klepper S (2007) Disagreements, spinoffs, and the evolution of Detroit as the capital of the U.S. automobile industry. Management Science 53: 616–631.

Klepper S (2010) The origin and growth of industry clusters: The making of silicon valley and detroit. Journal of Urban Economics 67: 15–32.

Kogler DF, Evenhuis E, Giuliani E, Martin R, Uyarra E, Boschma R (2023) Re-imagining evolutionary economic geography. Cambridge Journal of Regions Economy and Society 16: 373-390.

Li Y, Wei Y, Li Y, Lei Z, Ceriani A (2022) Connecting emerging industry and regional innovation system: Linkages, effect and paradigm in China. Technovation 111: 102388.

MacKinnon D, Cumbers A, Pike A, Birch K, McMaster R (2009) Evolution in economic geography: Institutions, political economy, and adaptation. Economic Geography 85: 129–150.

Martin R (2010) Roepke lecture in economic geography-rethinking regional path dependence: Beyond lock-in to evolution. Economic Geography 86: 1–27.

Martin R, Sunley P (2006) Path dependence and regional economic evolution. Journal of Economic Geography 6: 395–437.

Martin R, Sunley P (2007) Complexity thinking and evolutionary economic geography. Journal of Economic Geography 7: 573–601.

Menzel MP, Feldman MP, Broekel T (2017) Institutional change and network evolution: Explorative and exploitative tie formations of co-inventors during the dot-com bubble in the research triangle region. Regional Studies 51: 1179–1191.

Metcalfe JS, Foster J, Ramlogan R (2006) Adaptive economic growth. Cambridge Journal of Economics 30: 7–32.

Morrison A, Boschma R (2019) The spatial evolution of the Italian motorcycle industry (1893-1993): Klepper’s heritage theory revisited. Industrial and Corporate Change 28: 613–634.

Sadler D (2004) Cluster evolution, the transformation of old industrial regions and the steel industry supply chain in North East England. Regional Studies 38: 55–66.

Strambach S (2010) Path dependence and path plasticity: the co-evolution of institutions and innovation-the German customized business software industry. The Handbook of Evolutionary Economic Geography 2010: 406–431.

Tang D, Sum RKW, Li M, Ma R, Chung P, Ho RWK (2023) What is esports? A systematic scoping review and concept analysis of esports. Heliyon 9: 23248

Wei YD, Li W, Wang C (2007) Restructuring industrial districts, scaling up regional development: A study of the Wenzhou model, China. Economic Geography 83: 421–444.

Wenting R, Frenken K (2011) Firm entry and institutional lock-in: An organizational ecology analysis of the global fashion design industry. Industrial and Corporate Change 20: 1031–1048.

Yeung HW (2024) From regional to global and back again? A future agenda for regional evolution and (de)globalised production networks in regional studies. Regional Studies 2024: 1–12.

Zhang J (2009) Industry building as contested market building: Knowledge, politics, and the rise of Beijing in China’s virtual economy. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 27: 632–646.

Zhao Y, Li Q, Lin Z (2023) Toward cultural and creative industry: Chinese esports through a business ecosystem lens. Journal of Cultural Economy 16: 260–276.

Zhu S, He C (2019) Moving beyond Anglo-American economic geography: The significance of non-Anglo-American model. International Journal of Urban Sciences 23: 191–197.

Zhu S, Guo Q, He C (2021) Strong links and weak links: How do unrelated industries survive in an unfriendly environment? Economic Geography 97: 66–88.

How to Cite

• Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)

Copyright (c) 2024 Yixin Zhu, Zhenshan Yang, Zhe Cheng

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

Contact: [email protected]

Live revision! Join us for our free exam revision livestreams Watch now →

Reference Library

Collections

• See what's new
• All Resources
• Student Resources
• Assessment Resources
• Teaching Resources
• CPD Courses
• Livestreams

Study notes, videos, interactive activities and more!

Geography news, insights and enrichment

Currated collections of free resources

Browse resources by topic

• All Geography Resources

Resource Selections

Currated lists of resources

Study Notes

GCSE Geography | Case Study: Indus River Basin (Resource Management - Food 6)

Last updated 13 May 2024

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share by Email

The Indus River flows through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea - it has a huge river basin covering around 1 million km2, including parts of India and China. The river is fed by heavy rain and snowmelt and is a really important source of water for both India and Pakistan, providing plenty of water for irrigation in the drier land further south. As a result the Indus Water Treaty was signed in 1960 to give India control of the eastern rivers within the basin, and Pakistan the Indus itself and the western tributaries

What is the Indus River Basin System (IBIS)?

The IBIS is a huge irrigation system - the largest continuous system in the world. It was initially built when this area was part of the British Empire and started off as a series of irrigation canals, but has been expanded over time. There are now three large dams and more than a hundred small dams that control the flow of the water, with 3 huge reservoirs behind the main dams, including the Tarbela Dam (pictured below) and reservoir which can hold 11 billion cubic metres of water. Water is transferred between rivers through 12 major link canals. In addition, there are 64,000 km of minor canals distributing water across the countryside, and more than 1.6 million km of streams and ditches that are used to irrigate farmland in Pakistan.

The IBIS was constructed for a number of reasons. Firstly, the region is pretty arid with low and unreliable rainfall, which cannot meet the demands of local food production. Before the IBIS food security was an issue due to the rapidly growing population, whereas now food can be grown on a large scale, so there is less need to import foods from other countries. Secondly, the IBIS has also helped with economic development, by increasing farm productivity through irrigation, and using the dams to generate hydroelectric power (HEP) to provide the energy needed to develop industries, enabling Pakistan to become a NEE. Finally, the IBIS is important for water management as the dams regulate the flow of water reducing the risk of flooding, which has been an issue along the Indus River, and reservoirs store water when there is a plentiful supply following snow melt or monsoon rains, to use at times when supply is low.

Benefits of the Indus River Basin System

• It has increased the amount of land available for agriculture by 40% which means food security has increased significantly - the system irrigates over 14 million hectares of land
• Food supply has been boosted with huge increase in crop yields - wheat yields have increased by 36%, rice by 39% and fruit by 150%
• People in this region now have access to a wider variety of nutritious foods so their diets and health have vastly improved, including the increased availability of fish which are farmed in storage reservoirs (good for protein)
• Farming has increased export revenue with cash crops grown
• The IBIS provides many job opportunities, including increased jobs in farming, but also in HEP generation
• HEP provides green energy to use in industries that will aid Pakistan's economic development
• Water management reduces the risk of flooding and increases the ability to store water, which aids climate change resilience

Drawbacks of the Indus River Basin System

• Some farmers upstream take more than their fair share which leads to over-abstraction, reducing the amount of water available downstream, affecting food production there
• Evaporation due to the intense heat in the summer leads to high levels of water loss
• Poor irrigation techniques leads to water wastage, as well as waterlogging and salinity, which both cause long-term damage to the soil, reducing fertility
• The reservoirs, barrages and canals all need constant maintenance - this is very expensive
• The IBIS depends on snow melt and the monsoon rains - climate change in the future may affect these reducing the water available
• Displacement of local communities - the dams will have flooded large valleys which means the loss of homes and farmland for many people
• Dams disrupt the natural flow of rivers and lead to sedimentation, as well as interrupting fish migration
• Dams also affect the depth of water with the reservoir being much deeper than the original river, meaning the water is much colder, which could affect the marine habitat with animals unable to adapt to the change in temperature, which could lower biodiversity

• Food production
• Food supply
• Food security

You might also like

Sub-Saharan Famine: natural environment causes, or human conflict and corruption?

15th March 2017

What is a Resource?

Energy - the coal trade, when the new resource frontier is on the sea bed 2km below the surface.

13th September 2017

McDonalds to start using paper straws

18th June 2018

Resource Management: Energy - GCSE MCQ Quiz

Quizzes & Activities

Tri-Dominoes - Water Resources (Paper 2) | Revision Activity

Teaching Activities

‘Clear the Deck’ Interactive Revision Quiz for Paper 2: Resource Management - Energy (Option)

Our subjects.

• › Criminology
• › Economics
• › Geography
• › Health & Social Care
• › Psychology
• › Sociology
• › Teaching & learning resources
• › Student revision workshops
• › Online student courses
• › CPD for teachers
• › Livestreams
• › Teaching jobs

Boston House, 214 High Street, Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, LS23 6AD Tel: 01937 848885

• › Contact us
• › Terms of use
• › Privacy & cookies

© 2002-2024 Tutor2u Limited. Company Reg no: 04489574. VAT reg no 816865400.