Lesson video

Hello, my name is Ms. Gilyeat, and I'm going to be your geography teacher for today.

In today's lesson, we are going to be learning about the population of Russia.

So, our lesson outcome for today is that you can give reasons for Russia's uneven population distribution and describe and explain major changes to Russia's population since 1950.

So, we've got five keywords for today's lesson.

The first one is population density, which is the number of people living in a defined area.

So, for example, 300 people per square kilometre.

Choropleth, which is a type of map which uses different shades of colours to show the amount of something.

Natural increase is population increase, which occurs when birth rate is higher than the death rate.

An ageing population is when a large and growing part of a country's population are elderly.

And finally, urbanisation is the process by which more people move from rural areas to cities.

So, we've got two learning cycles.

First of all, we're gonna look at where do people live in Russia, and then we're gonna think about how has Russia's population changed.

So, in 2023, the population of Russia was 145.

44 million people.

Okay? So we've got a bar chart on the slide here, which shows some of the most populous countries in the world.

Okay? So we can see India and China at the top there.

So India has actually overtaken China as the most populated country in the world with 1.

44 billion people.

So where does Russia rank globally in terms of population from looking at that bar chart? We can see that Russia is the ninth most populous country in the world.

Now, the population density of Russia is 8.

5 people per square kilometre, making it one of the lowest population densities in the world.

So why does Russia have a large total population, but a low population density? Russia is the largest country in the world by land area.

So even though it has a large population, the size of the country means there's a lot of space per person.

Population density varies across countries, and it is shown using a choropleth map.

Okay? So we've got a choropleth map of population densities across the world here.

So we can see the lighter populations represent a lower population density, sometimes known as a sparsely populated area, and the darker red colours show more densely populated areas.

Okay? So sparsely populated, densely populated.

So we can see a lot of India and China are quite densely populated.

So, we can zoom in here to look at the population density of Russia, okay? So we can see that there are differences in where people live.

Now, 75% of Russians live in towns and cities, okay? And 77% of Russians live in the European part of the country.

So that's west of the Ural mountains.

Many areas of Russia are uninhabited.

So if you look at the choropleth map, you can see there's a large proportion of the country where there's less than one person per square kilometre.

Okay? So that's a really sparsely populated areas, and basically, yeah, people just don't live there.

And we can see here that eastern Russia is more rural and more sparsely populated than western Russia.

So, we've got three statements here from Jacob, Aisha, and Jun.

So, reading those, who is correct? Jun is correct.

So Russia has the ninth highest population in the world, yet one of the lowest population densities.

Okay? So we've got a choropleth map of population density in Russia on the slide.

So, on my slide, I've got four areas that I've pointed to, a, b, c, and d.

Out of those locations, which has the highest population density? That is, a, okay? And the reason for that is that is where Moscow is located.

Next question.

What percentage of Russians live in the European part of the country? 77%.

Well done if you got that correct.

Okay.

So, we're gonna look at some of the factors which might explain the difference in population densities.

So we're gonna look at two areas.

So we're gonna think about Moscow, which is in western Russia in the European part, and Yakutsk, which is in eastern Russia in Siberia.

So that's in the Asian part of Russia.

Okay? So, what's Moscow like? Well, there's plenty of job opportunities and quite well-paying jobs.

So people that live in some of the rural areas surrounding Moscow often decide to move there to get a job or to get a better paying job.

There's lots of good infrastructure, so good travel networks, good electricity, Wi-Fi, et cetera.

And there is a relatively mild climate.

So if we have a look at the climate graph there, we can see that, yes, it does get quite cold in the winter, with winter temperatures often below freezing, but for the majority of the year, temperatures are above freezing and between that and 20 degrees C, okay? The Moskva River, which we can see on the image just below here, runs through the city, which has got lots of different uses, but also, outside of Moscow, there's quite fertile land, okay? So that's good for growing crops, which means that people yet can work as farmers there, sell crops, but also that produce can be used.

Whereas if we think about Yakutsk, which is in Siberia, there is a very, very harsh climate, okay? So looking at the climate graph here, you can see that the majority of the year, the temperatures are actually below freezing.

So this is one of the coldest cities in the world.

It's got a remote location, which means it's hard for resources to come into the area and it's harder to travel to and from the city.

And also, the city is located on permafrost, which is frozen soil.

That can make it difficult for building and construction, but also not good farmland as well, okay? So those are some of the main differences between areas in Russia, which explain differences in population density.

Moscow has a high population density, and the reasons for this include job opportunities, infrastructure and mild climate and fertile land, okay? And Yakutsk has a low population density, and the reasons for this include a harsh climate, permafrost, and lack of infrastructure.

Which one have I missed out from this slide before? It is a remote location.

Well done if you spotted that.

Okay, so we're onto our first task for this lesson.

What I would like you to do is create a choropleth map of Russia's population density.

So using the coloured map as a guide, remember to add a key and use shades of a colour with the darker representing the highest densities.

So like on the example here we've got, the redder, the darker red colour represents the higher densities, and you need to make sure that you include a key.

So plus 1,000 people per kilometre would be the highest densities, with less than one person per square kilometres, the lower densities, okay? Well, once you've created your choropleth map, I would like you to explain why population density is high in Moscow and low in Yakutsk.

Okay, so your choropleth map should have looked something like this.

Okay, so we can see here that in western Russia, the population density is higher with a very high population density around the area of Moscow.

And in general, the majority of the country has got a low population density.

Okay? So here's my explanation to the second question, and hopefully you've got something similar to this.

Population density is high in Moscow due to a combination of factors, including many job opportunities, well-developed infrastructure, and mild climate, and fertile land, all of which attract people to live and work in the area.

In contrast, population density is low in Yakutsk, Siberia, because of its harsh climate, remote location, and the presence of permafrost, which makes living conditions more difficult.

Well done if you have written something similar to this.

It might be worth pausing the video and adding extra any detail to your answer.

Okay, so we're onto our second learning cycle now, which is looking at how has Russia's population changed.

Now, geographers can do two things.

Well, they can do many things, but the two that we're going to focus on now is describing and explaining.

So, when you describe something, you are stating what something is like by giving details about its features.

However, when you explain something, you are giving reasons for why something has happened or how something happens.

So, I'm gonna show you an example of this.

So an example description of this leaf is that the leaf is green.

An explanation is it is green due to a pigment called chlorophyll.

Okay, true or false.

Description and explanation are the same thing.

It is false.

And can you tell me why? Description and explanation are not the same thing? Description is about saying what something is like, and explanation gives reasons for a feature.

Well done if you got that right.

Now, since 1950, there have been three significant changes to Russia's population that can be described and explained.

So, we're gonna think about the total population.

So Andeep has asked a fantastic question here, "How has Russia's total population changed?" We can about the structure of the population.

So, "Are there more old or young people?" as Izzy has asked here? And finally, we can think about urbanisation.

So, "Where do people actually live?" Good question, Alex.

Now, if we're thinking about the total population, between 1950 and 2023, Russia's population changed, and this can be given into two time periods.

So if you have a look at the line graph here, we've got time on the bottom from 1950 to 2023, and we've got population on the Y-axis from 20 million to 160 million people, okay? And we've got the UK and Russia as a comparison.

So I'd like you to have a look at that graph and see at what point can you see what's happening to Russia's population? When does it start to change? So, between 1950 and 1990, we can see there is growth in the population.

So in 1950, the population was 103 million people.

At 1990, the population was 149 million people.

But then, between 1990 and 2023, the population has slowly declined.

Okay? So at 2023, it was 145 million people.

Okay? So we've got an answer from Jacob, Aisha, and John.

Who is correct? So, Jacob is correct here.

So the total population grew to 149 million people in 1990 before falling to 145 million in 2023.

Well done, Jacob.

So we can use birth and death rates to explain how population can change.

Now, birth and death rates are measured per 1,000 people per year.

So we can look, rate minus the death rate, and that gives you the amount of natural increase within a population.

So I'll give you an example to show how this works.

Now, when the birth rate is higher than the death rate, so that basically means more babies are being born than people are dying, then a population grows.

So, example, we've got a birth rate here of a country is 16.

1 and a death rate of 6.

6.

And if you minus the death rate from the birth rate, that gives you an answer of 9.

5.

So that is how much your population there is growing per year, but it's per 1,000 people.

Okay.

So there's not just 9.

5 extra people living in that country, it's per 1,000.

Now, when your death rate is higher than your birth rate, a population declines.

So that means that more people are dying in the country than babies are being born.

So, for example, here we've got a country with a birth rate of six and a death rate of 12.

3.

So six minus 12.

3 is minus 6.

3.

So that's how much the population is going down per 1,000 people per year.

So we're going to have a go at calculating the natural increase for Brazil in 2023.

So, in 2023, the birth rate was 12.

3 and the death rate was 7.

1.

So we minus 7.

1 from 12.

3 and Brazil had a natural increase of 5.

2 in 2023.

Okay? So 5.

2 people per 1,000 were added to Brazil's population.

Now, what I'd like you to do is have a go at calculating the natural increase for Italy in 2023.

So you've got a birth rate of 6.

5 and a death rate of 11.

2.

Okay, so we've done 6.

5 minus 11.

2 equals minus 4.

7.

So Italy's population reduced by 4.

7 people per 1,000 in 2023, has got a declining population.

So we're going to look at how changes to Russia's natural increase over time explain its total population.

So if we have a look on the slide here, we've got changes to the total population and birth rate and death rate data at the bottom here.

So we can see in 1950 the birth rate was quite high at 27.

9, and the death rate was 13.

2.

Okay, that gave you a natural increase rate of 14.

7, whereas 2023, the birth rate was much lower at 8.

9 and the death rate had actually gone down a little bit at 12.

3, but that gave you a natural increase rate of minus 3.

4.

So in 2023, people were having much less children and also fewer people were dying.

Okay? So what do you think? What do you reckon for 1990? What do you think the natural increase rate was at 1990 when the birth rate was 13.

6 and the death rate was 10? Can you figure out what the natural increase is? 3.

6, well done if you got that right.

Okay, so changes to Russia's natural increase over time explain changes to its population.

That is true.

And can you tell me why? So, in 1950, the birth rate was much higher than the death rate.

So Russia's population grew, but by 2023, the death rate was higher than the birth rate.

So the population was in decline.

Well done if you got that right.

Okay, so we're gonna have a think about the structure now.

Now, since 1950, the population structure of Russia has changed.

Okay? So, in general, what has happened is there's been an increasing population of people aged 65 plus.

So looking at that graph, we can see that marooney colour has got wider and wider as it's gone over time.

So that means the proportion of that age group has got bigger, but the proportion of people under age 24 has gone into decline, okay? So there's fewer young people in 2023 than there was in 1950.

Now, the reduction in people aged under 24 can be explained by falling birth rates.

That basically means that people are having fewer children.

The ageing population, so that's the more people age 65 plus, can be explained by increasing life expectancy, okay? So people are living longer than they used to.

So, we've got some stats on the slide.

So these are the life expectancies of males and females in 1950 and 2023.

So, in 1950, the average life expectancy of a man was 51, whereas of a female, it was 59, okay? And that's gone up nearly 20 years in 2023.

So, for males, in 2023, it was 67, and for women, it was 79.

So, why do you think that the life expectancy in Russia has increased? Why are people living longer? So there's quite a few factors which can contribute to this, and it might be better healthcare, better nutrition, sanitation, education, and living conditions are some of the main ones.

Okay? Which of the following descriptions about Russia's ageing population is correct? The answer is a.

So Russia has more people aged 65 plus and fewer aged under 24.

Finally, we're gonna think about urbanisation.

Now, migration within Russia is significant.

Urban populations are growing while rural populations are in decline, okay? So we can see on the slide here that urban population of Russia has gone up from 1960 to 2023, whereas the rural population has declined.

Okay? So, in 1960, 54% of people were living in urban areas and 46 in rural, whereas in 2023, now 75% of Russians live in an urban area, whereas 25% of the total population live in a rural area.

So why do you think this has happened? Now, there are a few different factors which may mean that people decide to live in urban areas.

So urban areas tend to have better job opportunities, education, healthcare, and also living conditions.

Rural areas often lack services, infrastructure and employment, okay? So these are known as push and pull factors.

Push factors are reasons why people decide to leave a rural area, and pull factors, reasons why people are attracted to go live in an urban area.

And this is leading to rural-to-urban migration.

Okay, so let's have a go at filling in these statements.

Urbanisation in Russia has led to an increase in the urban population and a decrease in the something population.

And it is explained by differences in something services and infrastructure.

What are the two missing words? Okay, so it's a decrease in the rural population and differences in employment, services, and infrastructure.

Okay, so we're on to our final task for the lesson.

What I'd like you to do is complete the table to describe and explain Russia's population changes from 1950 to 2023.

And I'd like you to try and include data wherever possible.

So, first of all, describe and then explain what's happened to the total population, what's happened to the structure, and finally, what's happened with urbanisation.

So pause the video and complete your table.

Okay, here we've got some answers.

So for the descriptions of total population, you should have written something similar to this.

Russia's population grew from 103 million to 1950 to 149 million in 1990, and it had declined slightly to 145 million by 2023.

For the structure, since 1950, the population structure of Russia has seen an increasing proportion of the population age 65 plus and fewer young people aged under 24.

And for urbanisation, the percentage of people living in urban areas has increased from 54% in 1950 to 75% in 2023.

The percentage of people living in rural areas has fallen.

And we've got an explanation here.

So the reason why the total population has changed is Russia's natural increase has decreased from 14.

7 in 1950 to minus 3.

4 in 2023, leading to a total fall in the population.

Most of this change is due to falling birth rates.

The reasons for a change in structure, there are fewer people aged under 24 because birth rates have fallen.

The ageing population is explained by increasing life expectancy, which increase from 55 in 1950 to 73 in 2023.

And the changes in urbanisation are because people have moved to urban areas which have better education, healthcare, job opportunities, and living conditions.

Rural areas often lack services, infrastructure, and employment.

Okay, so here we've got a summary for today's lesson.

Russia has the world's ninth largest population.

The west is more populated than the east.

75% of people live in towns and cities.

Reasons for uneven population density include climate, soil quality, and infrastructure.

And since 1950, there have been significant changes to Russia's population, including the total population, the structure, and urbanisation.

Right.

That's it from me today, and I'll see you next time.

Bye.