Sociology 2140 Chapter Notes - Chapter 13: Doubling Time, Improved Sanitation, Least Developed Countries

• School: Western University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: Sociology 2140
• Professor: Gale Cassidy

Document Summary

The global context: a world view of population growth and urbanization. Although thousands of years passed before the world"s population reached 1 billion, in less than 300 years, the population exploded from 1 billion to 6 billion. Population growth affects virtually every aspect of social life and is the single most important set of events ever to occur in human history . World population: history, current trends, and future projections. Humans have existed on this planet for at least 200,000 years. For 99% of human history, population growth was restricted by disease and limited food supplies. Around 8000 b. c. the development of agriculture and the domestication of animals led to increased food supplies and population growth, but even then, harsh living conditions and disease still put limits on the rate of growth. 1,000 years to double from 16 million to 32 million, and less than 1,000 years to double to 64 million.