Chapter 30 - China: The World's Most Populous Country

The year China's population reached 1 billion

1980

Great Leap Forward

A plan launched by Mao Zedong in 1958 to make China an industrial giant. He believed this could be achieved by having a strong workforce.

Mao Zedong

Chinese Communist leader from 1949 to 1976. Was responsible for the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution

costs of the Great Leap Forward

Chinese people worked hard, but production did not increase. China could not support its growing population and 20 million died in a famine.

benefits of the Three Gorges Dam

Controls flooding Creates hydroelectric power Improves conditions for commercial shipping

Where do most of China's people live?

In the east, along the coast

costs of one-child policy

People don't want to be told how many children they can have. Many people want a son if they can have only one child. This led to an increase in the number of abortions and abandoned children. There are fewer children to care for older family members. This policy clashes with Chinese tradition.

benefits of the one-child policy

The policy slowed population growth. The policy reduced strain on food and water supplies. Mothers and babies tend to be healthier in smaller families.

costs of the Three Gorges Dam

The reservoir flooded ancient historic sites People were forced to move from their homes The habitats of plant and animals species were altered Increases the risk of an earthquake

zero population growth

a condition in which the population of a country does not grow but remains stable. This condition comes about when the birth rate plus immigration equals the death rate plus emigration.

famine

a severe shortage of food that results in widespread hunger

China's main source of energy

coal

What causes a country's rate of natural increase to drop?

educational opportunities for women better access to healthcare

benefits of special economic zones (SEZs)

increased China's gross domestic product (GDP) created millions of new jobs improved the standard of living

SEZs attract more foreign business than other parts of China because they offer companies that locate there...

more freedom

SEZ

special economic zone

rate of natural increase

the annual rate of population growth. This percentage is calculated by subtracting the death rate from the birth rate. It does not include people moving into or out of a country.

doubling time

the length of time it takes for a population to double

birth rate

the number of births in a year for every 1,000 people in a population

death rate

the number of deaths in a year for every 1,000 people in a population

standard of living

the overall level of comfort and well-being of a group or a country

costs of special economic zones (SEZs)

widened the income gap between rich and poor created a "floating population" of migrant workers

When the birth rate equals the death rate

zero population growth