GEO DICTIONARY


Rural–urban migration: the movement of people from the countryside to cities and towns


Population Distribution and Population Density


Population fall in Ireland 1841–51 0–9


10–19 20–29 30–39 40–49


Historic Factors Before the Famine (1845–9), Ireland’s population peaked at roughly 8 million people (almost 6.5 million in the area of the now-Republic). At the time, Ireland’s economy was based entirely on agriculture, meaning that most of the population lived in rural areas. At this time, Ireland’s population density was 113 per km2


and


evenly spread throughout all rural areas of Ireland. Te Famine led to the deaths of roughly 1 million people, while a further 1 million people emigrated. Te majority of death and emigration occurred along the western seaboard, as farmers there were unable to grow crops other than potatoes on their land. Furthermore, the mild, wet climate of the west suited the potato blight disease more than the drier east of the country. Death and outward migration led to a reduced population density along the west, while more and more families moved to Dublin.


Physical Factors


A wet climate, unproductive soils and an upland relief make the west unattractive for settlement, as are the peat soils of the midlands and other marshy areas along the River Shannon Basin. Many of these areas have population densities of less than 25 per km2


. It is


: Fig. 1.27 Population fall (percentage) in Ireland as a result of the Famine


likely that these rural areas will continue to decline as Ireland’s population becomes more and more urbanised due to rural–urban migration.


Economic Factors GEO DICTIONARY


Outward migration: people who leave an area to settle in another area


Commuter zone: the area surrounding a city from which a large number of people travel to work each day; it is also referred to as a commuter belt


Rural–urban migration accelerated from the 1960s onwards because of economic policies introduced by Sean Lemass. Tese policies attracted multinational companies (MNCs) to newly built industrial estates in Ireland’s cities and towns. Tis has led to most employment opportunities occurring in Ireland’s largest cities, which has drawn people away from rural areas.


As a result, urban centres have the highest population densities. Settlements surrounding these urban centres also have high population densities in excess of 75 per km2


. Typically,


these surrounding towns lie within the commuter zone of the nearest city and attract workers due to their proximity.


Dublin is the best Irish example of this, as it is a primate city. Dublin has many factors that encourage settlement, such as more employment opportunities, higher wages than the national average and a better range


: Fig. 1.28 Sean Lemass


24


ELECTIVE 5 PATTERNS AND PROCESSES IN THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT


A


A


Z


Z


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