Chapter 2 Population 美国人口.pptVIP

Chapter II Population ? I. Characteristics of the American Population II. Melting Pot III. Three waves of Immigration ?IV. The Composition of American Population V. Population Distribution VI. Population Density VII. Population Movements Assignment I. Characteristics of the American Population In 2004, the United States was estimated to have 293 million people. . It is the third most populous country in the world after China and India. Changes in age structure during the 1980s reflect past trends in child bearing: the low birth rate in the two decades ending in 1945, the higher birthrate during the baby boom (1946-1964) and the lower birth rate afterwards. II. The Melting Pot The United States is known as a melting pot, composed of immigrants from different nations all over the world, but it does not mean that it melt away all recollections of another way of life in another place. III.Immigration Immigration accounts for a major source of population growth. The Census Bureau indicates that 33.1 million immigrants (legal and illegal) live in the United States. 　　 The United States had a more or less open-door policy to immigrants Ellis Island of New York was an important immigration reception spot in the 1890s and at the turn of the century. Immigration policy is adding over two million people to the U.S. population each year, accounting for at least two-thirds of U.S. population growth. Between 80% and 90% of immigration to the United States now is from Asian and Hispanic countries. Immigration The first immigrants in American history came from England and the Netherlands, some running away from religious and political persecution, some coming as adventures from the Old World (Europe) to seek a better life. Three Immigration Waves The first wave began in the mid 1810s, grew steadily during the 1830s and 40s and reached the highest point in 1845. The second wave covered the period between 1860 and 1890. The third wave, the largest of the th