5 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HUMAN POPULATION - BIOLOGY - 2024

The characteristics of the human population began to emerge approximately 3 million years ago, with the appearance of the first homo habilis. Even today, this species is attributed some of the most important characteristics of humanity.

With the passage of time, the inhabitants of the earth evolved in shape and skills to adapt to the environment. This is how homo eructus arose and finally the species that exists today, homo sapiens. Which has populated the earth for more than 60,000 generations.

During these millions of years, the population has taken generalized behavioral trends and has undergone drastic, but also gradual, changes.

For example, around the year 1700, the existing human population was at least 600 million people. This figure has been increasing notably in recent years, reaching 7,365 million people.

Among other things, this data makes it clear that the reproductive trend has increased by more than 1200% in just 500 years or 80 generations.

Salient characteristics of the human population

It is distributed

The human population has never been characterized by being located on a common surface. Even in biblical texts and creationist stories, it is told how the children of the first settlers moved to distant lands.

The human population adapts to the natural environment, economic conditions and the evolution of technology, so it stays in the area where it feels best.

It should be noted that the human population is distributed by a variable called "population density". This statistically expresses the relationship between the number of people who inhabit the area and its surface area.

There are two types of distribution:

- Dispersed population: in this, the population is established in a rural area or dedicated to agriculture. At the beginning the lands are distributed, so there is no concentration.

- Concentrated population: Typical of urban areas. Due to economic and social factors, people are grouped in smaller physical spaces.

Is nomad

This characteristic refers to the fact that the population has the possibility of changing the space in which it inhabits over time; this action is called migration. Under normal conditions, this is done with the aim of improving the quality of life.

Another reason, in a much smaller proportion, is wanting to know other customs and change the lifestyle. This is a practice that dates back thousands of years, but that commodification, development, and globalization have accelerated in current times.

Establish hierarchical organizations

The human population for several millennia has been in charge of establishing structured organizations at different levels. From the company, to the countries or even in the families, in each social structure there is a hierarchy.

Decision-making power in common matters is one of the most outstanding characteristics of the highest levels in organizations.

Heterogeneity

Each inhabitant consists of different ethnic origins, education, languages, languages, marital status and ages.

Being the most intelligent and developed living being on the planet, the human has created classifications of social, economic and cultural types unique to the species.

Sexual reproduction, genes, and individual experiences make each human being unique.

Conquest

One of the most relevant characteristics is related to the conquest of new spaces. After the formal organization, groups of humans have gone to conquer other places, in order to keep the lands, buildings, women and use the children as future soldiers or slaves.

It is believed that this characteristic marked the beginning of warlike conflicts.

References

1. Bernard J. Nebel, RT (1999). Environmental sciences: ecology and sustainable development. Mexico DF: Pearson Education.
2. Gritzner, CF (2009). The Human Population. New York: Infobase Publishing.
3. Oliva, R. (2004). Medical genetics. Barcelona: Edicions Universitat Barcelona.
4. Richard P. Cincotta, LJ (2011). Human Population: Its Influences on Biological Diversity. Washington, DC: Springer Science & Business Media.
5. Solomon, J. (1983). Evolution and the Human Population. Association for Science Education.