Overpopulation and Its Effects - Essay Example

Death rate is the prime regulator of the growth rate in a country. Death rate is controlled by a number of factors that include but are not limited to the quality of health care, awareness of health and safety in the society, availability of healthy diet and general style of living of the people. The Japanese population underwent a rapid growth during the 18th and 20th century, which can be attributed to the measures taken by the government to combat epidemics, the situation of law and order implemented by the central government which prevented the continuation of conflicts among the various states in Java, and the food policy which maintained an adequate supply of food to the nation during famines.

There occurred an epidemic of Variola in Java during the 18th and 19th centuries. “Since 1856 there had been a systematic method under the supervision of the medical inspector to prevent further variola epidemics” (Timmer). Accordingly, the spread of disease was controlled. There has occurred a general improvement in the quality of health care all over the world in general and the technologically advanced countries in particular. Alongside, birth rate has increased which controls the growth of population at the other end of the continuum.

Birth rate is controlled by a number of factors including the increase of influx of foreigners to fill the skill gaps in countries with low growth rate of the local population, and religion. There are several religions including Islam which encourage people to have more children. Also, governments of several countries around the world have started to take measures to increase population so that the shortage of skills can be eradicated, which emerged in countries with low population. Hence, the two-way effect of decline in death rate and increase in birth rate is the main cause of growth of population.

Early marriage is one of the most important causes of overpopulation. Again, religion is the prime motivational source for the people to marry early as most religions condemn the acts of fornication and appreciate marriage. The practice of early marriage is also an outcome of the modernization of the society. As the society has become more modern and the factors provoking sexual desire are omnipresent, people have started to marry their children earlier than they did before so that the children can have a legitimate means of satisfying their physical needs in the society.

Advanced societies around the world have conventionally suffered a lot from the increase of teen pregnancies. Teen pregnancies not only put the pregnant girls and their families in distress, but also the future of the children born from such pregnancies is insecure. Single parents tend to be more irresponsible towards their children. On the contrary, the responsibility of the up-bringing and nurturing of a child born to a married couple is shared by both husband and wife. Therefore, there has been an increase in the emphasis upon the importance of marriage.

Accordingly, early marriages have increased in number. This means that young couples feel more secure in marriage and their tendency to have more children increases. Illegal immigration is an external factor that increases the population of specially the advanced countries. Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants enter