the equation is a quadratic one, and it has a positive coefficient on the leading term, meaning, is opening upwards, so it has a "burrow" for the vertex.
the minimum or lowest point for a quadratic opening upwards is, well, the vertex point :), the "x" value is the year, the "y" or f(x) value is the population, we're asked for the year, or the x-coordinate of the vertex
well