The highest rates of urbanization are typical for. Levels and rates of urbanization

Geographical aspects of urbanization and features of the development of the largest urbanized zones of the world

Lecture notes 9-10

· The development of European cities over the past thirty years.

· Features of urban areas in North and Latin America, Caribbean islands over the past 30 years.

· Urbanization in Africa.

· Cities in the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East.

· Urbanization of polar regions.

Development of cities in Europe. Since 1972, the population of Europe has increased by 100 million people, amounting to 818 million people in 2000, or 13.5% total strength world population. The most significant demographic process taking place in much of the region is the aging of the population as a result of low birth rates and increased life expectancy. Another problem is the displacement of the population across Europe, caused both by conflicts (displaced and refugees, transit migrants from developing countries) and searches a better life(Global Environment Outlook, 2002). On fig. 1 shows the dynamics of the urban population in Europe from 1970 to 2000.

Rice. 1. Urban population in Europe over the past 30 years in % of the total (according to Global Environment Outlook, 2002) .

As can be seen from Figure 1, since the 1970s. The urban population in Europe has steadily increased against the backdrop of a massive outflow of residents from the central regions to the suburbs. The main trend in the development of urban settlements has been their expansion in connection with the development of infrastructure, an increase in family incomes, fragmentation and reduction in the size of families, as well as an aging population. Between 1980 and 1995, the urban population in Western Europe increased by 9% and the number of households increased by 19% (Global Environment Outlook, 2002). An example of such changes is the growth of cities on the Mediterranean coast of France, shown in Figure 2.

Rice. 2. Expansion of urban areas on the Mediterranean coast of France from 1975 to 1990 (according to Global Environment Outlook, 2002)

The maps shown in Figure 2 reflect the expansion of cities in a 10 km strip along the French Mediterranean coast. The two maps on the left show agricultural and forest land involved in the urbanization process in 1975-1990. The map on the right illustrates the end result - about 35 percent of the waterfront is now developed.

Now the level of urbanization in Europe is 74.6%. The annual growth of this indicator in the period 2000-2015 is expected to be at the level of 0.3%. Thus, it can be expected that the share of the urban population in Europe may stabilize at around 82%. Half of Europe's population now lives in big cities with a population of 1,000 to 50,000 people; a quarter of Europeans live in medium-sized cities with populations between 50,000 and 250,000, and the remaining quarter live in cities with populations over 250,000 (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

The problems associated with the development of cities and their impact on the environment create difficulties in the formation of European social policy. In the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and in some states of the CIS, responsibility for solving urban problems, including environmental ones, is transferred to local and regional authorities, which, however, do not receive appropriate financial resources. Lack of funding hinders the effective management of the urban environment.

In Europe, local authorities have launched Local Agenda 21 and Agenda 21 for Settlements. Many have joined the European Cities Charter, which emphasizes the need for greater cooperation between cities and an integrated approach to ensure their sustainable development. An analysis of the implementation of Agenda 21 for Settlements shows that some progress has been made in Europe in improving the efficiency of water consumption, mainly through the introduction of advanced technologies and development of plans and programs for water management. In addition, efforts were made to reduce air and water pollution by reducing or eliminating emissions of the most dangerous pollutants, as well as through the recycling and recycling of waste. However, increasing air pollution from motor vehicles remains a serious problem. AT Eastern Europe pollution is mainly associated with the use of outdated public heating systems and their use of coal as the main fuel (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

The main problems of most European cities are related to transport: more than half of car trips are made at a distance of no more than 6 km, and 10% do not exceed 1 km. Vehicle traffic is increasing under the influence of factors such as increasing distances to places of work, study, shopping or recreation. These distances increase because the final points of trips (residential quarters, industrial areas, shopping areas) are located farther and farther from each other and from the very beginning of the development of the territory are connected by roads. Increasing competition as a result of globalization is forcing people to look for jobs farther from home and also to work in different places at different times of the day. Alternatives to personal vehicles are still underdeveloped or poorly adapted to the new urban layout. The growth of car traffic has a significant impact on the quality of the air environment in cities. In Western European countries, this impact is partly mitigated by the introduction of more stringent standards for limiting motor vehicle emissions. However, many people living in urban areas of the European continent are still exposed to high levels of air pollution, which worsens the health of the population.

Another problem in European cities is noise pollution. Of the 75% of Europeans living in cities, more than 30% experience significant traffic noise exposure in their apartments. The dramatic increase in air traffic since 1970 has resulted in a significant increase in noise levels in the vicinity of airports. Legislative initiatives, including the prohibition of flights at night, the use of aircraft engines with a reduced noise level in the mid-1990s, made it possible to reduce aviation noise pollution by 9 times compared to the 1970 level.

Economic growth is directly related to the increase in waste in cities. In both Western and Eastern Europe, recycling is not economically viable. Therefore, in most European countries, landfill remains the main method of waste disposal, although there is an increasing shortage of landfill space.

Air pollution, noise pollution and the accumulation of solid waste are not all the environmental problems of European cities. They also include traffic jams on the streets, the use of green space, water management, as well as the "aging" of urban infrastructure, in particular dilapidated housing and communications. Legislation, economic incentives, public awareness through information campaigns, or long-term investment in urban infrastructure are important tools for implementing urban improvement programs (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

Features of the urban areas of North America. North America is a highly urbanized region. By the 1970s, the post-war outflow of population from the largest cities led to the final formation of a suburbanization model of settlement, in which cities are surrounded by low-density suburbs. From 1970 to 2000 in North America the number of people living in cities increased from 73.8% to 77.2%. The development of suburbanization in North America is driven by economic growth, incentives for individual homeownership, government subsidies, and funding for highway construction and suburban infrastructure.

In the US, the use of urban transport has been declining, the role of passenger cars has increased, and the distance traveled by suburbanites who commute to work in the city has increased. The same trends were observed in Canada in the 1990s. Between 1981 and 1991, passenger-kilometers per year per capita in Canada and the United States increased by 23% and 33.7%, respectively. New road construction in the 1990s and low fuel prices in the United States contributed to an 11.9% increase in suburban population between 1990 and 1998, compared to only 4.7% in urban centers. At present, suburbanization in the United States is 50% due to population growth and 50% to the allocation of urban land for individual residential development. From 1982 to 1992 an average of 5670 km 2 of the best farm land was allocated annually for urban construction in the United States. Now, on average, 9,320 km 2 of land is converted annually to the category of urban land, and a significant part of it is used for suburban development on land plots of 0.5 hectares. In Canada, the area of ​​urban land suitable for growing crops increased from 9,000 km2 in 1971 to 14,000 km2 in 1996 (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

In the last decade, balanced urban planning has been expanding in North America, in which land acquisition for residential and administrative development alternates with land allocation for retail. Such planning does not require large areas reduces travel distance, encourages walking, cycling and public transport, conserves lawns and lawns, wildlife habitats and farmland, and reduces paved area by improving soil drainage and water quality (Global Environment Outlook, 2002 ).

Features of urban areas in Latin America and the Caribbean. In the developing world, Latin America and the Caribbean is the most urbanized region. Figure 3 shows the dynamics of the urban population over the past 30 years (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

Rice. 3. Urban population growth in Latin America and the Caribbean over a 30-year period (% of total population).

As can be seen from Figure 3, from 1972 to 2000. the urban population has grown from 176.4 to 390.8 million people, which is associated with better socio-economic conditions compared to rural areas. The share of the population living in cities increased from 58.9% to 75.3%. In South America it was 79.8%, in Central America - 67.3%, and in the Caribbean - 63%. The highest level of urbanization is in the countries of the south of the Latin American continent. The ratio of the share of urban and rural population in the countries of Latin America is similar to the ratio of the population in highly industrialized countries.

With the exception of Brazil, each country in the region has only one major city. In addition to the growth of urban areas, urbanization processes are actively taking place in rural regions - 61% of the population of the Amazon region currently lives in urbanized zones. Most countries in the region are characterized by a high degree of social stratification and social inequality; most of the poor population is concentrated in cities. For example, a third of the population of São Paulo and 40% of the population of Mexico City live below the poverty line. From 1970 to 2000, the number of poor people grew from 44 million to 220 million. While environmental issues are not exclusive to cities, their impact is most noticeable there.

In urban areas, these primarily include the problem of municipal and industrial solid waste, inadequate sanitation, and air pollution. Over the past 30 years, air quality in many cities in Latin America has deteriorated dramatically, and its pollution has risen above the standards set by the World Health Organization. Air pollution is greatly contributed by the increase in the number of cars and the increase in travel times due to traffic congestion. The inefficient organization of transport and industrial zones, together with long distances from home to work, as a result of inefficient urban planning, contribute to an increase in air pollution levels from emissions from vehicles and industrial enterprises. AT individual cases, increasing levels of pollution environment contribute complex relief and meteorological conditions of large cities. Mexico City, for example, is located in a valley where, as a result of a special meteorological regime and temperature inversion, harmful substances are not carried out of the valley, causing severe smog in the city (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

Urbanization processes in African countries. Despite the fact that the majority of Africa's population (62.1%) is still rural, the region's urbanization rate is about 4% per year and is the highest in the world. They are about twice the global average. According to forecasts, over the next 15 years, growth rates will average 3.5% per year, that is, from 2000 to 2015, the proportion of Africans in the urban population of the world will increase from 10 to 17%. Figure 4 shows the dynamics of the urban population in selected regions of Africa over the past 30 years (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

Rice. 4. Dynamics of the urban population (million people) in selected regions of Africa over the past thirty years (Global Environmental Outlook, 2002).

As can be seen from Figure 4, the absolute number of inhabitants of the cities of the African continent from 1972 to 2000 increased by more than 2 times. The most intensive growth of the urban population was observed in the northern, western and southern parts of the continent. The proportion of the urban population is highest in North Africa, where it is 54%; then go West Africa(40%), South Africa (39%), Central Africa (36%) and Western Islands indian ocean(32%). The least urbanized region is East Africa where only 23% of the population lives in cities (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

In Africa, not only is the urban population growing, but both the cities themselves and their number are growing. There are currently 43 cities on the continent with more than 1 million inhabitants, and it is expected that by 2015 there may be almost 70.

Despite rapid growth, large urban areas across the continent are unevenly distributed. Figure 5 shows the level of urbanization of selected countries in Africa. The data shown in the figure is presented as a percentage of the total population (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

Rice. 5. Level of urbanization of selected countries in Africa as a percentage of the total population (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

As Figure 5 shows, only a few countries in Africa have a high urban population. But most of the continent's population lives in rural areas. In general, the high rates of urbanization of the African continent are the result of the migration of the rural population to cities, population growth and (in some cases) military conflicts. People are leaving the countryside due to a decrease in the productivity of agricultural production, rising unemployment, lack of access to fixed assets of material and social infrastructure. However, the hope for a higher income and standard of living in cities is rarely realized, and therefore the number of poor people is increasing there.

Natural disasters and military conflicts have also caused many people to leave rural areas and seek refuge in urban centers. In Mozambique, a civil war in the 1980s forced 4.5 million rural residents into cities, and the third largest settlement in Sierra Leone is a displaced persons camp.

Due to slow economic growth, the lack of proper development strategies and the proliferation of small houses and land in many African countries, the developing infrastructure is not able to meet the rapidly growing needs of the urban population for housing and services. As a result, in many African cities there are more and more overcrowded informal areas, "cans", built from scrap materials and poorly provided with road infrastructure, street lighting, running water, sewerage and waste disposal. Often such residential areas appear in places unsuitable for development - on steep slopes, in ravines and on floodplain floodplains. The inadequate architecture of the houses and the poor layout of these settlements contribute to a decrease in security and an increase in crime in African cities. Governments and local authorities are trying to solve the problem of housing and maintenance shortages by increasing construction.

Urban Development Programs in Selected African Countries. Since 1985, a number of urban development projects have been carried out in Ghana. As a result, by the year 2000, services had improved for about half a million residents of five major cities. In 1998, on the initiative of non-governmental and public organizations, in order to prevent crime, the Dar es Salaam - Safe City program was launched in Tanzania. Within the framework of this program, jobs are created, public groups for the protection of order are organized. Similar programs began to be implemented in Dakar, Durban, Johannesburg. In 1997, more than 200 low-cost houses were built in South Africa, equipped with environmentally friendly equipment, sewerage and solar panels to reduce the need for electricity for heating and cooking.

Cities of the Asia-Pacific region. Urbanization is one of the most important issues facing the Asia-Pacific region. This region is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. But the uncontrolled growth of cities, poor waste disposal, the low level of water supply and sewerage systems, floods and subsidence of soils are typical problems of the region's cities. Cities create the best opportunities for employment, education and health, but creating the real infrastructure necessary to provide the appropriate services to maintain the health and well-being of the population is fraught with great difficulties. However, over the past thirty years, the urban population in the region has more than doubled, as shown in Figure 6 (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

Rice. 6. Dynamics of the urban population in the Asia-Pacific region, million people (according to Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

As can be seen from Figure 6, the most intensive urban population growth was observed in South, East Asia and the Pacific Northwest. In this part of the Asia-Pacific region there are countries such as China, India, Japan, Malaysia and some others. According to forecasts in 2001-2015, the pace of urbanization in the Asia-Pacific region will be 2.4% per year. Currently, the share of the urban population ranges from 7.1% in Bhutan to 100% in Singapore and Nauru. The most urbanized countries in the region are Australia and New Zealand (85%), the least urbanized are the South Pacific (26.4%). The urbanization rate exceeds 75% in 7 countries - Australia, Japan, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Republic of Korea and Singapore. About 12% of the urban population lives in the region's 12 megacities: Beijing, Calcutta, Delhi, Dhaka, Jakarta, Karachi, Manila, Mumbai, Osaka, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo.

The main environmental problems of cities in the region are air pollution and inadequate access of the population to communal and social services. Air pollution is the most common problem, especially in the cities of developing countries, due to the increase in Vehicle and industrial development. For example, in India and Indonesia, more than half of all vehicles are motorcycles and three-wheeled taxis with two-stroke engines, which are highly polluting. Poor maintenance, poor fuel quality and bad roads also contribute to pollution. The burning of biomass – wood and agricultural waste – is another source of air pollution in many poor areas (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

Cities of the Middle East. Figure 7 shows the share of urban population in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

Rice. 7. Percentage of the urban population in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula (according to Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

As Figure 7 shows, most of the population in the Middle East lives in cities. Remarkable growth and migration of people to cities has taken place in Oman, where the proportion of the urban population increased from 11.4% in 1970 to 84% in 2000. In all the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, the rate of urbanization now exceeds 84%, with the exception of Yemen, where it is only 24.7%. By 2000, almost the entire population of Bahrain (92.2%), Kuwait (97.6%) and Qatar (92.5%) lived in cities. In general, from 1970 to 2002. The urban population of the region has doubled. By 2030, 142.6 million people are expected to live in cities in the Middle East.

The past 30 years have seen important economic, political and technological changes that have affected the structure and functioning of cities in Western Asia. Three major factors have changed the region's urban landscape: the oil boom of the 1970s; large-scale migrations of people due to armed conflicts and civil wars; globalization processes, due to which countries are integrated into the global economy and the role of information technologies is increasing.

The accelerated pace of urbanization is also occurring due to the reduction rural settlements which may adversely affect the overall economic situation in the region. Almost all countries in the Middle East have experienced massive rural-to-urban migration, as well as immigration of foreign workers to cities, especially in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. During 1972-1980, the total urban population increased from 17.8 million people (44.7% of the total population) to 27 million people (55.8%). During the same period, the average annual urban population growth rate was 5.6%, much higher than the 3.6% growth rate for the general population. Urbanization is developing at a faster rate than population growth as a whole.

As cities expand, agricultural lands, coastal zones and forests are allotted for development. Coastal ecosystems are most threatened by urban expansion, including wetlands, intertidal zones, coastal salt marshes, and mangroves. Land transformation includes a variety of activities, from drainage and backfilling of marshes to large-scale land reclamation projects that result in the formation of a new coastline. Lebanon has been doing this for decades. Between 1970 and 1985, the territory of the city of Dubai increased from 18 to 100 km 2 due to coastal reclamation. The ongoing land reclamation along the coast of Bahrain for urban development has changed the outline of the island. From 1975 to 1998, the territory of Bahrain increased from 661.9 to 709.2 km 2 (by 7.15 per cent); land was mainly allocated for residential development, industrial and recreational purposes (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

While an increasing number of people in the Middle East live in cities, the share of the population living in large cities with more than 1 million inhabitants is still small. In 1975, only two cities (Baghdad and Damascus) had a population of more than 1 million people, which accounted for a quarter of the entire urban population of the region. The number of large cities doubles every 10 years, in 2000 there were already 12 of them, but the share of their population in the total urban population fluctuates between 25-37%. Nevertheless, the population living in these cities increased from 3.88 million to 23.8 million between 1975 and 2000.

The processes of urbanization are intricately linked to the economic transformations taking place in the region, during which agrarian and nomadic societies are moving towards a way of life based on production and services. Economic development has contributed to fundamental changes in the level of well-being of the inhabitants of the Middle East, including increased life expectancy, increased incomes, and reduced infant mortality. However, despite the positive developments, many cities are currently experiencing transition processes with negative consequences. The growth of the urban population has become synonymous with the growth of the urban poor. Most of the major cities are overcrowded, with high levels of air pollution due to rising traffic loads, energy consumption and industrial production (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

Urban areas of the polar regions. The permanent population of the Arctic, the only inhabited polar region of the planet, totals, according to the Nordic Council, 3.75 million people. Most of the settlements of the North managed to keep big sizes and a population not exceeding 5 thousand people. The vast majority of modern inhabitants of the Arctic are the so-called non-indigenous population. Immigration proceeded against the backdrop of a steady increase in urbanization with the movement of residents from relatively small settlements to larger urban areas. This trend can be traced throughout the Arctic. Since the 1970s, urbanization has engulfed Greenland, about a quarter of whose population now lives in the capital of the island, the city of Gotthob (Nuk). A similar concentration of the urban population in one city is typical for other countries of the Arctic: 40 percent of the population of Iceland lives in Reykjavik, a third of the population of the Faroe Islands lives in Tórshavn, and almost 40% of the inhabitants of the northwestern territories of Canada live in the city of Yellowknife. In the North American sector of the Arctic, only the population of Anchorage (Alaska, USA) exceeds 100 thousand people. In 2001, this rapidly growing city had a population of 262,200, while the population of Fairbanks - the second largest city in Arctic Alaska - has even declined somewhat over the past decade to 30,500 people.

In North America, special efforts were made to avoid the formation of permanent settlements around mining and oil fields: instead of resettling workers with their families to the North, shift employment was practiced. Technical facilities and production facilities were purposefully located away from indigenous settlements. Since the 1980s, agreements and partnerships have developed with indigenous advocacy organizations to reduce the environmental and social impacts of industrial expansion and increase employment among local indigenous peoples (Global Environment Outlook, 2002).

AT Russian Federation north of the 60th parallel there are 11 cities with a population of more than 200 thousand people. All of them were built around mining and development sites. natural resources- centers of fishing and wood processing, mines and places of extraction of combustible minerals. After the collapse Soviet Union the outflow of the population from the Russian sector of the Arctic began, which was already mentioned earlier.

The accelerated growth of the population of the Arctic and its increasing concentration in cities have significantly affected the state of the fragile ecosystems of the North. And although urbanization has a comparable impact on the ecosystems of all regions, in the Arctic it is exacerbated by severe climatic conditions and remoteness. In particular, in conditions of winter temperatures, which in some places fall below -60°C, and a polar night that lasts for months almost without interruption, a lot of energy per capita is consumed here, which noticeably exacerbates the problem of pollution. Except in Iceland where energy is used thermal waters, cities in the Arctic live off diesel fuel, hydro and nuclear energy. Creation of the road network and construction industrial facilities increasingly creates problems for wildlife and comes into conflict with the interests of the indigenous population.

Organized Systems sewers are available only in large cities, and relatively small settlements have yet to provide their residents with cleaning or disinfection systems Wastewater. Serious problems in the Russian North and small towns in Alaska are the poverty of housing stock, poor water quality, and the technical imperfection of sewage systems. The development of industries such as mining leads to the formation of pollutant halos around industrial facilities - heavy metals, sulfur dioxide. Industrial pollution led to the outflow of the local population from the taiga and tundra ecosystems that were previously used by pastoralists and hunters, disrupted the natural dynamics of populations and the migration routes of wild reindeer.

Literature

1. Pivovarov Yu.L. Fundamentals of Geo-Urbanism: Urbanization and Urban Systems: Tutorial for stud. higher textbook establishments. - M.: VLADOS, 1999. -232 p.

2. Global Environment Outlook 3. Past, present and future perspectives. United Nations Environment Programme. M.: UNEPCOM, 2002. -504 p.

For many centuries, even millennia, Africa remained predominantly rural mainland. True, cities appeared in North Africa a very long time ago. Suffice it to recall Carthage, the major urban centers of the era of the Roman Empire. But in Africa south of the Sahara, cities began to appear already in the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, mainly as military strongholds and trading (including slave) bases. During the colonial division of Africa at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. new urban settlements arose mainly as local administrative centers. However, the term itself urbanization in relation to Africa until the end of modern times, it can be applied, apparently, only conditionally. After all, back in 1900, there was only one city on the entire continent with a population of more than 100 thousand inhabitants.
In the first half of the XX century. The situation has changed, but not so radically. Back in 1920, the urban population of Africa numbered only 7 million people, in 1940 - 20 million, and only by 1950 had increased to 51 million people.
But in the second half of the 20th century, especially after such an important milestone as the year of Africa, a real urban explosion began on the continent. This is illustrated primarily by data on urban population growth rates. Back in the 60s in many countries they achieved phenomenally high performance at 10-15, or even 20-25% per year! In 1970-1985. the urban population on average increased by 5-7% per year, which meant doubling it in 10-15 years. And in the 80s, these rates remained at about 5% and only in the 90s began to decline. In Africa, the number of townspeople and the number of cities began to increase rapidly. The share of the urban population in 1970 reached 22%, in 1980 - 29%, in 1990 - 32%, and in 2000 - 38%. Accordingly, the share of Africa in the urban population of the whole world increased from 4.5% in 1950 to 10.7% in 2000.
As in the rest of the developing world, the urban explosion in Africa is dominated by the growth of large cities. Their number increased from 80 in 1960 to 170 in 1980 and more than doubled thereafter. The number of cities with a population of 500,000 to 1 million has also noticeably increased.
But this hallmark of the African urban explosion can be most clearly demonstrated by the growth in the number of million-plus cities. Cairo became the first such city in the late 1920s. In 1950 there were only two of them, but already in 1980 there were 8, in 1990 - 27, and the number of inhabitants in them increased from 3.5 million to 16 and 60 million people, respectively. According to the UN, at the end of the 90s there were already 33 agglomerations in Africa with a population of more than 1 million people, which concentrated 1/3 of the entire urban population. Two of these agglomerations (Lagos and Cairo) with a population of more than 10 million people have already entered the category of super-cities. In 11 agglomerations, the number of inhabitants ranged from 2 to 5 million people, in the rest - from 1 to 2 million people. Approximately half of all millionaire agglomerations are now located in Tropical Africa. In 2001, there were already 43 millionaire agglomerations.
Considering the process of the urban explosion in Africa, one must take into account the fact that the industrial and cultural development of countries, the deepening of the processes of ethnic consolidation and other positive trends are associated with cities. However, along with this, the urban environment is accompanied by many negative phenomena. This is because Africa is not just urbanizing in breadth(but not deep into, as in developed countries), but the so-called false urbanization characteristic of those countries and regions where there is virtually no or almost no economic growth. According to the World Bank, in the 1970s and 1990s, the urban population of Africa increased by an average of 4.7% per year, while GDP per capita decreased by 0.7% annually. As a result, for the most part, African cities have not become engines of economic growth and structural transformation in the economy. On the contrary, in many cases they began to act as the main centers of the socio-economic crisis, becoming the focus of acute social contradictions and contrasts, such as unemployment, housing crisis, crime, etc. The complexity of the situation is aggravated by the fact that cities, especially large ones, continue to to attract the poorest rural residents, who are constantly replenishing the stratum of the marginalized population. Statistics show that the top ten cities in the world with the most poor quality life includes nine African cities: Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, Khartoum, Bangui, Luanda, Ouagadougou, Kinshasa, Bamako and Niamey.
The urban explosion in Africa is very typical of the hypertrophied role of capital cities both in the population and in the economy. The following figures speak of the degree of such hypertrophy: in Guinea, the capital concentrates 81% of the total urban population of the country, in Congo (Brazzaville) - 67, in Angola - 61, in Chad - 55, in Burkina Faso - 52, in several other countries - from 40 to 50%. The following figures are also impressive: by the beginning of the 1990s, capitals accounted for: in Senegal (Dakar) - 80%, in Sudan (Khartoum) - 75%, in Angola (Luanda) - 70%, in Tunisia (Tunisia ) - 65, in Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) - 60%.
Despite many common features of the urban explosion in Africa, it is also characterized by rather significant regional differences, especially between North, Tropical and South Africa.
AT North Africa has already reached a very high (51%) level of urbanization, exceeding the world average, and in Libya it reaches 88%.
Egypt already has over 30 million urban dwellers and Algeria 17 million. Since North Africa has been an urban scene for a very long time, urban growth has not been as explosive as in other sub-regions of the continent. If we keep in mind the material appearance of cities, then in North Africa a long-formed type of Arab city prevails with its traditional medina, kasbah, covered bazaars, which in the XIX-XX centuries. were supplemented by quarters of European buildings.
AT South Africa the level of urbanization is 48%, and, as you might guess, the most economically developed and urbanized Republic of South Africa, where the number of city dwellers exceeds 20 million people, has a decisive influence on this indicator. Several millionaire agglomerations have also formed in this subregion, the largest of which is Johannesburg (5 million). The material appearance of the cities of South Africa reflects both African and European features, and social contrasts in them - even after the elimination of the apartheid system in South Africa - are still very tangible.
AT Tropical Africa the level of urbanization is lower: in West Africa it is 40%, in East - 26, in Central - 35%. The average figures for individual countries are approximately the same. It is symptomatic that in the continental part Tropical Africa there are only three countries where the proportion of the urban population exceeds 50% - these are Djibouti (81%), Gabon (81) and Congo (Brazzaville) (63%). But here are the least urbanized countries such as Rwanda (6%), Burundi (9%), Uganda (14%), Burkina Faso (15%), Ethiopia (18%). There are also countries in which the capital concentrates 100% of the total urban population: Bujumbura in Burundi, Praia in Cape Verde. And in terms of the total number of citizens (more than 50 million), Nigeria occupies the uncompetitive first place in all of Africa. Yu.D. Dmitrevsky once noted that many cities in Tropical Africa are characterized by a division into native, business and European parts. Many of the cities of Tropical Africa are extremely crowded. The most striking example of this kind is Lagos, which, according to this indicator (about 70 thousand people per 1 km 2), occupies one of the first places in the world.
Demographic projections provide an opportunity to trace the urban explosion in Africa through 2010, 2015 and 2025. According to these forecasts, in 2010 the urban population should increase to 470 million people, and its share in the total population - up to 44%.
It is estimated that if in 2000-2015. If the urban population grows at an average rate of 3.5% per year, then the proportion of urban residents in Africa will approach 50%, and the proportion of this continent in the urban population of the world will increase to 17%. Apparently, in 2015 the number of millionaire agglomerations will increase to 70. At the same time, Lagos and Cairo will remain in the group of supercities, the number of their inhabitants will increase to 24.6 and 14.4 million, respectively. Seven cities will have from 5 to 10 million residents (Kinshasa, Addis Ababa, Algiers, Alexandria, Maputo, Abidjan and Luanda). And in 2025, the urban population of Africa will exceed 800 million people, with its share in the total population of 54%. In North and South Africa, this share will increase to 65% and even 70%, and in the now least urbanized East Africa, it will be 47%. By the same time, the number of millionaire agglomerations in Tropical Africa may increase to 110.

Federal Agency for Education of the Russian Federation

GOU VPO "Ryazan State University named after S.A. Yesenin"

Faculty of Natural Geography

Department of Economic and Social Geography and Tourism

Test in the discipline: Country Studies

On the topic: “The population of Africa: the population explosion and its consequences. Level and pace of urbanization»

Performed:

2nd year student,

By specialty:

Socio-cultural service and tourism

Width B.

Supervisor:

Mishnina E.I.

Ryazan, 2010

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………...3

1. The population of Africa: the population explosion and its consequences…………….5

2. Level and rate of urbanization in Africa…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….17

List of literature used…………………………………………………...18

Introduction

Africa is the ancestral home of man. The most ancient remains of human ancestors and tools of his labor were found in rocks that are about 3 million years old in Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia. The modern population of Africa belongs to three main races: Caucasoid, Equatorial and Mongoloid. The main part of the inhabitants of the mainland is the indigenous, that is, the original, permanent population. Representatives of the Caucasian race live mainly in northern Africa. it Arab peoples(Algerians, Moroccans, Egyptians, etc.) who speak Arabic, as well as Berbers who speak Berber. They are characterized by dark skin, dark hair and eyes, an elongated skull, a narrow nose and an oval face.

Most of the mainland south of the Sahara is inhabited by Negroids, who make up the African branch of the equatorial race. Among Negroids there are significant differences in skin color, height, facial features, and head shape. The tallest peoples of Africa live in the savannahs of the northern part of the mainland (Tutsi, Nilots, Masai, etc.). Them average height 180-200 cm. They are surprisingly slender and graceful. In the upper Nile region, Negroids are distinguished by a very dark, almost black skin color.

The peoples of the zone of equatorial forests - pygmies - are small (below 150 cm). Their skin color is less dark than that of many other Negroids, their lips are thin, their nose is broad, and they are stocky. Pygmies are forest dwellers. The forest for them is a home and a source of everything necessary for existence. This is one of the smallest ethnic groups in Africa, whose numbers are steadily declining.

Bushmen and Hottentots live in the semi-deserts and deserts of South Africa. They are characterized by a yellowish-brown skin color, a wide flat face, which gives them a resemblance to the Mongoloids. The Bushmen, like the Pygmies, are short but thin-boned.

Some experts refer to the Ethiopians as an intermediate race. They are distinguished by a lighter, but with a reddish tinge, skin coloration. In appearance, the Ethiopians are closer to the southern branch of the Caucasoid race. Malagasy (inhabitants of Madagascar) descended from a mixture of representatives of the Mongoloid and Negroid races.

The immigrant population of European origin lives mainly in places with better climatic conditions and constitutes an insignificant part of the population of the mainland. The French live in the north of the mainland along the Mediterranean coast, and in the very south of the mainland - the Afrikaners (descendants of immigrants from the Netherlands), the British, etc.

Many African countries have an ancient culture (Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Benin, Sudan). Crafts, trade, construction business flourished in them. The peoples of Africa, having gone through a long path of development, have made a significant contribution to the history of world culture. Remarkable monuments of art have been preserved: the Egyptian pyramids - a miracle of ancient building technology, carvings on ivory and wood, bronze sculptures. Some scholars believe that the first successes in the development of culture of humanity are due mainly to Africa. After the liberation of most countries from colonial enslavement, African culture is experiencing a new upsurge in its development.

The population of Africa exceeds 780 million people. Africa has a relatively sparse population, which is extremely unevenly distributed across the mainland. Population distribution is influenced not only by natural conditions, but also historical reasons, primarily the consequences of the slave trade and colonial rule.

The purpose of this work is a detailed consideration of the population explosion in Africa and its consequences, as well as the level and pace of urbanization, which will also allow us to draw significant conclusions on the characteristics of population distribution in Africa.

1. Population in Africa: the population explosion and its consequences

Throughout the history of human civilization in Africa, the so-called traditional type of population reproduction has dominated, characterized by high birth and death rates and, accordingly, a low rate of natural increase. Demographers believe that at the turn of our era, 16-17 million people lived in Africa (according to other sources, 30-40 million), and in 1600 - 55 million people. Over the next 300 years (1600-1900), the population of the continent increased to 110 million people, or doubled, which meant the slowest growth of any major region in the world. As a result, Africa's share of the world's population has declined markedly. Such a slow type of growth was due primarily to the slave trade, the losses from which amounted to tens of millions of people, hard forced labor on the plantations of European colonies, hunger and disease. Only in the first half of the XX century. Africa's population began to grow faster, and by 1950 reached 220 million people.

But the real demographic revolution took place in Africa already in the second half of the 20th century. In 1960, its population was 275 million, in 1970 - 356 million, in 1980 - 475 million, in 1990 - 648 million, in 2000 - 784 million, and in 2007 - 965 million human. This means that in 1950-2007. it increased by almost 4.4 times! No other region of the world knows similar growth rates. It is no coincidence that Africa's share of world population is rapidly increasing. In 2007, it was already 14.6%, which exceeds the total share of foreign Europe and the CIS or North and Latin America. Although in the second half of the 1990s The population explosion in Africa has already clearly passed its peak indicators, the average annual population growth rate (2.1%) here was still almost twice the world level.

Such a demographic situation in Africa is explained by the fact that its population continues to be in the second phase of the demographic transition, which is characterized by the preservation of high and very high birth rates with a rather sharp decrease in mortality. Hence, as before, high rates of natural growth, ensuring not just expanded reproduction, but very rapid increase population. By mid-2000, Africa came up with the following "formula" for population reproduction: 36% -15% = 21%. Let's take a look at each of its components.

Birth rate in Africa in 1985–1990 was almost 45%, in 1990-1995. - 42%, in 1995-2000. - 40%, and in 2000-2005. - 36%. It exceeds the world average of the last five years (20b) by 1.5 times. Sub-Saharan Africa contains most of the countries in the world with a birth rate that often approaches the physiological maximum. As an example, we can cite countries in which in 2005 the birth rate reached 50% or even exceeded this level: Niger, Eritrea, DR Congo, Liberia. But in most other countries, it was in the range from 40 to 50%.

Accordingly, the fertility rate of women in Africa remains the highest in the world: the average number of children born to one woman is still 4.8 there, and in Uganda, Mali, Niger, Chad, DR Congo, Burundi, Somalia, it reaches six to seven and more.

The high birth rate in African countries is due to a number of factors. Among them should be mentioned age-old traditions early marriages and large families, associated primarily with extreme socio-economic backwardness. The desire of parents to have as many children as possible was a completely natural reaction to the very high infant mortality and, at the same time, a means of ensuring their own patriarchal economy. large quantity working hands. Religious beliefs also had a strong effect, as did the rather widespread polygamous marriages (polygamy). Consideration should also be given to the general improvement in health care achieved in recent decades, which includes the protection of maternal and child health and the reduction of female infertility, one of the consequences of many diseases.

Indicators death rate in the second half of the 20th century, on the contrary, they decreased very significantly. The average for Africa in 2005 was 15%, including 7% in the North and 14–19% in the Tropics. Although the death rate still significantly exceeds the world average (9%), it was its decline, while maintaining a high birth rate, that served, one might say, as the main "detonator" of the population explosion on the continent.

As a result, even while maintaining fairly high mortality rates, Africa has a record for the whole world. natural increase population: on average it is 21% (or 21 people per 1000 inhabitants), which corresponds to an average annual increase of 2.1%. If differentiated by sub-region, it turns out that in North Africa it is 1.6%, in West - 2.4, in East - 2.5, in Central - 2.2 and in South Africa - 0.3%. .

Figure 1 can serve as a basis for continuing this analysis at the level of individual countries. Looking at it, it is easy to see that more than half of the countries in Africa now have an average annual population growth rate of 1 to 2%. But in 13 countries it is still 2-3%, and in 12 countries it is 3-4%. Most of these countries are in Western Africa, but they are also found in Eastern and Central Africa. In addition, recently in Africa there have appeared countries in which there is not an increase, but a decrease in population. This is due to the AIDS epidemic.

This difference is mainly explained by differences in general level socio-economic development, including the level of education, health care and other components of a comprehensive concept of the quality of the population. As for the demographic policy, it does not yet have a great impact on the processes of population reproduction. Almost all African countries have declared their commitment to such a policy, many have adopted national family planning programs, are implementing measures aimed at improving the status of women, expanding access to contraceptives, regulating the intervals between births, etc. However, funding for these programs is insufficient. In addition, they run counter to religious and everyday traditions and encounter resistance from a significant part of the population. More effective demographic policy turned out to be in several more developed countries. As a result of the implementation of government programs aimed at reducing the rate of population growth, such a decrease as early as the 1960s. began in Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Ghana, and later - in Algeria, Zimbabwe, on about. Mauritius.

The population explosion in Africa is significantly deepening many of the already intractable economic and social problems countries of the continent.

First, this the problem of increasing "pressure" of a rapidly growing population on the environment. Back in 1985, there was 0.4 hectares of land per inhabitant of the countryside, and in early XXI in. this figure dropped to 0.3 ha. At the same time, the threat of further desertification and deforestation, an increase in the general ecological crisis. It can be added that in terms of resource availability fresh water per 1 inhabitant (about 5000 m3 in 2000) Africa is inferior to most other large regions of the world. At the same time, water resources in the region are distributed in such a way that their largest number does not coincide with the most densely populated areas, and as a result, in many places, especially in large cities, there is a shortage of water.

Secondly, this the problem of increasing the "demographic load", i.e. the ratio of the number of children (and older people) to the number of people of working age. It is known that main feature The age structure of the population of Africa has always been very a large share it includes persons of childhood ages, and recently - as a result of a certain reduction in infant and child mortality - it has even begun to increase. So, in 2000, the age group under 15 years old made up 43% of the entire population of the continent. In some countries of Tropical Africa, in particular in Uganda, Niger, Mali, the number of children is actually almost equal to the number of "workers". Moreover, due to the very big share of the economically active population in Africa is much smaller (38-39%) than in any other major region of the world.

Thirdly, this employment problem. In conditions of a population explosion, the economically active population already in 2000 reached 300 million people. Occupy so many people social production African countries are not able to. According to the International Labor Organization, on average in Africa, unemployment covers 35-40% of able-bodied people.

Fourth, this food problem rapidly growing population. The current food situation in Africa is assessed by most experts as critical. Although 2/3 of the population of the continent is employed in agriculture, it is here, especially in Tropical Africa, that the food crisis has become the most protracted and even fairly stable "hunger zones" have formed. In many countries, food production per capita not only does not increase, but even decreases, so that it becomes more and more difficult for the peasant to provide his family with his own food throughout the year. Food imports are on the rise. Far from the only, but still one of the most important reasons for this situation is that the average annual population growth in Africa significantly outpaces the average annual growth in food production.

Fifth, it public health issue, associated with both environmental degradation and the poverty of the majority of people. (There are 11 countries in Africa where more than half of the total population lives below the poverty line. Including in Zambia, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, this share exceeds 70%, and in Mali, Chad, Niger, Ghana, Rwanda - 60%. ) Both contribute to the spread of such dangerous diseases as malaria, cholera, leprosy, sleeping sickness. Africa has already surpassed all other continents in terms of the number of AIDS cases. It has the highest rate of HIV infection and the highest proportion of HIV-infected and AIDS patients (8.4% of the adult population). In 2006, more than 25 million people living with HIV and AIDS were living in sub-Saharan Africa, representing 70% of the total reported worldwide. In the same year, AIDS claimed the lives of 2.3 million Africans, reducing life expectancy in many countries. It can be added that Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland and Congo are among the top ten countries in terms of the number of AIDS cases, where on average there are from 350 to 450 cases of the disease per 100 thousand inhabitants. The second ten is also dominated by African countries.

Rice. one. Average annual population growth in African countries, p. 303.

Sixth, it the problem of education. In 2000, only 60% of African adults were literate. In sub-Saharan Africa, the total number of illiterate people over the age of 15 even increased from 125 million in 1980 to 145 million in 2000. Even in 2006, more than 1/2 of men were illiterate in 5 African countries, in 7 - more than 2/3 of women. With an average proportion of people of childhood, which, as already noted, is 43%, it is not so easy to provide the younger generation with school education.

Until relatively recently, demographic projections assumed that by 2025 the population of Africa would increase to 1,650 million people. According to newer forecasts, it will be about 1300 million people (including 250 million in North Africa, 383 million in West, 426 million in East, 185 million in Central and 56 million in South). This means that Africa will continue to face many of the socio-economic problems generated by the population explosion. Suffice it to say that, according to some estimates, in 2025 the labor force of the continent will reach almost 1 billion people, accounting for 1/5 of all labor resources peace. In 1985, the number of young people who joined the mass of workers was 36 million, in 2000 - 57 million, and in 2025 it will reach almost 100 million!

Recently, new information has appeared in the press about the projections of the African population for 2050. Compared to the previous ones, they reflect an upward trend and proceed from the fact that in the middle of the 21st century. the population of the continent will reach almost 2 billion people (21% of the world's population). At the same time, in such countries as Togo, Senegal, Uganda, Mali, Somalia, for the first half of the XXI century. the population should increase by 3.5-4 times, and in the DR Congo, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Liberia, Eritrea, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Madagascar - 3 times. Accordingly, by 2050 the population of Nigeria is expected to reach 258 million people, DR Congo - 177, Ethiopia - 170, Uganda - 127, Egypt - 126 million people. From 50 to 100 million inhabitants will have Sudan, Niger, Kenya and Tanzania.

2. Level and rate of urbanization in Africa

For many centuries, even millennia, Africa remained predominantly a "rural continent". True, cities appeared in North Africa a very long time ago. Suffice it to recall Carthage, the major urban centers of the era of the Roman Empire. But in Africa south of the Sahara, cities began to appear already in the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, mainly as military strongholds and trading (including slave) bases. During the colonial division of Africa at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. new urban settlements arose mainly as local administrative centers. Nevertheless, the very term "urbanization" in relation to Africa until the end of modern times can be applied, apparently, only conditionally. After all, back in 1900, there was only one city on the entire continent with a population of more than 100 thousand inhabitants.

In the first half of the XX century. The situation has changed, but not so radically. Back in 1920, the urban population of Africa numbered only 7 million people, in 1940 - already 20 million, and only by 1950 had increased to 51 million people.

But in the second half of the 20th century, especially after such an important milestone as the Year of Africa, a real “urban explosion” began on the continent. This is illustrated primarily by data on urban population growth rates. Back in the 1960s. in many countries they have reached phenomenally high rates of 10–15, or even 20–25% per year! In 1970–1985 the urban population on average increased by 5–7% per year, which meant doubling it in 10–15 years. Yes, even in the 1980s. these rates remained approximately at the level of 5% and only in the 1990s. began to decline. As a result, the number of city dwellers and the number of cities began to increase rapidly in Africa. The share of the urban population in 1970 reached 22%, in 1980 - 29%, in 1990 - 32%, in 2000 - 36% and in 2005 - 38%. Accordingly, the share of Africa in the urban population of the whole world increased from 4.5% in 1950 to 11.2% in 2005.

As in the rest of the developing world, Africa's "urban explosion" is dominated by the growth of large cities. Their number increased from 80 in 1960 to 170 in 1980 and more than doubled thereafter. The number of cities with a population of 500,000 to 1 million has also noticeably increased.

But this distinctive feature of the African "urban explosion" can be especially clearly demonstrated by the example of the growth in the number of million-plus cities. The first such city was in the late 1920s. became Cairo. In 1950, there were only two millionaire cities, but already in 1980 there were 8, in 1990 - 27, and the number of inhabitants in them increased from 3.5 million to 16 and 60 million people, respectively. According to the UN, in the late 1990s. in Africa, there were already 33 agglomerations with a population of more than 1 million people, which concentrated 1/3 of the total urban population, and in 2001 there were already 40 millionaire agglomerations. Two of these agglomerations (Lagos and Cairo) with a population of more than 10 million people have already entered the category of super-cities. In 14 agglomerations, the number of inhabitants ranged from 2 million to 5 million people, in the rest - from 1 million to 2 million people (Fig. 2). However, in the next five years, some capitals, for example, Monrovia, Freetown, dropped out of the number of millionaire cities. This is due to the unstable political situation and military operations in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Considering the process of "urban explosion" in Africa, one must take into account the fact that the industrial and cultural development of countries, the deepening of the processes of ethnic consolidation and other positive phenomena are associated with cities. However, along with this, the urban environment is accompanied by many negative phenomena. This is because Africa is not just urbanizing in breadth(but not in depth, as in developed countries), but the so-called false urbanization, characteristic of those countries and regions where there is virtually no or almost no economic growth. According to the World Bank, in the 1970s-1990s. Africa's urban population has grown by an average of 4.7% per year, while their GDP per capita has decreased by 0.7% annually. As a result, for the most part, African cities have not become engines of economic growth and structural transformation in the economy. On the contrary, in many cases they began to act as the main centers of the socio-economic crisis, becoming the focus of acute social contradictions and contrasts, such as unemployment, housing crisis, crime, etc. The situation is only aggravated by the fact that cities, especially large ones, continue to attract the poorest rural residents, who are constantly replenishing the stratum of the marginalized population. Statistics show that the top ten cities in the world with the lowest quality of life are nine African cities: Brazzaville, Pont-Noire, Khartoum, Bangui, Luanda, Ouagadougou, Kinshasa, Bamako and Niamey.

The "urban explosion" in Africa is very typical of the exaggeratedly large role of capital cities both in the population and in the economy. The following figures speak of the degree of such hypertrophy: in Guinea, the capital concentrates 81% of the total urban population of the country, in the Congo - 67, in Angola - 61, in Chad - 55, in Burkina Faso - 52, in several other countries - from 40 to 50 %. The following indicators are also impressive: by the beginning of the 1990s. in the production of industrial products, the capitals accounted for: in Senegal (Dakar) - 80%, in Sudan (Khartoum) - 75%, in Angola (Luanda) - 70%, in Tunisia (Tunisia) - 65%, in Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) - 60%.

Despite many common features of the "urban explosion" in Africa, there are also quite significant regional differences, especially between North, Tropical and South Africa.

AT North Africa has already reached a very high (51%) level of urbanization, exceeding the world average, and in Libya it reaches 85%. Egypt already has over 32 million urban dwellers, and Algeria has over 22 million. Since North Africa has been the scene of urban life for a very long time, urban growth here has not been as explosive as in other subregions of the continent. If we keep in mind the material appearance of cities, then in North Africa a long-formed type of Arab city prevails with its traditional medina, kasbah, covered bazaars, which in the 19th-20th centuries. were supplemented by quarters of European buildings.

Rice. 2. Millionaire agglomerations in Africa, p. 305.

AT South Africa the level of urbanization is 56%, and the decisive influence on this indicator, as you might guess, is the most economically developed and urbanized Republic of South Africa, where the number of city dwellers exceeds 25 million people. Several millionaire agglomerations have also formed in this subregion, the largest of which is Johannesburg (5 million). The material appearance of the cities of South Africa reflects both African and European features, and social contrasts in them - even after the elimination of the apartheid system in South Africa - are still very tangible.

AT Tropical Africa the level of urbanization is lower than in North: in West Africa it is 42%, in East - 22, in Central - 40%. The average figures for individual countries are approximately the same. It is symptomatic that in the continental part of Tropical Africa (without islands) there are only six countries where the proportion of the urban population exceeds 50%: Gabon, Congo, Liberia, Botswana, Cameroon and Angola. But here are the least urbanized countries such as Rwanda (19%), Burundi (10%), Uganda (13), Burkina Faso (18), Malawi and Niger (17% each). There are also countries in which the capital concentrates 100% of the total urban population: Bujumbura in Burundi, Praia in Cape Verde. And in terms of the total number of citizens (more than 65 million), Nigeria occupies the uncompetitive first place in all of Africa. Many of the cities of Tropical Africa are extremely crowded. The most striking example of this kind is Lagos, which, according to this indicator (about 70 thousand people per 1 km2), occupies one of the first places in the world. Yu. D. Dmitrevsky once noted that many cities in Tropical Africa are characterized by division into "native", "business" and "European" parts.

Demographic projections provide an opportunity to trace the course of the "urban explosion" in Africa to 2010, 2015 and 2025. According to these forecasts, in 2010 the urban population should increase to 470 million people, and its share in the total population - up to 44%. It is estimated that if in 2000-2015. If the urban population growth rate will average 3.5% per year, then the proportion of urban residents in Africa will approach 50%, and the share of this continent in the urban population of the world will increase to 17%. Apparently, in 2015 the number of African agglomerations with millionaires will increase to 70. At the same time, Lagos and Cairo will remain in the group of supercities, but the number of their inhabitants will increase to 24.6 million and 14.4 million, respectively. Seven cities will have from 5 million to 10 million inhabitants (Kinshasa, Addis Ababa, Algeria, Alexandria, Maputo, Abidjan and Luanda). And in 2025, the urban population of Africa will exceed 800 million people, with its share in the total population of 54%. In North and South Africa, this share will increase to 65% and even 70%, and in the now least urbanized East Africa, it will be 47%. By the same time, the number of millionaire agglomerations in Tropical Africa may increase to 110.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to draw the following conclusions:

The share of the population of African countries tends to steadily increase;

Unlike mortality, in Africa, in relation to fertility, traditional demographic behavior continues, focused on maintaining its indicators at a high and even very high level;

Among Africa, there are dozens of very small populations, and often just dwarf states, the demographic policy in which (if carried out) is aimed primarily not at reducing, but at increasing natural population growth;

In most sub-Saharan African countries, mortality in last years growing due to the ongoing AIDS epidemic.

At the same time, it is necessary to take into account that the relative growth rate of the Earth's population reached its peak in the 1960s. last century; and since the late 80s. began to decline and the absolute growth rate of world population. Currently, population growth rates are declining in almost all countries of the world; and we can say that we live in the era of the end of the population explosion. At the same time, the threat of reaching levels of relative overpopulation of catastrophic values ​​still remains in relation to individual countries, where the rate of demographic growth is still exceptionally high, and it is slowing down at insufficient rates (first of all, we are talking about the countries of Tropical Africa, such as Niger, DRC, Angola, etc.).

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While the majority (62.1 percent) of Africa's population is still rural, the urbanization rate of about 4 percent per year is the highest in the world, about twice the global average (United Nations Population Division 2001). Growth is projected to average 3.5 percent per year over the next 15 years, which means that the proportion of Africans in the world's urban population will increase from 10 percent to 17 percent between 2000 and 2015 (United Nations Population Division 2001).

The urban population is highest in North Africa, at 54 per cent; followed by West Africa (40 percent), South Africa (39 percent), Central Africa (36 percent) and the Western Indian Ocean Islands (32 percent). The least urbanized region is East Africa, where only 23 percent of the population lives in cities (United Nations Population Division 2001). Of all African countries, Malawi has the highest rate of urbanization (6.3 percent per year, three times the world average).

In Africa, not only is the urban population growing, but both the cities themselves and their number are growing. There are currently 43 cities on the continent with more than 1 million inhabitants, and it is expected that by 2015 there may be almost 70 (United Nations Population Division 2001).

The high rate of urbanization in Africa is the result of rural migration to cities, population growth and (in some cases) military conflicts. People are leaving the countryside due to a decrease in the productivity of agricultural production, rising unemployment, lack of access to fixed assets of material and social infrastructure. However, the hope for a higher income and standard of living in cities is rarely realized, and therefore the number of poor people is increasing there. In Moroni, Comoros, 40 percent of the population lives in poverty (RFIC 1997), while in South Africa, household plots approximately 45 percent of city dwellings grow crops or keep livestock to support their food supply (UNDP 1996). Natural disasters and military conflicts have also caused many people to leave rural areas and seek refuge in urban centers. In Mozambique, the civil war in the 1980s displaced 4.5 million rural residents to cities (Chenje 2000) and the third largest settlement in Sierra Leone is a displaced persons camp (UNCHS 2001b).

Due to the slow economic growth in many African countries, the lack of proper development strategies and the proliferation of small houses and land, the developing infrastructure is not able to meet the rapidly growing needs of the urban population for housing and services. As a result, many African cities have a growing number of overcrowded informal neighborhoods, or “cans,” built of unknown materials and poorly provided with infrastructure such as roads, street lighting, running water, sewerage, and waste disposal. Often such residential areas appear in places unsuitable for development - on steep slopes, in ravines and on floodplain floodplains. Inadequate house architecture and poor planning in these settlements contribute to insecurity and crime in African cities (Shaw and Louw 1998).

Governments and local authorities have tried to address the lack of housing and maintenance by increasing construction. For example, in South Africa, more than 1 million low-cost residential buildings have been built in the past six years (DoH South Africa 2000). However, the lack of knowledge about resource-saving technologies in construction has led to the fact that as a result huge amounts of construction waste have been generated, which is hardly recycled anywhere (Macozoma 2000). In addition, new housing estates are more likely to appear on empty sites on the periphery of cities than on poorly used lands within the city limits, thereby forcing the expansion of the network of communications, rather than using more intensively existing infrastructure. Attention has now shifted to integrated development planning, with strategies being developed in some countries housing construction that meet the requirements of environmentally friendly living conditions.

The main environmental problems that exist in African cities include the organization of household waste disposal, water supply and sewerage, as well as air pollution in cities.

First trait - rapid urban population growth, especially in less developed countries.

In 1900, about 14% of the world's population lived in cities, in 1905. - 29%, and in 1990. – 45%. On average, the urban population is increasing annually by about 50 million people. By 2000 According to demographers' forecasts, the proportion of city dwellers may exceed 50%.

Second trait - Population and economy mainly in large cities. This is due primarily to the nature of production, the complication of its links with science and education. In addition, large cities usually satisfy people's spiritual needs more fully, better provide an abundance and variety of goods and services, and access to information repositories.

At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 360 ​​large cities in the world, in which only 5% of the total population lived. In the late 80s. there were already 2.5 thousand such cities, and their share in the world population exceeded 1/3. By the beginning of the 21st century, the number of large cities will reach 4,000.

Among large cities, it is customary to highlight the largest millionaire cities with a population of over 1 million inhabitants. Historically, the first city was Rome during the time of Julius Caesar.

At the beginning of the 20th century there were only 10 of them, in the early 80s. - more than 200, and by the end of the century their number will probably exceed 400. In Russia in 1992. There were 13 such cities. More than 30 "super-cities" of the world already have over 5 million inhabitants each.

Third trait – “recognition” of the city expansion of their territories. Modern urbanization is especially characterized by the transition from a compact city to urban agglomerations - territorial groupings of urban and rural settlements. The cores of the largest urban agglomerations most often become the capitals, the most important industrial and port centers.

The largest urban agglomerations have developed around Mexico City, Tokyo, Sao Paulo and New York: 16-20 million people live in them. In Russia, of several dozen large agglomerations, the largest is Moscow with a population of 13.5 million people; it includes about 100 urban and several thousand rural settlements.

According to available forecasts, by the end of the 20th century, the number of the largest agglomerations will increase significantly.

Many of them are being transformed into even larger formations - urbanization areas and zones.

4. Levels and rates of urbanization.

Despite the presence of common features of urbanization as a global process in different countries and regions, it has its own characteristics, which, first of all, are expressed in different levels and rates of urbanization.

By level of urbanization all countries of the world can be divided into 3 large groups. But the main differences can be observed between more and less developed countries. In the early 90s. in developed countries, the level of urbanization averaged 72%, and in developing countries - 33%.

The rate of urbanization largely depends on its level. In most economically developed countries that have reached a high level of urbanization, the proportion of the urban population has recently grown relatively slowly, and the number of inhabitants in capitals and other largest cities, as a rule, even decreases. Many city dwellers now prefer to live not in the centers of large cities, but in suburbs and rural areas. This is due to the rise in the cost of engineering equipment, dilapidated infrastructure, the extreme complication of transport problems, and environmental pollution. But urbanization continues to develop in depth, acquiring new forms. In developing countries, where the level of urbanization is much lower, it continues to grow in breadth, and the urban population is growing rapidly. Now they account for more than 4/5 of the total annual increase in the number of urban residents, and absolute number city ​​dwellers have already far exceeded their number in economically developed countries. This phenomenon, known in science as an urban explosion, has become one of the most important factors in the entire socio-economic development of developing countries. However, the population growth of cities in these regions is far ahead of their real development. It occurs largely due to the constant “pushing out” of the surplus rural population into cities, especially large ones. At the same time, the poor usually settle on the outskirts of large cities, where there are belts of poverty, slums. Complete, as is sometimes said, "slum urbanization" has taken on very large proportions. That is why a number of international documents speak of an urbanization crisis in developing countries. But it continues to be largely spontaneous and disordered.

In economically developed countries, on the contrary, great efforts are being made to regulate the process of urbanization and manage it. Architects, demographers, geographers, economists, sociologists, and representatives of many other sciences are involved in this work, which is often carried out by trial and error, along with government agencies. Modern processes of growth, composition and distribution of the population give rise to many complex problems, some of which are worldwide in nature, and some are specific to countries of various types. The most important of them are the continuing rapid growth of the world's population, interethnic relations, and urbanization.

Almost all the problems of world population, as never before, are closely intertwined in the process of world urbanization. They appear in the most concentrated form in cities. There is also concentrated - very often to extreme limits - the population itself and production. Urbanization is the most complex and diverse process affecting all aspects of world life. Therefore, it has been widely reflected in the literature, primarily in economic and socio-geographical literature. Let us note only some features of world urbanization on the threshold of the third millennium. Urbanization still continues at a rapid pace in various forms in countries of different levels of development, in different conditions of each country, both in breadth and depth, at one speed or another.

The rate of annual growth of city dwellers is almost twice as high as the growth of the world's population as a whole. In 1950, 28% of the world's population lived in cities, in 1997 - 45%. Cities of different rank, significance and size with rapidly growing suburbs, agglomerations, and even more extensive urbanized zones practically cover the main part of humanity with their influence. The major role in this is played by big cities, especially the cities with millionaires. The latter in 1950 numbered 116, in 1996 there were already 230. The urban lifestyle of the population, urban culture in the broadest sense of the word, is increasingly spreading in rural areas in most countries of the world. In developing countries, urbanization is mainly “in breadth” as a result of a massive influx of migrants from rural areas and small towns to big cities. According to the UN, in 1995 the proportion of the urban population in developing countries as a whole was 38%, including 22% in the least developed. For Africa, this figure was 34%, for Asia - 35%. But in Latin America, urban dwellers now make up the majority of the population: 74%, including Venezuela - 93%, in Brazil, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Colombia and Peru - from 70% to 80% and etc. Only in a few least developed countries (Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras) and in the small island countries of the Caribbean are less than half of the city dwellers - from 35% to 47%.

Indicators of a high level of urbanization are formally characteristic of the relatively few, most developed countries in Asia and Africa. However, in fact, these and some other Asian countries have different features of long-standing, even ancient urbanization (China, India, the countries of the Middle and Near East, Southeast Asia, etc.). A high proportion of city dwellers, except for the countries of cities (Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao), are close to them in terms of the nature of the settlement of some Arab states, especially oil-producing ones: Kuwait (97%), Qatar (91%), the United Arab Emirates (84%), Jordan ( 72%). A very large proportion of city dwellers is also characteristic of the most developed countries in the far west of Asia: Israel (91%), Lebanon (87%), Turkey (69%).

In industrialized countries, urbanization "in breadth" has long exhausted itself. In the 21st century, most of them enter almost entirely urbanized. In Europe, city dwellers make up an average of 74% of the population, including in Western Europe - 81%, in some countries - even more: in Belgium - 97%, the Netherlands and Great Britain - 90%, in Germany - 87%, although in some places it is noticeable less: in Austria, for example - 56%, in Switzerland - 61%. High urbanization in Northern Europe: on average, as well as in Denmark and Norway - 73%. It is noticeably less in Southern and Eastern Europe, but, of course, with other indicators of urbanization, it is higher than in developing countries. In the US and Canada, the share of the urban population reaches 80%.

The proportion of economically developed countries is now characterized by urbanization “deeper”: intensive suburbanization, the formation and spread of urban agglomerations and megacities. The concentration of the transportation industry worsened the economic conditions of life in the big cities. In many areas, the population is now growing faster in small towns, on the outskirts than in the centers of agglomerations. Often the largest cities, especially cities with millionaires, lose their population due to its migration to the suburbs, satellite cities, in some places to the countryside, where it brings an urban lifestyle. The urban population of industrialized countries is now practically not growing.