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Population Geography of Africa. Worldwide Population Distribution Eastern Hemisphere. Population Distribution in Africa. Population Data 1999. Africa Total 770 million Sub-Saharan Africa 630 million Compare: Asia 3,600 million (3.6 billion) Europe 730 million
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Population Data 1999 Africa Total 770 million • Sub-Saharan Africa 630 million • Compare: • Asia 3,600 million (3.6 billion) • Europe 730 million • S. America 510 million • N. America 300 million
Growth Rate vs. Population Size • In spite of rapidly growing populations, the majority of African countries have national populations of less than 25 million people.
Population Density • Numerical density: number of persons per total land area • Physiological density: number of persons per arable land area • Agricultural density: ratio of farm population to the arable land
Africa: Regional Population(in Millions) and Urban Percentage
World Population Rates • Although population rates are declining on a global scale as well as on the African Continent… • Africa has the highest average population growth rate among the various world regions.
World Population Boom Average Annual Growth Rate -0.2% 0.7% 1% 2% 2.8% 2.3% 1% 1.4%
Population Growth & Fertility • Population growth or decline is based on fertility rates in a country. • Fertility rates indicate the average number of babies born to each woman of childbearing age in a country, and are usually calculated as annual rates.
Cultural Factors in Fertility • Lineage continuation and expansion • What are “patrilineal and matrilineal” • Children as “wealth” and assets • Agricultural work is labor (human) intensive • Male-dominant decision making • Polygyny • Child fosterage
Direct or “Proximate” Factors in Fertility • Early marriage • Postpartum and peri-partum practices • Natural and pathological sterility • High infant mortality rates • High maternal mortality rates
Family Planning Programs • Information and communication are being uesd to promote family planning and birth control. • This is an education poster in Kenya, East Africa, printed in the local language: • It says, “This mother needs Family Planning”
Kenya: Nutrition & Health Care Clinics Aim to Decrease Infant Mortality Rate
Maternal Deaths by World Region1990(although still high, Africa’s maternal death rates are lower than in Asia)Source: PRB
Programs and Policies to Manage Population Growth • Governments in Africa recognize that improvement in the quality of life of their people is an effective means of managing population growth. • The following chart relates educational levels of females in several countries to fertility levels.
Population Issues • Rapid growth rate • Rate more critical than absolute numbers • Fertility rate inversely related to quality of life/economic development. Why? • Cultural factors: ‘wealth’ of human capital • Economic factors: rural/agricultural labor requirements