Africa's population density is. Population and political map of africa
Africa is a huge continent, on the territory of which there are 55 states. The population of Africa is 1 billion people. About 130 peoples live here, 20 of which number more than 5 million people each, and 100 - more than 1 million people each. In total, there are about 8,000 nationalities.
Population of Central Africa
The entire population of this region belongs to the Negroid race. This race is characterized by the presence of swarthy, almost black skin, dark eyes, hard dark curly hair. These include the Yoruba, Bantu, Hausa, Athara, Tubu, Kanuri peoples. Among the Tubu and Kanuri tribes, an admixture of the Caucasoid race can be seen. They have lighter skin and less wavy hair.
Representatives of the Nigrill race live in the equatorial forests of the Congo and Gabon. Their feature is short stature (up to 150 cm) and a reddish or yellowish skin tone. In proportion to the body, the head is very large. Many scientists explain their unique characteristics by living in dark forests.
The Bushmen also live in Central Africa. This is a nomadic people, representing a mixture of Negroids with Mongoloids.
Rice. 1. Negroid woman.
Population of North Africa
On the territory of North Africa, mainly peoples belonging to the Caucasoid race live. They have a swarthy (but not black) face, dark eyes and hair. These peoples include Arabs, Nubians and Berbers. On the southern outskirts there are representatives of the Negroid race, as well as many mixed types and mestizos. 90% of the people living in this region are Muslims, and the main language is Arabic. The second language in terms of the number of people speaking it is the Berber language. It is distributed in almost all countries except Sudan.
TOP 4 articleswho read along with this
Rice. 2. Arab woman in a hijab.
East African population
Ethiopians, Bushmen, representatives of the Negroid and Negril races live on the territory of East Africa. Ethiopians arose as a result of mixing representatives of the Caucasian and Negroid races. In the equatorial forests, which are also represented in East Africa, pygmies also live.
Rwanda is the most populated country in Africa. With a population of 12 million people, the density is 430 people per 1 sq. km. meter.
Rice. 3. Ethiopian.
Population of South Africa
The main peoples of South Africa are the Bushmen and Hottentots. These peoples are characterized by a combination of features of the Negril and Negroid races. Representatives of the Caucasian race and Asians also live here. All of them once emigrated here and stayed forever.
The population in the region is unevenly distributed. The main population is concentrated in large cities: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town.
Population of West Africa
The population of this region is 280 million people. Most of the population belong to the Negroid race (Wolof, Kisi, Serer). Berber-speaking Tuaregs live on the territory of several states. The main religions are Islam and Christianity (to a lesser extent). Of the foreign languages, English and French are common.
What have we learned?
This article briefly examines the characteristics of the population of each of the 5 regions of Africa. Representatives of the Negril race, the Negroid race, Europeans, Bushmen, Pygmies and many other peoples live in Africa. The country with the highest population density is Rwanda and the one with the smallest density is Namibia.
Topic quiz
Report Evaluation
Average rating: 4.6. Total ratings received: 264.
The population of Africa is about 1 billion people. Population growth on the continent is the highest in the world in 2004, it was 2.3%. Over the past 50 years, the average life expectancy has increased from 39 to 54 years.
The population consists mainly of representatives of two races: the Negroid south of the Sahara, and the Caucasoid in northern Africa (Arabs) and South Africa (Boers and Anglo-South Africans). The most numerous people are the Arabs of North Africa.
During the colonial development of the mainland, many state borders were drawn without taking into account ethnic characteristics, which still leads to interethnic conflicts. The average population density in Africa is 22 people/km², which is significantly less than in Europe and Asia.
In terms of urbanization, Africa lags behind other regions - less than 30%, but the rate of urbanization here is the highest in the world, many African countries are characterized by false urbanization. The largest cities on the African continent are Cairo and Lagos.
Languages
The autochthonous languages of Africa are divided into 32 families, of which 3 (Semitic, Indo-European and Austronesian) "infiltrated" the continent from other regions.
There are also 7 isolated and 9 unclassified languages. The most popular native African languages are the Bantu languages (Swahili, Congo), Fula.
Indo-European languages became widespread due to the era of colonial rule: English, Portuguese, French are official in many countries. in Namibia since the beginning of the 20th century. there is a compact community that speaks German as the main language. The only language belonging to the Indo-European family that originated on the continent is Afrikaans, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa. Also, communities of Afrikaans speakers live in other countries of South Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia. However, it is worth noting that after the fall of the apartheid regime in South Africa, the Afrikaans language is being replaced by other languages (English and local African). The number of its carriers and scope is declining.
The most common language of the Afrosian language sacro-family - Arabic - is used in North, West and East Africa as a first and second language. Many African languages (Hausa, Swahili) include a significant number of borrowings from Arabic (primarily in the layers of political, religious vocabulary, abstract concepts).
The Austronesian languages are represented by the Malagasy language, which is spoken by the population of Madagascaramalagasians - a people of Austronesian origin, who presumably came here in the 2nd-5th centuries AD.
The inhabitants of the African continent are characterized by the knowledge of several languages at once, which are used in various everyday situations. For example, a representative of a small ethnic group that retains its own language can use the local language in the family circle and in communication with their fellow tribesmen, a regional interethnic language (Lingala in the DRC, Sango in the Central African Republic, Hausa in Nigeria, Bambara in Mali) in communication with representatives of other ethnic groups, and the state language (usually European) in communication with the authorities and other similar situations. At the same time, language proficiency can be limited only to the ability to speak (the literacy rate of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2007 was approximately 50% of the total population)
Religion in Africa
Islam and Christianity predominate among world religions (the most common denominations are Catholicism, Protestantism, to a lesser extent Orthodoxy, Monophysitism). There are also Buddhists and Hindus in East Africa (many of them are from India). There are also followers of Judaism and Bahaism living in Africa. Religions introduced into Africa from outside are found both in pure form and syncretized with local traditional religions. Among the "major" traditional African religions are Ifa or Bwiti.
Education
Traditional education in Africa involved preparing children for African religions and life in African society. Education in pre-colonial Africa included games, dancing, singing, painting, ceremonies and rituals. Seniors were engaged in training; Every member of society contributes to the education of the child. Girls and boys were trained separately in order to learn the system of proper gender-role behavior. The apogee of learning was the rituals of passage, symbolizing the end of childhood and the beginning of adulthood.
With the beginning of the colonial period, the education system underwent changes towards the European one, so that Africans could compete with Europe and America. Africa tried to establish the cultivation of its own specialists.
Now in terms of education, Africa is still lagging behind other parts of the world. In 2000, only 58% of children in sub-Saharan Africa were in school; these are the lowest. There are 40 million children in Africa, half of them of school age, who are not in school. Two thirds of them are girls.
In the post-colonial period, African governments placed more emphasis on education; a large number of universities were established, although there was very little money for their development and support, and in some places it stopped altogether. However, universities are overcrowded, which often forces lecturers to lecture in shifts, evenings and weekends. Due to low wages, there is a drain on staff. In addition to the lack of necessary funding, other problems for African universities are the unregulated degree system, as well as the inequity in the system of career advancement among the teaching staff, which is not always based on professional merit. This often causes protests and teachers' strikes.
Ethnic composition of the population of Africa
The ethnic composition of the modern population of Africa is very complex. The continent is inhabited by several hundred large and small ethnic groups, 107 of which number more than 1 million people each, and 24 exceed 5 million people. The largest of them are: Egyptian, Algerian, Moroccan, Sudanese Arabs, Hausa, Yoruba, Fulbe, Igbo, Amhara.
Anthropological composition of the population of Africa
In the modern population of Africa, various anthropological types are represented, belonging to different races.
The northern part of the continent up to the southern border of the Sahara is inhabited by peoples (Arabs, Berbers) belonging to the Indo-Mediterranean race (part of the large Caucasoid race). This race is characterized by a swarthy skin color, dark eyes and hair, wavy hair, a narrow face, and a hooked nose. However, among the Berbers there are also fair-eyed and fair-haired.
To the south of the Sahara live peoples belonging to a large Negro-Australoid race, represented by three small races - Negro, Negrillian and Bushman.
Among them, the peoples of the Negro race predominate. These include the population of Western Sudan, the Guinean coast, Central Sudan, the peoples of the Nilotic group (upper Nile), the Bantu peoples. These peoples are characterized by dark skin color, dark hair and eyes, a special structure of hair that curls in spirals, thick lips, a wide nose with a low nose bridge. A typical feature of the peoples of the Upper Nile is their high growth, exceeding 180 cm in some groups (the world maximum).
Representatives of the Negril race - Negrils or African pygmies - short (on average 141-142 cm) inhabitants of the tropical forests of the Congo, Uele and other river basins. In addition to growth, they are also distinguished by a strong development of tertiary hairline, even wider than that of Negroids, a nose strongly flattened nose bridge, relatively thin lips and lighter skin color.
Bushmen and Hottentots living in the Kalahari desert belong to the Bushman race. Their distinctive feature is lighter (yellowish-brown) skin, thinner lips, a flatter face, and such specific signs as skin wrinkling and steatopygia (strong development of the subcutaneous fat layer on the thighs and buttocks).
In Northeast Africa (in Ethiopia and the Somali Peninsula) live peoples belonging to the Ethiopian race, which occupies an intermediate position between the Indo-Mediterranean and Negroid races (thick lips, narrow face and nose, wavy hair).
In general, close ties between the peoples of Africa led to the absence of sharp boundaries between races. In southern Africa, European (Dutch) colonization led to the formation of a special type of so-called colored people.
The population of Madagascar is heterogeneous, it is dominated by South Asian (Mongolian) and Negroid types. In general, Malagasy are characterized by the predominance of a narrow cut of the eyes, protruding cheekbones, curly hair, a flattened and rather wide nose.
African Vital Movement
The dynamics of the population of Africa, due to the relatively small size of migration, is determined mainly by its natural movement. Africa is an area of high fertility, in some countries it is approaching 50 per thousand, that is, approaching the biologically possible. On average, the natural growth of the continent is about 3% per year, which is higher than in other regions of the Earth. The population of Africa, according to the UN, now exceeds 900 million people.
In general, higher birth rates are typical for West and East Africa, and lower rates for the zones of equatorial forests and desert regions.
Mortality is gradually reduced to 15-17 ppm.
Infant mortality (under 1 year) is quite high - 100-150 per thousand.
The age composition of the population of many African countries is characterized by a high proportion of children and a low proportion of the elderly.
The number of men and women is generally the same, with women predominating in rural areas.
The average life expectancy in Africa is about 50 years. Relatively high average life expectancy is typical for South Africa and North Africa.
The area is very uneven.
The most densely populated sea coasts, coastal islands, lower reaches, mining regions of South Africa, Zaire and. In these areas, the population density ranges from 50 to 1000 people per 1 sq. km. km. In the vast expanses of the Namib, the population density barely reaches 1 person per 1 sq. km. km.
The uneven distribution is manifested both at the level of the region as a whole and at the level of individual countries. For example, almost the entire population lives in the delta and valley of the Nile (4% of the total area), where the density is 1,700 people per 1 km2.
Ethnic composition of the population of Africa is of great variegation. 300-500 ethnic groups live on the mainland. Some of them (especially in) have developed into large nations, but most are still at the level of nationalities and tribes. Many of the ethnic groups still retained the remnants of the tribal system, archaic forms of social relations.
Linguistically, half of the population of Africa belongs to the Niger-Kordofan family, the third part belongs to the Afrosia family. Residents of European origin make up only 1%. But at the same time, the languages of the former metropolises remain the state (official) languages of the majority: English (19 countries), (21 countries), (5 countries).
The "quality" of the population of Africa remains very low. The illiteracy rate in most countries exceeds 50%, and in countries such as Mali it is 90%.
Religious composition of Africa also has great variegation. At the same time, Muslims predominate in its northern and eastern parts. This is due to the settlement of the Arabs here. In the central and southern parts of Africa, the religious beliefs of the population were significantly influenced by the metropolitan countries. Therefore, many types of Christianity are widespread here (Protestantism, Lutheranism, Calvinism, etc.). Many peoples of this region have preserved local beliefs.
Due to the diversity of ethnic and socio-economic difficulties and the colonial past (borders), Africa is a region of numerous ethno-political conflicts (Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, etc.). In total, over 35 armed conflicts were recorded in Africa during the post-colonial period, in which more than 10 million people died. More than 70 coups d'état resulted in the assassination of 25 presidents.
Africa characterized by very high rates (more than 3% per year). According to this indicator, Africa is ahead of all other regions of the world. First of all, it is determined. For example, the birth rate in Somalia, Mali exceeds 50 o / oo, i.e. 4-5 times higher than in Europe. At the same time, Africa is the region of the highest mortality and the lowest average (men - 64 years old, women - 68 years old). As a result, the age structure of the population is characterized by a high proportion (about 45%) of children and adolescents under 15 years of age.
Africa is characterized by the highest level, the vast majority of which is of a forced nature and is associated with interethnic conflicts. Africa hosts almost half of the world's refugees and displaced persons, the vast majority being "ethnic refugees". Such forced migrations always lead to outbreaks of diseases leading to increased mortality.
Africa is a region of high labor migration. The main centers of attraction of labor from the African continent are and (especially the countries of the Persian Gulf). Within the continent, labor flows mainly from the poorest countries to the richer ones (South Africa,
A prime example of African-style urbanization is the city of Lagos in Nigeria. This city has long been the capital of the state. In 1950, its population was 300 thousand people, and now - 12.5 million. Living conditions in this overcrowded city are so unfavorable that in 1992 the capital was moved to Abuja.
Approximately one third of Africa is an area of inland flow, mostly temporary streams. The rivers of Africa are full of rapids, so even the largest of them are not navigable all the way.
The three largest lakes in Africa - Victoria, Tanganyika, Nyasa - are called the Great African Lakes. Lake Victoria is one of the largest lakes in the world and the largest lake in Africa. It is so large that for many years Europeans heard rumors about it as a sea in the depths of the African continent. The largest land mammals live in Africa - elephants, hippos, rhinos, giraffes.
Back in the middle of the last century, colonies of European powers dominated on the political map of Africa: France, Great Britain, Belgium, Portugal, Germany, Spain, Italy. After World War II, the rise of the national liberation struggle began. A number of countries in North Africa are the first to achieve independence, among them Tunisia, Morocco and Sudan (Egypt formally gained independence in 1922). A few years later, in 1960, 14 former colonies and trust territories of France, as well as Nigeria, the Belgian Congo and Somalia, became sovereign states. This year has gone down in history as the Year of Africa. Gradually, the process of decolonization covers the entire "Black" continent, the last colony, Namibia, became independent in 1990.
Africa remains the most economically backward continent.
Of the 25 countries with the lowest GDP per capita, 20 are in Africa. All these countries are characterized by a very low level of economic development and a rapidly growing population: for example, in Eritrea, Somalia, Burundi, Burkino Faso, Mali, Niger, natural growth is 3 percent or more per year. Many countries are characterized by an unstable political situation, often escalating and acquiring the most tragic form for the population and economy of the country - the form of a military conflict.
Poverty is concentrated in "Black Africa", mainly between 20°N. sh. and 10°S sh. (including the Sahel natural zone, characterized by progressive desertification and periodic catastrophic droughts). This "poverty belt" includes Guinea, Bissau, Sierra Leone, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Niger, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia. Poverty is also characteristic of the southeastern "corner" of Africa (including the islands off the coast of the mainland), here are Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, the Comoros and Madagascar.
Africa is distinguished by the great diversity of the ethnic composition of the population, there are more than 200 peoples. Therefore, the region is dominated by multinational states. The largest peoples (groups of peoples) are Arabs, Bantu, Congo, Yoruba, Fulbe, Somali, for, Nilotic, Shona, Bushmen.
Africa Average Population Density
The average population density in Africa is 28 people/km2. The western part of the mainland and some countries of Central and South Africa are more populated, the population density is lower in North Africa. Areas with a higher concentration of population are coastal regions, where large cities and large plantations are concentrated, among them the Mediterranean regions of the Maghreb, the coast of the Gulf of Guinea and the adjacent plains of Nigeria.
Africa has the highest rates of natural population growth - 2.2% per year. The “champion” looks like Niger, where this figure reaches 3.6%, it is expected that over the next fifty years the population of this African country will increase by 4.45 times. At the same time, Africa ranks first in the world in terms of child mortality and has the lowest life expectancy. The average life expectancy in Africa is 49 years. It is the only region where life expectancy is below the global average, with a gap of a "quarter of life": 49 years versus 65 years on average in the world. On the continent, there are significant differences in life expectancy: a more prosperous situation in North Africa is 66 years, the leaders are Tunisia and Libya (73 years). Least of all live in East and Central Africa - 43 years, this is about half the life of a Japanese or a Swede. At the very bottom in life expectancy are Zambia and Zimbabwe - 32 and 33 years respectively. This is due to AIDS, these countries are at the "epicenter" of the spread of this "plague of the XX-XXI centuries." Many African countries are involved in the circle of "AIDS-enchanted" states, primarily in the southern part of the continent (Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, and also South Africa).
Percentage of urban population in Africa
Africa is inferior to other regions of the world in terms of the share of the urban population, 38.7% of Africans live in cities. Only South Africa has surpassed the 50% urban population threshold (the average in this part of Africa is 53.8%, from 17.9% in Lesotho to 56.9% in South Africa). Literally one step up to the 50% mark is North Africa - 49.6%. East Africa has been the least affected by urbanization, with an average of 26% here (from 9.9% in Burundi to 83.7% in Djibouti). At the same time, in terms of urban population growth, Africa holds the world championship.
The economy of African countries is characterized by the predominance of agriculture, food, light (textile) and mining industries. Where there are forest resources, the forest and woodworking industries develop (the initial stages of processing). In recent years, the importance of metallurgy, the oil refining and chemical industries, mechanical engineering and the electric power industry has been slightly increasing. However, in general, the manufacturing industry is poorly developed, with the exception of South Africa and certain areas of North Africa.
African Development
In the territorial structure of the economy, few territories are distinguished by a higher level of development, as a rule, this is the capital, areas of extraction and processing of mineral resources, as well as ports for the export of raw materials and certain types of agricultural products. The rest of the districts are areas dominated by subsistence and semi-subsistence agriculture. The development of this industry is characterized by low growth rates, and in a number of countries they lag behind the population growth rates. The leading branch of agriculture is crop production, many countries specialize in one or two crops. For example, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana specialize in cocoa beans and coffee, Senegal - in peanuts, Tunisia - in olives, Egypt - in oranges and cotton, Kenya - in sisal, Tanzania - in sisal and tea. Of the food crops, cassava (a type of cassava), corn, and yams are of great importance. Animal husbandry plays an important role only in those areas where crop production is limited due to the arid climate. Basically, they raise zebu, sheep, pigs and camels; the largest livestock in Ethiopia, Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa. Most countries cannot provide their population with the necessary food products and are forced to import them, some receive foreign aid.
The population of Africa is 1.1 billion people.
![](https://i1.wp.com/metodich.ru/naselenie-afriki/img7.jpg)
Population placement
How is the location of the population shown on the map?
How are uninhabited areas depicted on a map?
Where on the mainland is the population density more than 100 people per 1 km2?
Where on the mainland is the population density less than 1 person per 1 km2?
What is the population density in the Congo Basin?
What is the population density in the east of the mainland?
![](https://i1.wp.com/metodich.ru/naselenie-afriki/img9.jpg)
Compare maps: natural areas of Africa and population density. Which natural areas have the highest population density, the lowest? Explain the pattern.
![](https://i2.wp.com/metodich.ru/naselenie-afriki/img10.jpg)
What natural areas are these dwellings typical for? Why are there no windows in buildings?
![](https://i0.wp.com/metodich.ru/naselenie-afriki/img11.jpg)
colonial past
![](https://i2.wp.com/metodich.ru/naselenie-afriki/img12.jpg)
a) on the equator, b) on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, c) on the northern and southern coasts of the mainland.
- THE PERSON LIVES IN AFRICA. a) less than 500 million, b) 500 million - 850 million, c) more than 1 billion. 2. IN EQUATORIAL AFRICA POPULATION PREDOMINATES ... RACE. a) Negroid, b) Caucasoid, c) Mongoloid. 3. POPULATION OF NORTH AFRICA: a) Malagasy, b) Arab peoples, c) Bantu peoples. 4. THE LOWEST PEOPLES OF AFRICA ARE CALLED: a) pygmies, b) midgets, c) bushmen. 5. THE MOST ANCIENT HUMAN REMAINS WERE FOUND IN: a) Egypt, Libya, Algeria, b) Nigeria, Gabon, Chad, c) Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia. 6. ONE OF THE HIGHEST PEOPLES OF AFRICA: a) Bushmen b) Masai c) Arabs 7. AFRICA POPULATION LIVES: a) on the equator, b) on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, c) on the northern and southern coasts of the mainland. CORRECT ANSWERS: 1.c 2.a 3.b 4.a 5.c 6.b 7.c
![](https://i0.wp.com/metodich.ru/naselenie-afriki/img15.jpg)
- Economic security of the Russian Federation Political economic security of the Russian Federation
- Antimonopoly policy, its goals and methods The main direction of the antimonopoly policy of the state is
- What reforms did Witte make briefly
- Okun's law and the theory of "full employment" of the population