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.
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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.
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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.
On a linguistic basis, 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.
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 Afrosia 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 may be limited only by 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.
According to experts, more than 50 countries in Africa now have 987 million people, and the population growth rate in most of them is constantly increasing. If the current indicators are maintained, its number will double by 2050 and amount to 2 billion people.
The most densely populated part of the continent is its eastern part - 315.8 million people /31 percent/. Next come West Africa - 291 million / 29.5 /, North - 194.4 million / 19.7 percent /, Central - 117.4 million / 11.9 / and, finally, South - 56.25 million / 5, 7 percent/. The average demographic growth in Africa, according to experts, since 2005 has been established at around 2.3 percent.
As the participants of the meeting noted, the average life expectancy has noticeably increased over the past half century on the Black Continent - from 39 to 54 years. The best indicator in this area is in the states of North Africa: there, over the same period, it rose from 43 to 68 years.
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 a region 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.
Maximum birth rates:
Somalia-47.7 ppm,
Uganda -48.0 ppm,
Chad -48.8 ppm
Mali-49.2 ppm,
Niger - 51.5 ppm.
Relatively low birth rate:
Reunion - 21.8 ppm,
South Africa-21.6 ppm,
Seychelles - 18.0 ppm,
Mauritius - 16.7 ppm.
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. The highest mortality rates are observed:
Zimbabwe -22.4 ppm,
Malawi -22.4 ppm,
Niger-23.2 ppm,
Mozambique -23.3 ppm,
Angola - 25.0 ppm.
Infant mortality (under 1 year) is quite high - 100-150 per thousand.
This situation provides a high natural increase:
Liberia -3.06%,
Congo -3.11%,
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.
Distribution of the population of Africa
The average population density of the continent is low - about 30 people/km2. the distribution of the population is influenced not only by natural conditions, but also by historical factors, primarily the consequences of the slave trade and colonial domination.
The highest population density is on the island of Mauritius (more than 500 people per square kilometer), as well as on the Reunion Islands, Seychelles, Comoros and the states of East Africa - Rwanda, Burundi (within 200 people). The lowest population density is in Botswana, Libya, Namibia, Mauritania, Western Sahara - 1-2 people. km/sq.
In general, the Nile valleys are densely populated (1200 people km / sq.), the coastal zone of the Maghreb countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia), the areas of irrigated agriculture in Sudan, the oases of the Sahara, the vicinity of large cities (100-200 people km2).
A reduced population density is noted in the Sahara - less than 1, in Tropical Africa - 1-5, in the dry steppes and semi-deserts of the Namib and Kalahari - less than 1 person. km2
African urban population
The annual growth of city dwellers on the continent exceeds 5%. The share of the urban population currently exceeds 40%.
Big cities are growing especially fast: Cairo - over 10 million, Alexandria, Casablanca, Algiers - over 2 million people.
There are large differences in the level of urbanization of individual countries. The largest share of the urban population (50% or more) in South Africa, Djibouti, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritius, Reunion. The smallest - less than 5%, in Burundi, Rwanda, Lesotho.
A number of areas with clusters of cities stand out on the continent: the Nile valley and delta, the Maghreb coastal strip, the urban agglomerations of South Africa, the Copper Belt region in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
(L. Leakey, K. Arambur, F. Howell and others) in the late 50s - early 70s. of our century, they carried out thorough research on the territory and (Olduvai Gorge, the eastern shore of Lake Turkana, the valley of the Omo River, Hadar, etc.). First, the remains of fossil forms of great apes related to modern chimpanzees and gorillas were found. Then they discovered the immediate predecessors of the most ancient people - Australopithecus. From among these two-legged primates, about 3 million years ago, creatures emerged that made the first artificial tools. Scientists believe that it was they who created the oldest Paleolithic culture - the Olduvai - and thereby laid the foundation for the human race.
The main part of the territories of the mainland is inhabited by peoples belonging to the Negroid branch of the equatorial race. Negroids are characterized by a dark skin color that protects the body from the scorching rays of the sun. Thick curly hair forms an air gap that protects the head from overheating. For representatives of this race, wide noses with a low nose bridge, swollen lips are common. However, these signs are expressed differently in different representatives of this race. Thus, the color of the skin varies from light brown in some tribes of the southeast of the mainland to almost among the tribes living in the Upper basin and east of the lake (Nilotic tribes).
Pygmies living under the canopy of the equatorial (Zaire) are distinguished by peculiar signs. The skin color of the Pygmies is lighter than that of the Negroids, the lips are thin, their average height is 142 cm, the maximum is 150 cm. Bushmen and Hottentots have survived in the deserts. They have a yellowish-brown skin color, a wide flat face, which gives them a certain resemblance to the Mongoloids. It is obvious that the conditions of life and semi-deserts bring these peoples closer to the inhabitants - the Mongoloids.
Each group of the Negroid branch of the equatorial race has its own spoken language. Sub-Saharan Africans speak languages. The peoples of Central, Southern and parts of East Africa speak Bantu languages.
The north of the mainland is inhabited by Berbers and Arabs who moved here from Asia. They belong to the southern branch of the Caucasian race. Berbers and Arabs have dark skin, dark hair and eyes, an elongated skull, a narrow nose and an oval face; they speak mostly Arabic.
In areas of mixed habitation of different races, groups of peoples were formed, combining various racial characteristics. So, Ethiopians occupy an intermediate position between Negroids and Caucasians. there was a type of people (Malagasy) with signs of Negroids and Mongoloids, who penetrated here, probably from.
For several centuries it was in colonial dependence on a number of European states. Therefore, a newcomer population of European origin was formed in the former colonies. Europeans live in Africa mainly in areas with a favorable Mediterranean climate. In the north, along the coast of the sea, there are many French; in the extreme south of the mainland - the British and Boers (descendants of Dutch settlers).
More than 550 million people live in Africa, which is approximately 1/10 of the world's population. On the territory of the mainland, the population is distributed extremely unevenly. The population density in the Nile Delta is very high - more than 1000 people. per km2. This is one of the densely populated areas not only in Africa, but throughout the globe. The coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Guinea, the south and southeast of the mainland are relatively densely populated. In the deserts and semi-deserts of Africa (, Namib,) the population is very rare, some areas are completely deserted.
The peoples of Africa have gone through a long historical path of development. In ancient times in Africa there were highly organized states with a developed culture and medicine, flourishing crafts and trade, and a developed building art (, Ethiopia).
The era of the slave trade and colonial robbery by European capitalists lasted for about four centuries in Africa. Only during the period of the slave trade, about 100 million people were taken out of Africa. During the colonial conquests, the indigenous population of the mainland became a cheap, almost free labor force in the mines and plantations. To justify the capture of the best lands, the predatory export of the wealth of African land (diamonds, gold, ores of non-ferrous and rare metals; coffee, bananas, cocoa and other agricultural products), as well as horrendous working conditions and beggarly wages for slave labor, the European colonialists substantiated the false the theory according to which the peoples of Africa supposedly belong to an “inferior race” and are not able to manage their own economy, govern their countries, develop science and art. Although, as we noted, Africans successfully did all this long before the arrival of Europeans.
By 1950, only four states remained independent politically: Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Union of South Africa (with a special system of brutal exploitation of Africans and racial oppression - apartheid). Since the 50s. In the twentieth century, a national liberation movement unfolded in Africa, which led to the collapse of the colonial system. Only in 1960 did they free themselves from colonial oppression 17 . By the end of the 60s. there were already 42 independent countries on the mainland, and by the mid-80s. - more than 50. Now there are no colonies in Africa, although many countries are economically dependent on former colonizers.
The leading capitalist countries of the world are striving to maintain their economic and political dominance in the newly-free countries. This is facilitated by the difficulties to which the peoples of Africa have been subjected to centuries of exploitation: economic backwardness, illiteracy of the majority of the indigenous population, chronic food shortages, poor medical care, and so on. Currently, most African countries belong to the group of developing countries, and to the category of lagging behind in their development or the least developed. The first of them is dominated by a mixed economy with strong remnants of feudal relations; second, consumer agriculture. In general, Africa is the least economically and socially developed region of the world. And although in the past two decades the population of Africa has been growing faster than on Earth as a whole, the pace of development of many countries has increased after gaining political independence, these countries are still only at the beginning of a long journey to the level of European civilization.
