GEOG 2400 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Central African Republic, Sub-Saharan Africa, Carbon Footprint
GEOG 2400
Africa
Defining Africa
• Diverse continent of more than 50 nations
• Each have variety of urban and rural cultures, lifestyles, and socioeconomic realities
• Least urbanized region
• Highest urban growth rate
North Africa
• Higher proportion of urban population (47.8%) relative to Sub Saharan Africa (32.8%)
• SSA has lowest proportion of urban population but highest proportion of slum dwellers (65%)
Libya
• Most urbanized country, 88%
• Economy almost entirely dependent on oil and gas exports
• 1/3 of population below poverty line
• GDP per capita $10,000
Gabon
• Most urbanized country in sub Saharan Africa - 87%
• Economy almost entirely dependent on oil, 80% of its exports
• 35% of population below poverty line
• GDP per capita $19,000
Burundi
• Least urbanized country, 11% urban
• Poor resources, 90% of people dependent on agriculture
• Land locked, reliant on growing things foreigners want (coffee and tea), susceptible to changed in
the market
• GDP per capita $800
• 65% of population below poverty line
Slums
• Region of highest concentration of urban population in slums
• Vast majority of urbanites are slum-dwellers
• Sub-Saharan Africa: 72% of city dwellers living in slums
• Exbet el-Haggana, Cairo; Alexandra, Johannesburg; Nima, Accra
• 10 poorest countries in the world
o Afghanistan ($1072)
o Madagascar ($972)
o Malawi ($893)
o Niger ($853)
o Central African Republic ($827)
o Ertitrea ($792)
o Liberia ($716)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
o Burundi ($648)
o Zimbabwe ($589)
o Democratic Republic of Congo ($395)
Wealth
• Number of millionaires in Africa more than doubled since 2000
• Fastest growing countries: Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana
• Richest countries per capita in Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Gabon, Angola, Namibia,
South Africa, Botswana, Mauritius, Kenya
• Diamond, gold, coffee, oil
• Fastest growing wealthy class in the world
• Concentration of wealth is spatially uneven, concentrated in cities
• Rural areas remain much poorer than urban areas in Africa
Inequality
• Gini index: a measurement of income inequality in a country or region, 0 represent perfect
equality and 100 implies perfect inequality
• Africa home to more than 160,000 people with fortunes of more than $1M
• Twofold increase in number of wealthy individuals sine 2000
• Number of poor, living less than $1.25 a day, increased from 411.2 million to 501 million in 2013
• Most unequal countries in Africa: Central African Republic, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, South
Africa
• Most unequal countries in the world: Haiti, Central Africa Republic, Namibia, Botswana, South
Africa
Overpopulation
• Thomas Malthus, English scholar/demographer
o Malthusian theory: population will grow faster than the amount of resources available to
sustain it
o Population growth will always create stress on the means of subsistence
o Saw population growth as primary cause of poverty
• Overpopulation narrative
o "earth is full'
o Unavailable land
o Too few resources, too much waste
• Human population: estimate 10 billion between 2050 and 2100
• Will peak this century
• "peak everything (food, water, oil)
• Rapidly changing climate
• Criticism
o Malthus wrote his theory before agricultural technological revolution
o Complexities with how people are organized
o Globalization complicated the ability for a nation-state to grow for itself
• Blame on Africa
o Highest fertility rates in the world
o More than 50% of global population growth between now and 2050 expected to occur in
Africa
o Region of least urbanized population and highest urban growth rates
o Derogatory language used to discuss African fertility rates used in media
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Root Causes of Urban Social and Environmental Problems in African Cities
1. Consumption, high consumption by wealthy nations
o Places of high population growth are where carbon dioxide emissions growing most slowly
(Africa and Asia)
o In their life, a child born today in the US will produce a carbon footprint seven times that of
an extra child in China, 55 times that of an Indian child, or 86 times that a Nigerian child
o 1980-2005: Sub-Saharan Africa produced 18.5% of world's population growth and just 2.4%
of growth in CO2
o NA responsible for 4% of world population growth but 14% of the emissions
o 1/6th of global population is so poor that is produces no significant emissions at all
o Lowest footprints: East Timor, Eritrea, Gaza Strip and West Bank, Haiti, Afghanistan
o Highest footprints: Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Belgium, Trinidad and Tobago
• First African Country is #32 (Mauritius)
• Canada is #11
o "even if zero population growth were achieved, that would barley touch the climate
problem"
• Ex. Super yachts, uses 1ltr/sec, owner of one yacht does more damage to the
biosphere in 10 min than most Africans in a lifetime
2. Resource extraction, especially the siphoning of wealth from Africa's natural resources for external
profit
o Top 3 African exports: Palm oil, diamonds, oil
o Diamonds: DR Congo
o Palm oil and oil: Nigeria
o Siphoning of profits off of these commodities by offshore companies
o Leaves Africa both reduced of natural resources, and without income generation
o Siphoning of wealth, most profit going to headquarters located in different countries
History of Urbanization
Pre-Colonial Cities
• Major centers of Urbanism all under 50,000 residents
Colonialism
• 15th century, started with Portugal
• By 1930s, 15 thousand slaves per year kidnapped from Kongo
• Developed port-cities
History of Urbanization in Africa
Pre-Colonial Cities
• All centers of urbanism had populations under 50,000
• Ex. Kingdom of Mali
• Diverse economies
Colonialism
• Began in 15th century, Portugal
• First developed were coastal cities
• 1530 - 15 thousand slaves per year kidnapped from Kongo alone
• Created massive demographic change, depopulation of Africa, transport of slaves to Latin America
for labour (sugarcane)
Scramble for Africa
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Defining africa: diverse continent of more than 50 nations, each have variety of urban and rural cultures, lifestyles, and socioeconomic realities, highest urban growth rate. North africa: higher proportion of urban population (47. 8%) relative to sub saharan africa (32. 8%) Ssa has lowest proportion of urban population but highest proportion of slum dwellers (65%) Libya: most urbanized country, 88, economy almost entirely dependent on oil and gas exports, 1/3 of population below poverty line, gdp per capita ,000. Gabon: most urbanized country in sub saharan africa - 87, economy almost entirely dependent on oil, 80% of its exports, 35% of population below poverty line, gdp per capita ,000. Least urbanized country, 11% urban: poor resources, 90% of people dependent on agriculture. Land locked, reliant on growing things foreigners want (coffee and tea), susceptible to changed in the market: gdp per capita , 65% of population below poverty line.