Lecture 5 - Population 2024 PDF

GEOD 303: Regional Geography of Africa (East Africa) Population General Population Trends in East Africa East Africa’s population is growing at a rapid pace (over the past 40 years) The total population of East Africa as at September 15, 2019 was 436, 268, 501 (Worldomete...

GEOD 303: Regional Geography of Africa (East Africa) Population General Population Trends in East Africa East Africa’s population is growing at a rapid pace (over the past 40 years) The total population of East Africa as at September 15, 2019 was 436, 268, 501 (Worldometers 2019) and as at November 4, 2023 is 489,266,516, November 5, is 489,299,846 (Worldometers 2023) Countries with high population in the region COUNTRY POPULATION (2019) POPULATION (2023) Ethiopia 112,078,730 126,527,060 Tanzania 58,005,463 67,438,106 Kenya 52,573,973 55,100,586 Uganda 44,269, 594 48,582,334  Countries with low population COUNTRY POPULATION (2019) POPULATION (2023) Eritrea 3,497,117 3,748,901 Djibouti 973,560 1,136,455 Comoros 850,886 852,075 Seychelles 97,739 107,660 (Worldometers 2019, 2023) The East ranks number one in Africa among sub regions when ranked by population. One of the highest population growth rate in the world: 6.7% between 2013 and 2017  The most important population characteristic ❖ children and youth, who accounted for an overwhelming majority, 80%, of the region’s total population in 2010. ❖ 45% of people in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda are below 15years 28% between 15-24years In Uganda, almost 78% of the population is under age 30 while close to 1/4 is composed of the adolescent age range of 10 to 19.  East Africa, adolescent proportion is 22.5% (UNICEF 2012). By 2030 the region will have 178 million children and youth with 31% (73 million) of them living in urban areas. Putting pressure on the capacity of East Africa’s major cities to host these new urbanites. ❑ Some of the pressures on urban centres due to the inflow of new urbanites????  Racial Composition 3 main races recognised in East Africa: Africans, Asians and Europeans. Africans form the majority (over 98% of the total). The African population consist of the: Bantu, Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, and Cushitic speaking people.  The Bantus are the most numerous; and are mainly cultivators. Bantus include the Denda and Teso of Uganda, the Kikuyu and Kamba of Kenya and the Sukuman and Chagga of Tanzania.  The Nilotic are also mainly cultivators and include Acholi of Uganda and the Luo of Kenya. o They tend to be thin in physical structure and have curly hair. The Nilo-Hamitic are mostly pastoralists. o They include Karamajong, the Samburu and the Masai. o The Teso, the Nandi and the Kipsigis are also Nilo-Hamatic but lately they have given considerable attention to cultivation as well.  Cushitic: They were Hunters and Pastoralists o Cushitic languages are branch of Afro-asiatic language family spoken primarily in the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Ethiopia) o They moved southwards from present day Ethiopia to the highlands of Kenya and northern Tanzania. Archaeological evidence of their early existence has been found in areas around Kilimanjaro and Ngorongoro. Today the Cushitic languages are found among the Kalenjin in Kenya and the Iraqw in Tanzania.  Arabs- originally came in as traders. They lived along the coast, especially in Pemba and Zanzibar in Tanzania. European settlers- most found in Kenya where the cooler climates in the highlands favour them. o In Tanzania, they were limited to the Usambara Mountains, on the slope of Mt. Kilimanjaro and in the Southern Highland. o Europeans settlement was not encouraged in Uganda due to high population density and therefore lack of vast lands to pursue agricultural activities. o People from the Indian sub continent went to the region to build the railway system and later went into trade. o A lot of them left in the 1970s due to political and economic reasons. Population Density & Distribution  Regions of Dense Population Most people in the sub-region are involved in farming. Hence, population concentration is determined largely by the amount and reliability of rain fall received. Areas with highest densities occur in places with average rainfall of at least 750mm. Uganda receives appreciable rainfall and has population density of 297 persons per square mile.  High Population Density – Lake Victoria Region – Highlands on either side of the Rift Valley – Coastal areas and Islands of Zanzibar, Pemba Low Population Density – Deserts of Northern Kenya & Central Tanzania – Tsetse-fly infested forests of Uganda – High elevations of mountains  Dynamics and Population change in East Africa Fertility levels- as a factor of change is determined by two factors: 1. The behavioural and biological aspects of fertility (Direct determinants). o Examples include: o Marriage patterns/nuptiality: ( age of marriage, proportion of women ever married, polygamy). o Post partum abstinence: (length of period for abstaining from sex following child birth, largely due to breast feeding). o Natural and pathological sterility: (Circumcision of males or females can lead to increased incidence of sterility and therefore lack of capacity to reproduce) 2. The non-proximate or indirect determinants: Socio-economic (income, education, residential status) Cultural (belief systems, customs, traditions and values) Historical, environmental and poli-institutional (government policy, residential and job environs, effectiveness of medical institutions and past values placed on childbirth and children) Some cultural determinants of fertility in East Africa Family lineage- seen as extension of the past and link to the future. o High premium is placed on individual and lineage survivals. o Among the Kikuyu of Kenya, a child who dies is regarded as a temporary visitor, and the next child is regarded as the reincarnation of the same spirit and given the same name. From the religious perspective, fertility is equated with virtue and spiritual approval.  Generally, decisions of reproduction and family size are the preserve of men and this partially accounts for the low prevalence of contraceptive use, especially among certain ethnic groups in the Region. Children are regarded as economic assets, source of wealth and prestige and labour reservoir. Rapid Population Growth: Kenya Slow Growth Population Pyramid: USA Compare these two countries in East Africa: Tanzania & Seychelles Compare these two countries in East Africa: Tanzania & Seychelles Programs and Policies to Manage/Control Population Growth in East Africa  Objectives of Population Management policies Improve the quality of life of people in Africa Utilize resources efficiently Contribute to sustainable development ………… ………… Programmes and Policies to Manage or Control Population Growth 1. Family Planning Programs Information and communication promote family planning and birth control. Poster in Swahili says: “This mother needs Family Planning” 2. Kenya: Nutrition & Health Care Clinics Aim to Decrease Infant Mortality Rate When parents know that their babies will survive, they may choose to have fewer pregnancies.  Questions for reflections What reasons would a country have to promote increased population growth? What factors should be considered in developing population management policies? Which other countries in EA have instituted effective population programmes and how have they fared?