Introduction
Over population is a huge problem for the people of Africa. The sub-Saharan population is increasing at the rate of 2.5 percent annually. This is double the rate of both Asia and Latin America. If this rate is not decreased the population of Africa will double by the year 2036 (from 2008). Countries like Ethiopia and Nigeria could even triple in population within the next fifty years. If Africa remains on this course catastrophic consequences such as mass starvation and war could occur. On this page you will find lists of interesting facts about overpopulation in Africa; written for kids and adults.Click here for a great selection of Amazon.com books about Africa.
Reasons for Overpopulation in Africa
The reason for this population explosion is a sharp decline in infant and child mortality rates coupled with a high fertility rate. With the exception of South Africa, African women have 5.5 children (average) during their life. This rate has been slowly decreasing but not enough to decrease the population growth significantly. It should also be noted that the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa does not have a major impact on decreasing the population. Programs implemented to decrease this horrible epidemic are starting to show promising results and original estimates of the effect on the population has been decreased.The Effect of Overpopulation in Africa
Below is a list of some of the negative effects overpopulation can have on the people of Africa.- The environment can be negatively affected. With an increase in the population there comes an increase in waste that must be disposed of. Often this waste is simply dumped on land or in the water supply. An example of this is the incredible amount of raw sewage dumped into Africa’s largest lake, Lake Victoria.
- Scarce resources can cause tension and fighting among the people of Africa.
- The economies of African countries can be put under great stress as the governments struggle to feed, educate, and keep the ever growing population healthy.