Urban Population Growth: Asia, Oceania, and Africa

Asia's Urban Population

The urban population of Asia is equivalent to 2 billion people. Asia, therefore, contains the highest percentage of the world's urban population, as well as the largest cities:

• China: The urbanization process has accelerated enormously during the 21st century, thanks to the incorporation of the country into the market economy.
• Japan and South Korea: Japan is one of the developed countries with the highest percentage of urban population, and its capital, Tokyo, is the most populated in the world.
• India: India is the second most populated country in the world.
• Other Asian Countries: We should mention Karachi, Dhaka, Jakarta, and others.

Oceania's Urban Centers

In Oceania, the only cities with more than one million inhabitants are Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

African Cities: A Historical Perspective

Historically, Africa has been a continent without many cities, apart from the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlas Mountains, where medieval, traditional Muslim cities were located, as well as Egypt's and the Roman Empire's urban legacies. The rest of Africa did not have many real cities until the 20th century, except for Cape Town, which was founded by the Portuguese Empire in 1500.

• North Africa: The Nile Valley in Egypt is one of the oldest settlements in the history of humanity.
• Sub-Saharan Africa and Guinea: Three centuries of slavery stagnated the development of urban cultures in these areas.
• Central Africa: Central Africa has some large agglomerations that have developed in recent years, but they have not been planned or structured, and this has led to huge shantytowns.
• South Africa: This country has a sophisticated urban culture, although shantytowns can also be found.

Challenges and Values of Present-Day Cities

The populations of cities grow rapidly, and in some cases, in a disorganized way, consequently creating new problems or highlighting pre-existing ones. Currently, cities release over 70% of CO2 emissions and consume huge quantities of raw materials. However, there are also areas where development is taking place. Cities in developing countries generate 55% of their GDP, while in more advanced and developed countries, it reaches up to 85%.