Theory question 111
West Africa and ECOWAS(a) On a sketch map of West Africa, show and name (i) the home areas of the Ashanti, the Wolof and the Mandingo (ii) two areas with a population density of over 100 persons per km² (iii) two areas with a population density of less than 5 persons per km²
(b) Explain how the variation in population density in West Africa has been aided by the following: (i) Historical factors (ii) Agriculture (iii) Mining (iv) Industrialization
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(a) Ashanti – central Ghana (Kumasi); Wolof – western Senegal/Gambia; Mandingo – Mali/upper Niger and Gambia-Guinea; dense (>100/km²): e.g. SE Nigeria (Igboland), SW Nigeria (Ibadan-Lagos), Kano area, Accra-Kumasi area of Ghana; sparse (<5/km²): Sahara of Mauritania, Mali and Niger; middle belt in places
(b)(i) Historical: old kingdoms (Hausa, Yoruba, Ashanti) gave security and dense settlement; slave raiding emptied areas like the middle belt; wars pushed people to defensive hills
(ii) Agriculture: fertile soils and good rainfall (cocoa belt, Kano close-settled zone) support dense population; poor soils or tsetse areas stay sparse
(iii) Mining: mines attract workers and towns (Jos tin, Enugu coal, Tarkwa gold, Sierra Leone diamonds, Port Harcourt oil)
(iv) Industrialisation: industrial cities (Lagos, Kano, Abidjan, Dakar) draw migrants and become very dense
Give a named example for each factor.