Africa is home to one eighth of the worlds population.
The most populated areas are along the Nile, Niger, Congo and Senegal
rivers. The population is growing quickly due to increasingly better
health care. Birthrates are very high, and families are often large.
Many people have moved from countryside to cities, because of the
poverty and lack of work, or to escape civil wars, droughts,
Most countries rely on the export of coffee, cocoa, or oil. In recent
years, the prices have fallen. The amount that African countries
earn from exports is often less then what they have to spend on
imports. These factors, along with the growing population and effects
of wars and droughts, mean economic
difficulties for many African countries.