Корейская Народно-Демократическая Республика

Корейцы — народ древней культуры. Несмотря на то, что в КНДР есть весьма значительное китайское и небольшое японское меньшинства, корейцев следует считать гомогенной нацией. Основная масса насе­ления живет на западе и юге Корейского полуострова. В при­брежных районах плотность населения составляет 240—400 че­ловек на 1 кв. км. Высокогорные районы мало населены.

В КНДР большая часть населения занята в сельском хо­зяйстве. Однако индустриализация привела к значительному роосту городского населения, среднегодовые тепмы роста которого составляют 3%. Городской образ жизни характерен для северной части страны, где находится много фабрик и заводов. На централь­ных улицах корейских городов есть большие дома, построенные по типу современных европейских зданий. В пригородах живут в хижинах из глины. Основная масса крестьян живет в боль­ших деревнях, в домах, выстроенных из тонких бревен, с соло­менными или черепичными крышами.

 

Пакистан

Пакистан — многонациональная страна и одна из самых больших по численности стран мира. По некоторым прогнозам, при нынешних темпах население страны может достичь более 200 млн. человек к 2020 году. Наиболее населен­ной частью является долина реки Инд в Восточном Пакистане. Средняя плотность населения в стране свыше 130 человек на кв. км., а в некоторыхрайонах, прилегающих к Индии, может до­стигать 1000 человек на 1 кв. км. В Западном Пакистане доволь­но большая плотность населения в Пенджабе, остальные райо­ны мало населены. В горных районах и в полупустынях живут племена кочевников.

Большая часть городов и деревень расположена в плодород­ных долинах, обычно там, где скрещиваются древние торговые пути. Это — центры торговли и ремесленного производства.

Около 64% населения Пакистана живет в сельской местности и занимается земледелием и животновод­ством. Значительная часть сельского населения неграмотна, тогда как в целом по стране уровень грамотности составляет 50% (64% для мужчин и 36% для женщин).

В стране большинство населения исповедует ислам.

 

ADDITIONAL TEXTS

Africa

The population of Africa has grown exponentially over the past century, and consequently shows a large youth bulge, further reinforced by a low life expectancy of below 50 years in most African countries. The population doubled in the period 1982–2009 and quadrupled from 1955–2009, according to the United Nations estimates. The total population of Africa is presently estimated at 1 billion. The most populous African country is Nigeria with 148 million people, followed by Egypt (79 million) and Ethiopia (78 million). There are numerous anomalies discernible in the overall pat­tern of the distribution of population in Africa. While the effect of aridity is quite apparent, say, in the low population of the Sahara desert, the steppes of East Africa and the Kalahari, other areas with dry seasons have unexpectedly high densities. Savanna lands, with longer rainy seasons, typically have lower densi­ties than the steppes. Rainy tropical areas show great variation, parts of the West African belt being densely populated, while the bulk of the rainforest belt near the Gulf of Guinea has low den­sities.

Many African countries, among them Ethiopia, Liberia, Burundi, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagaskar and Burkina Faso have annual population growth rates above 3%. More than 40% of the population are below 15 years in most sub-Saharan countries, as well as the Sudan but with the exception of South Africa, with as many as 50% in Uganda (as compared to 20% in the USA). Infant mortality is high, with up to 190 deaths per 1,000 live births in Angola, and between 25% and 50% malnourished in Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique and other countries. Thirty-four out of fifty-three African countries are counted among the world's least developed countries. HIV/AIDS is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, with some 11% of adult population infected and an estimated 2 million deaths caused by AIDS in 2005.

Ethnographers do not agree regarding the classification of African ethnic groups. But whatever the correct groupings may be, there is no question regarding the variety of peoples of the African continent, a variety far greater than in other parts of the world. Thus, in sub-Saharan Africa, speakers of Bantu languages (part of the Niger-Congo family) are the majority in southern, central and east Africa proper. This is due to the massive Bantu expansion from West Africa. But there are also several Neolitic groups in East Africa, and a few remaining indigenious Khoisan ('San' or 'Bushmen') and Pygmy peoples in southern and central Africa, respectively. Bantu-speaking Africans also predominate in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, and are found in parts of southern Cameroon and southern Somalia. In the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa, the distinct people known as the Bushmen (also "San", closely related to, but distinct from "Hottentots") have long been present. The San are physically and genetically distinct from other Africans and are the pre-Bantu indigenous people of southern and eastern Africa. Pygmies are the pre-Bantu indigenous people of central Africa.

South Africa has the largest populations of Europeans, Indians and Coloureds in Africa. The term "Coloured" is used by persons of mixed race in South Africa and Namibia to describe their ethnicity (In Africa this term does not carry the derogatory connotations that it does in North America). People of Europen descent in South Africa include the Africaners and a sizable populations of Anlo-Africans and Portugese Africans. Madagskar's population is predominantly of mixed Austronesian (Pacific Islander) and African origin. The area of southern Sudan is inhabited by the Neolitic people.

The peoples of North Africa comprise two main groups: Berber and Arabic-speaking peoples in the west, and Egyptians in the east. The Arabs, who arrived from Asia in the seventh century, introduced the Arabic language and Islam to North Africa. The Semitic Phoenicians, the European Greeks, Romans, Vandals and Pied-noir settled in North Africa as well. The indigenous Berbers still make up the majority in Morocco, while they are a significant minority within Algeria, which is now a majority Arabic-speaking country. They are also still present in small numbers in Tunisia and Libya. The Tuareg (a group of Berbers) and other nomadic peoples are the principal inhabitants of the Saharan interior of North Africa. Nubians are originally a Nilo-Saharan-speaking group (though many also speak Arabic now), who developed an ancient civilisation in northeast Africa.

During the past century or so, small but economically important colonies of Lebanese, Indians and Chinese have also developed in the larger coastal cities of West and East Africa, respectively.

Japan

 

Japan is a land of high population density. The population of Japan stands at 127.7 million people. Japan's population density is 336 persons per square kilometer according to the United Nations World Populations Prospects Report as of July 2005. It ranks 32nd in a list of countries by population density, ranking directly above India (336 per km²) and directly below Belgium (341 per km²). Between 1955 and 1989, land prices in the six largest cities increased by 15% (+12% a year). Urban land prices generally increased 40% from 1980 to 1987; in the six largest cities, the price of land doubled over that period. For many families, this trend put housing in central cities out of reach.The density is not relatively high compared with some industrialized countries of the world, but considering the prevai­ling importance of agriculture and the limited area of arable land (about 15% of the total), a severe population problem arises. The future of Japan may well depend on how this population problem is solved. In contrast to the highly congested lowlands, many mountainous areas show remarkably small populations and these are tending to decline. This is in part due to the rugged character of the terrain but more to the traditional dependence on rice paddies and the increasing capacity of the lowlands, because of growing industrialization, to support large populations.

Japan is an urban society with about only 5% of the labour force engaged in agriculture. Many farmers supplement their income with part-time jobs in nearby towns and cities. About 80 million of the urban population is heavily concentrated on the Pacific shore of Honshu. Metropolitan Tokyo-Yokohama, with 35,000,000 people, is the world's most populous city. Japan faces the same problems that confront urban industrialized societies throughout the world: over-crowded cities and congested highways. The result is lengthy commutes for many workers; daily commutes of two hours each way are not uncommon in the Tokyo area. After a decade of declining land prices, residents have been moving back into central city areas (especially Tokyo's 23 wards), as evidenced by 2005 census figures. National and regional governments devote resources to making regional cities and rural areas more attractive by developing transportation networks, social services, industry, and educational institutions in attempts to decentralize settlement and improve the quality of life. Nevertheless, major cities, especially Tokyo, Yokohama and Chiba and, to a lesser extent, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe, remain attractive to young people seeking education and jobs.

Japan is nowadays facing a sharp decline in its populations as the population growth rate in the country is as low as 0.15%. Late marriages and more working women are the primary two reasons for the reduced births in Japan. The country has a low fertility rate of 1.36 as compared to 2.10 in the USA and 1.98 in France.This has negatively impacted the growth prospects of the country. Longer life expectancy of over 80 years (with 77 and 84 years for males and females respectively) and low birth rates mean that the Japanese population is aging at a higher rate.

Japan was populated primarily from the mainland, and the majority of the people belong to the Mongoloid stock and exhi­bit few traits by which they can easily be distinguished from va­rious other Mongoloid groups. Of minority ethnic groups in Japan, the Ainu constitute the most notable. They are distinctive in physical type as well as culture and language. Their origin is unknown. Besides, there are minority elements in the population that represent mixtures with the aboriginal Ainu of northern Japan. The Japanese are classed among short-statured peoples, but rather remarkable changes in physique occurred in the 20th cen­tury; the average stature of the male population has risen to nearly 163 cm. The change has been attributed to improved diet and medical care, exercise and freer circulation resulting from the decrease in the habit of sitting on the floor with the legs buck­led under. The urban population is, on the average, taller than the rural.

 

 

Libya

Libya has a small population residing in a large land area. Population density is about 50 persons per km² in the two northern regions of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, but falls to less than one person per km² elsewhere. Ninety percent of the people live in less than 10% of the area, primarily along the coast. About 88% of the population is urban, mostly concentrated in the two largest cities, Tripoli, Benghazi and Al-Bayda. 50% of the population is estimated to be under age 15.

Native Libyans are primarily Berbers, Arabized Berbers, ethnic Arabs (mainly tribal desert Arabs "Bedouins"), and Tuaregs. Small Hausa, and Tebu tribal groups in southern Libya are nomadic or seminomadic. Libya is home to a large illegal population which numbers more than one million. Libya has a small Italian minority. Previously, there was a visible presence of Italian settlers, but many left after independence in 1947 and many more left after the rule of Muammar al-Gaddafi in 1970.

The main language spoken in Libya is Arabic (Libyan dialect) by 80% of the Libyans, and Modern Standard Arabic is also the official language; the Tamazight (the Amazight language) spoken by 20% (i.e. Berber and Tuareg languages), which do not have official status, are spoken by Libyan Berbers and Tuaregs in the south beside Arabic language. Italian and English are sometimes spoken in the big cities, although Italian speakers are mainly among the older generation.

Family life is important for Libyan families, the majority of which live in apartment blocks and other independent housing units, with precise modes of housing depending on their income and wealth. Although the Libyan Arabs traditionally lived nomadic lifestyles in tents, they have now settled in various towns and cities. Because of this, their old ways of life are gradually fading out. An unknown small number of Libyans still live in the desert as their families have done for centuries. Most of the population has occupations in industry and services, and a small percentage is in agriculture.

ACTIVE VOCABULARY

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