History and Government Form 2 Notes : CHAPTER 4 – Urbanisation

CHAPTER 4

Urbanisation

Urbanisation is the process of people’s migration from rural areas to live in towns or cities. It can also imply the establishment of towns or cities. It can also be defined as the concentration of people in settlements usually referred to as urban centres. An urban centre, according to the United Nations, is a settlement with a population of 20,000 people and above.

A modern town

Early urbanisation in Africa

Early urbanisation began in Africa before the birth of Christ. Early urban centres which declined, such as Meroe and Aksum, are suitable examples of such towns.

Several factors led to the establishment of the early urban centres before the establishment of colonial rule. These are:

1. Due to development of trade, convergent centres emerged which became meeting places for many people from different places. They later developed into towns. Examples are Mombasa and Kilwa.
2. There was development of ports and harbours where ships anchored, such as Cape Town and Malindi.
3. Some areas like Meroe, where local industries were established, attracted many people who settled there. These settlements later developed into towns.
4. Areas which had reliable water for irrigation, industrial use, and domestic use attracted people who established settlements which later developed into towns.
5. Some administrative centres and palaces of rulers expanded to become towns after subjects settled close to rulers for security reasons.
6. Urban centres developed at major crossroads and where several trade routes met. Examples are Tuat, Timbuktu, and Sijilmasa.
7. Notable religious centres became meeting places for many people. They attracted people who settled nearby, and thereafter towns developed.
8. Development of early education centres such as Timbuktu, Gao, and Cairo contributed to urbanisation in those centres.
9. The development of agriculture made people settle permanently together because food was available.
10. Areas that were secure and sheltered from possible attacks attracted people who concentrated there. These settlements later developed into towns.

Cairo

Modern Cairo is situated at the delta of the River Nile where some earlier settlements had been established about 2,000 years ago. Egypt was invaded by the Fatimids who established a walled town. By the mid-14^th century, Egypt had grown into a big city with many mosques and palaces. It served as an early religious centre.

The town had narrow streets, bazaars, shops, and crowded living quarters. There was a market where people sold their produce.

The Ottoman Turks took control of Egypt in 1517 and remained under their control until 1798 when Napoleon Bonaparte of France captured it from the Turks. Three years later, in 1801, the French were driven out of Cairo, and it was thereafter made the capital of Egypt by the then ruler, Mohammed Ali.

During the reign of Ismaili, Egypt was first modernised. Later it expanded as more buildings reflecting European style were constructed. Today it is the largest town in Egypt. It has a modern international airport and a railway network linking Cairo with other towns. Cairo has many entertainment facilities and museums. It is an important religious centre.

Meroe

Meroe is an ancient city in Africa that emerged at an iron-working site north of modern Khartoum. The inhabitants of Meroe developed the style of building in brick and plaster during the first century BC. They white-washed the outer walls of palaces and decorated them with glowing mural paintings. The inner walls were also painted and decorated with ornaments.

Meroe started expanding when it was made the capital of Kush instead of the former capital, Napata, because the people of Kush had learned iron-working from the Assyrians and traded with the Greeks by exporting ivory, slaves, animal skins, ostrich feathers, timber, and gold, which provided income to expand the town.

The city of Meroe declined during the first century AD mainly due to trade rivalry from the growing kingdom of Axum in Ethiopia. When Meroe weakened, the King of Axum, known as Ezana, attacked Meroe, burnt it, and took everything of value. Ezana destroyed their stores of corn and cotton and the statues in their temples. This marked the decline of the great city of Meroe.

Kilwa

The origin of Kilwa is associated with Persian immigrants who established settlements on the Indian Ocean coast. At the beginning of the 13^th century, Kilwa began expanding due to wealth obtained from the gold trade. From the end of the 13^th century, it was the most important trading town on the East Coast of Africa.

It controlled the coastal settlements in the north as far as Pemba Island. Kilwa was a walled town which minted its own coins. It controlled the gold trade with Sofala and Zimbabwe. The inhabitants were mainly Muslims.

The town of Kilwa had beautiful buildings such as the Great Mosque and the large palace known as Husuni Kubwa. The town began declining first in the second half of the 14^th century. The fine buildings were ruined. Between 1420 and 1440, the mosque was renovated. The town of Kilwa lost its glory and prosperity and declined completely almost at the close of the 15^th century because of the following reasons:

1. There were dynastic quarrels in Kilwa.
2. The Sofala gold trade was interrupted by wars in the interior.
3. Mombasa became a strong rival of Kilwa.
4. The arrival of the Portuguese interfered with the gold trade because Portuguese soldiers attacked and conquered all the coastal city-states.
5. There were constant rivalries between Kilwa and other coastal city-states.

Early urbanisation in Europe

London

London is the capital city of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is in the continent of Europe. The city is situated in South East England.

The town of London originated before the first century AD. When the Romans occupied Britain in the 1^st century AD, London was already a town of considerable importance.

The Romans expanded the town and made it an important religious centre. They also established Christianity, which became the dominant religion in England.

London continued to expand even after it was burnt in the first century AD. When the Romans left England, London had already been established with a large population.

The withdrawal of the Romans did not affect the growth of London because what they did in Britain perished after they left.

In the 9^th century, King Alfred made London the capital of his kingdom. Later King William I established himself in England and developed the town of London. He built the Tower of London and also rebuilt the London Bridge. Initially, it was built of wood, but he rebuilt it using stone.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the growth of London was slow as a result of wars, epidemics, and commercial crises.

When Queen Elizabeth I opened the Royal Exchange in 1566 AD, the city of London grew into an important city of the world. By 1580 AD, Queen Elizabeth I issued a proclamation which prohibited construction of any new buildings within a radius of about 4 kilometres outside the city gates.

In 1665 AD, London was affected by plague. The following year, a great fire burnt the city.

In 1667, the rebuilding act was enacted. It stipulated that all buildings be of stone and brick. In the 1760s, the walls and gates of the old medieval city of London were demolished. During the 19^th century, London was modernised through the construction of many suburbs, rebuilding of bridges, and lighting of city streets. By the close of the century, London had grown into a beautiful city served by a well-developed network of transport and communication.

During the First World War, London became a German target. London was heavily bombed. The Tower of London and the British Museum were destroyed. Many other buildings were also damaged.

After the war, the British government reconstructed the war damage. Many tall storey buildings were constructed such as the Museum Radio Tower of the General Post Office building. This was followed by construction of shops, residential houses, schools, hotels, and cultural centres.

The city of London got most of its water from the River Thames. There were several city markets which provided people with food, meat, fruits, and flowers. Today the city of London is under the control of the local government headed by mayors.

Several factors contributed to the growth of the city of London. These were:

1. Development of transport and communication. London had a network of roads and railways. Underground roads and railways were established in underground tunnels to reduce traffic congestion. Modern international airports such as Heathrow Airport were also established. London was connected to the rest of the world with telegraphs, telephones, and radio transmissions.
2. Trade enabled the town of London to grow into city status. Many people migrated to London to conduct business as a way of earning a living. The success of their businesses made them wealthy and they settled permanently. As this process continued, the town also continued to expand.
3. The establishment of industries attracted people who came to seek employment and those who came to survive on cheap manufactured goods.
4. The development of port facilities in London encouraged many people to do jobs of loading and unloading cargo. The sailors from England also started their journeys from seaports like London. Those who came from abroad on their way to England regarded London as their port of call. This contributed to the growth of London.
5. London served as a political and administrative centre for a long time. The Romans constructed a fort and surrounded it with a wall for security reasons. The colonies Britain acquired were under the colonial secretary who was based in London.
6. The city of London had several museums and theatres that made it an important cultural centre. Many people were attracted by the activities in the city, making them settle there in great numbers.

Functions of London

1. London is the capital of the United Kingdom. It acts as an administrative headquarters.
2. It is an industrial centre that has both heavy and light industries.
3. It is a cultural and recreational centre. London has many theatres and museums.
4. London is a centre of international transport and communication. This is because there are international airports in London and there is a harbour where ships from all over the world anchor.
5. London is a centre of learning. It has international universities and colleges.
6. It is also a commercial centre that has many banks and insurance companies. It has many shopping centres.
7. London is a religious centre. It has many churches and cathedrals.
8. London is also the Commonwealth headquarters.

The problems London has encountered since it was founded

1. Problem of overcrowding of houses, vehicles, and people.
2. Epidemics such as plague affected London during the Roman era and in 1665 AD.
3. London was burnt down in 1666 AD.
4. There was the problem of unemployment.
5. There was the problem of rural-urban migration of the jobless.
6. There were inadequate housing facilities and poor sanitation.
7. There was a high crime rate.
8. There was pollution of the environment due to fumes from industries and vehicles.
9. London was bombed by the Germans during the First World War. This resulted in deaths of people and destruction of property.
10. There was the demolition of the old city of London in the 1760s.

Athens

The growth and prosperity of Athens is based on trade and commerce. The land surrounding Athens was rocky. It could not support a large population. The people of Athens depended mainly on imported food that they exchanged with olive oil, wine, and wool.

Athens was a famous centre of learning. The city-state provided education in such fields as philosophy, architecture, drama, science, and medicine. The democracy that is enjoyed in the world today originated in Athens where it was actually practised.

Athens was surrounded by a protective wall for security purposes because of constant wars with other city-states. The town itself looked clumsy. The streets were merely narrow earth roads that became dusty during the dry spell and muddy during the rainy season.

Some houses were made of unbaked brick while others were made of mud. A few beautiful and well-built buildings such as the Parthenon temple and the temple of Athena Nike existed.

There was a marketplace in the centre of the town which also acted as a meeting place for people and the place where people assembled for debates. On top of the high cliff was the Acropolis (Fortress) which provided protection for the village below.

The biggest problem of Athens was that it had inadequate sanitary facilities for disposing of human waste and refuse. Due to this, the town was exposed to very bad smells from rotting garbage.

Athens weakened and lost its glory between 430 BC and 335 BC due to the following reasons:

i) Athens was affected by constant rivalries and wars with other city-states.

1. Athens was conquered by King Philip of Macedonia and put under Macedonian domination.
2. Constant epidemics like plague led to the death of many Athenian citizens, weakening the military might of Athens.
3. The final blow, which made the town disintegrate, was the death of Alexander the Great whose empire controlled Athens. Other towns such as Rome and Carthage rose to power to fill the political vacuum left by Macedonia.

Emergence of modern urban centres in Africa

There are many urban centres in Africa that began when the Europeans acquired colonies and settled there. Such towns never existed in Africa before the coming of the Europeans.

Some of them began as administrative centres for the colonial authority. Some emerged as mining towns, others as commercial centres, some as agricultural centres or farming centres, while others began as industrial centres.

The Europeans at first settled in those places and established administrative and commercial buildings. The emerging settlements attracted rural people who also migrated there to look for employment, start businesses, and seek other fortunes. Examples of the modern urban centres in Africa are Nairobi and Johannesburg.

Nairobi

Nairobi began in 1899 during the construction of the Uganda railway. It first started as a depot for storing railway equipment before approaching the steep Rift Valley escarpment.

The place looked suitable for a depot and for resting because of its mild climate that was preferable to Europeans. There was also the Nairobi River which provided water to the railway builders. The site was somewhat flat for construction compared to the land ahead of them before they reached the Rift Valley. At the same time, Nairobi was the midpoint between Mombasa and Lake Victoria.

In 1907, the Imperial British East Africa (IBEA) company transferred its capital from Mombasa to Nairobi. During the colonial period, the Europeans and Asians dominated the town.

Migration of Africans to Nairobi was restricted but quite a number went there to work as labourers.

The town was associated with racial discrimination in employment, commerce, and housing.

Today Nairobi lies at the heart of Kenya’s rail and road network. It has a modern international airport known as Kenyatta International Airport. It has several other small airports such as Eastleigh, Embakasi, and Wilson airports.

Nairobi is the seat of the government and the commercial centre of Kenya. Nairobi is also an industrial, cultural, educational, communication, and transport centre.

It has modern buildings that are used as offices, hotels, and shopping centres. The city attracts Kenyan citizens from all parts of the country and also foreigners who include tourists from many countries of the world. However, Nairobi City is facing a number of problems as below:

1. The city has inadequate drainage and sanitary facilities.
2. There is the problem of pollution as a result of many industries producing fumes and noise.
3. There is an acute problem of water.
4. There are inadequate educational facilities such as schools for the rapidly growing urban population.
5. There is congestion of traffic leading to traffic jams.
6. There is a high rate of crime such as robbery and prostitution.
7. There are inadequate housing facilities leading to development of slums and overcrowding in residential areas.
8. There is a high rate of unemployment. School leavers flock to Nairobi to look for jobs.

Johannesburg

Johannesburg is a city of the Republic of South Africa, in Transvaal province.

Johannesburg mushroomed after large gold deposits were discovered in Witwatersrand in September 1886. This was followed by a gold rush. At first, Johannesburg began with a very small population. Within a very short time, people flocked to Johannesburg on the Witwatersrand in great numbers from Britain, America, Australia, and other countries of Europe.

At first, the early settlements were mere shanties made of galvanised iron. These shanties were the basis of the miraculous growth of the city of Johannesburg. Within a decade, the town had a population of about 100,000 people.

Other factors that contributed to the growth of Johannesburg are:

1. There was cheap labour from Africans. Labour was also obtained from neighbouring countries like Malawi, Namibia, and Botswana. These labourers increased the population of the city.
2. River Vaal provided enough water for mining, industry, and domestic use.
3. There was development of transport and communication in the form of roads and railways.
4. The land surrounding Johannesburg was suitable for farming. This provided enough food for the people in the mining centre and industries.
5. The availability of other minerals such as iron ore and fluorspar in the outskirts of the city contributed to industrial growth.
6. The availability of coal, which provided energy, also promoted industrial development.

Today, Johannesburg is the largest city of the Republic of South Africa and the industrial and commercial centre. It is the centre of the country’s gold mining industries and the site of the Johannesburg stock exchange.

It is a strategic rail, road, and air hub with an international airport. It is a mining as well as an industrial centre whose industries include manufacture of mining and railway equipment, automobile parts, chemicals, textiles, electrical, and communication equipment.

Johannesburg is a cultural and educational centre of South Africa. It has a number of museums, theatres, a symphony orchestra, and an opera company. It has schools and universities.