Count to 10,000

[Virgin Serbia]

3555

Why would anybody want that molten slagheap? They literally have nothing but lots of debt and hot water

That having been said, I believe China is currently building a military base complete with barracks for several thousand Chinese marines, and a port capable of handling a carrier strike force, and an airbase capable of handling transport planes and fighters luxury vacation complex complete with hotels for several thousand Chinese tourists, and a port capable of handling the biggest cruise vessels, and an international airport to fly tourist directly from China

[norge]

3556

China tends to build ghost towns a lot now

[Virgin Serbia]

3557

I just read a book on how the world will look like in 2050. By 2050, over half the worlds population will be african, with roughly 5 billion people living there. The biggest african countries in terms of population would be Nigeria and Tanzania, with roughly half a billion people each

[Zach21GF]

3558

Not sure whether I believe it, not sure Africa would be able to sustain such a population even though it is getting better down there.

[Virgin Serbia]

3559

The majority of the population certainly wouldnt be very healthy, that much is certain. But if properly utilised, africa could feed a lot more people than you might believe. It would come at a great cost towards wildlife though. No lions in 2050
Before the blacks took over, Rhodesia was capable of feeding half of africa

[norge]

3560

Half a billion in Tanzania? But how can it grow with 450 million people in just 35 years?

EDIT: I just checked Wikipedia a bit, forecasts for 2050 say that Africa will have 25% of the population, rather than 50%.

[1993matias]

3562

It's exponential growth. And with all those kids in Africa right now, that will be fertile in a few years, expect to see a baby boom!

[Virgin Serbia]

3562

Its not really that hard to imagine. 50 million people today. I each family gets 3 children thats 75 million additional. If they then get 3 each, 112.5 million. That makes 168.75 million children from the following generation. Thats around 400 million just there, in about 45 years.
The average age for a woman becoming pregnant in Tanzania is rather lower than the rest of the world, around 15-20 years of age. And they have more babies too. 3 babies per couple is probably slightly conservative too.

Tanzania has a very young population. As of 2012, 45% of the population was below 15 years of age. Over half the population is under 17. Thats really quite incredible.

[Zach21GF]

3563

I am very aware of the potential, however I am also very aware of the political situation, which unfortunately in my opinion shows that it might be very difficult to sustain such a huge amount of people.
There will be an international boom in population no doubt, what these new peoples living standards will be is a whole other question and someting I think should be taken into account. Most people in Africa today has a living standard that clearly shows that there is a need for imrpovement. Don't get me wrong, there are improvements everyday in Africa, just not in the same pace as you see in the BRICS nations, which is why I am not sure Africa will be able to efficiently sustain a huge population.

[Virgin Serbia]

3564

Africa is mostly underutilised today, even in terms of farmable area. I lived in Tanzania several years, and at least 95% of the country is unpopulated. And the soil is rather fertile. And when it comes to improvements, Nigeria and Tanzania are improving way faster than any BRIC country ever did, not least due to the massive investments by the BRIC countries who actually foresaw the growth of Africa.

[norge]

3565

400 million is just way too much. Tanzania will have a lot of people in 35 years, but fertility rates are falling in pretty much every nation, and I doubt they will reach that high. But most nations are fortunately doing well, and some (like Botswana) are well on their path to a stable country.

[Virgin Serbia]

3566

The fertility rates in Tanzania and Nigeria actually rose slightly from 2011 to 2012, even though the general trend has been a slight reduction One must also remember to take into mind that child deaths have been significantly reduced, while the population hasn't become any wealthier or better educated. Even if they don't reach 400 or 500 million, they are still bound to match or exceed the population of the the United States.

[norge]

3567

Not by 2050 I think. Maybe about 150-200 million at most, maybe more if the health standards improve greatly in Tanzania.

[1993matias]

3569

As long as people don't want western living standards with the use-and-dispose culture, it would be all great

[norge]

3570

That would probably be the end of the resources in the world. Hopefully waste is a problem that is taken more seriously in the future.