Existing millennia, the global urbanization process has acquired global proportions over the past century. Following the developed countries, it swept over the developing countries as well. Moreover, the rate of urbanization of the latter is growing rapidly. The share of the world's urban population has already exceeded 50%
Instructions
Step 1
The first cities on Earth emerged about 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia, later in Egypt and on the Indian subcontinent. Scientists are still arguing about the nature of their origin - new cities themselves appeared or under the influence of more ancient ones. But the presence of cities among the ancient Incas and Aztecs in America suggests that the emergence of urban settlements on Earth is a completely natural process. It is fully connected with the development of civilization.
Step 2
For thousands of years, there has been a concentration of the population in cities. But this process proceeded gradually. The number of cities and the growth of urban residents went almost imperceptibly. By the beginning of the 19th century, the population of most of the largest cities in the world numbered only 200-300 thousand people. The leaders were Paris - 550 thousand and London.
Step 3
The rapid growth of cities began only with the industrial revolution that took place in the century before last. The need for a rapidly developing industry for workers and higher wages in the city than in the countryside caused a large-scale resettlement of rural residents to cities. Even in Russia, where this process was noticeably hampered by serfdom, cities grew steadily. As a result, if over the entire nineteenth century the population of the Earth increased 1.7 times, then its urban component increased 4.4 times.
Step 4
However, such a rate of urbanization is nothing compared to what happened in the second half of the last century. This period is also commonly called the "urban revolution" and "the great urban migration of peoples." It just coincided with a powerful population explosion in developing countries. For half a century, the already rather large urban population of the Earth has quadrupled.
Step 5
True, during the same time, the rural population of the Earth also increased by almost 2 cuts. This growth was only possible thanks to developing countries, where 90% of all the world's inhabitants now live. However, this process is now slowing down and, according to the forecasts of demographers, by the middle of this century it should stabilize.
Step 6
Along with many benefits of civilization, urbanization brings great problems to humanity. And above all, these are environmental problems. A huge amount of harmful substances accumulates in the polluted air of megalopolises. Even the presence of a large number of green spaces in many large cities does not help much. People, of course, are struggling with a difficult ecological situation. Industrial enterprises are being taken out of the city. They introduce restrictions on the content of harmful substances in the exhaust gases of cars. But cities continue to grow, and it doesn't help much.
Step 7
In addition, life in metropolitan areas negatively affects people's mental health. A person is too often exposed to stress, and constant street noise does not help to strengthen the nervous system.
Step 8
We can only hope that the earthly civilization, thanks to its constant development, will be able to find a way out of this situation.
