Sizing up Africa's population

Africa's overall population is expected to grow by 2050 from the current 922 million people to 1.99 billion, one-fifth of the world's population. Which country in Africa has the highest population density?

A. Nigeria
B. Egypt
C. South Africa
D. Mauritius

D. Mauritius is correct.

The small island nation of Mauritius, with its 1.2 million people, is Africa's most densely populated country, with about 1,583 people per square mile. It is about 560 miles east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

In second place is poverty-stricken Rwanda, with 910 people per square mile, which is comparable to Belgium. Rwanda's high level of population density toughens the challenges the country faces in overcoming the aftermath of its civil war, which ended in the mid-1990s.

Nigeria has 398 people per square mile, ranking seventh on the continent. Egypt has 192 people per square mile, and South Africa has 143.

The Globalist Quiz is produced by The Globalist, a Washington-based research organization that promotes awareness of world affairs. © 2008 The Globalist, theglobalist.com.