Geography

Assignment #2

URBANIZATION
Causes, Problems and Solutions
 What is Urbanization?
Urbanization is the increase in the number of people living and working in a city or town.

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BAHAMAS
• Brief History of the country.
In 1492,Christopher Columbus made landfall in the New World on the island of San Salvador. Inspired by the
surrounding shallow sea, he described them as islands of the “baja mar”(shallow sea),which has become The Islands of
the Bahamas.

Bahamas has a population of 389,482,as of 2019.

The Bahamas is a country in the northwestern West Indies, located 80km (50 mil) south-east of the coast of Florida(USA)
and north of Cuba. The Caribbean islands group consists of around 700 islands and islets, and more than 2000 cays(coral
reefs).Only about 30 islands are inhabited.

The Bahamas has a predominantly market economy that is heavily dependent on tourism and international financial
services.

English is spoken on virtually every island in the Bahamas, but like almost every Caribbean island. The Bahamas has its
own creole dialect. While British English is the official language, you’ll also hear accents and words or phrases
influenced by various African languages.
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Rural to Urban Areas
• Nassau is the most populated area in the Bahamas. It is the capital city and is commonly defined as a
primate city, dwarfing all other towns in the country. Of the approximately 390,000 people living in The
Bahamas, 84% live in urban areas, the highest urbanization rate in the English-speaking Caribbean.
Nearly all this urban population lives in Nassau- New Providence Island. The IDB( studies found that
Nassau’s urban growth has reached the extents of the island; such urbanization has led to struggles with
maintaining the quality and access to natural resources, infrastructure, and mobility.
• Nassau is the center of commerce, education, law, administration, and media of the country. It is the hub
for all activities. A large number of persons visit daily; to shop, dine, sightsee and to enjoy the tropical
climate of the city.
• Nassau's large population in relation to the remainder of the Bahamas is the result of waves of
immigration from the Family Islands to the capital. Consequently, this has led to the decline in the
population of the lesser developed islands and the rapid growth of Nassau.

North Andros, Mangrove Cay, Inagua and Central Andros are amongst the rural areas in the Bahamas.

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Rural to Urban Areas in Bahamas

•.
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Urban Population Growth from 2009-2019

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PROBLEMS
Specific problems from urbanization and
possible mitigation methods.

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 Problems
Flooding.

• Urban flooding is specific in the fact that the

cause is a lack of drainage in an urban area .As
there is little open soil that can be used for
water storage, nearly all the precipitation needs
to be transported to surface water or the sewage
system.
Happened in Hurricane in 1929 in New
Providence and Andros islands

This built up of water on the surface can also

become contaminated/polluted causing health
effects.
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 Method of Mitigation
Flooding
These are some methods we can use to mitigate such problem:
They include floodwalls/seawalls, floodgates, levees, build up of the land and
evacuation routes.

Nonstructural measures reduce damage by removing people and property out of

risk areas

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 Problem
Brain Drain
This is the process in which a country/area
loses its most educated and talented workers to
other countries/area through migration.
The main causes include seeking employment
or higher paying jobs, political instability, and
to seek better quality of life.
This occured in 2017-2020 with a decrease
from 4.7 in 2017 to 4.1 in 2020

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 Methods of Mitigation
Brain Drain
Some measures that can be taken to solve brain drain are:

Improve working conditions

Provision of maximum security

Provision of employment opportunities

Increase foreign investments

Improve educational standards to reduce the number of people that studies

developed nations.

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 Problem
High Population Density

• Population Density can have a negative

impact on out environment and natural
resources. These pressures can lead to
deforestation, result in overcrowding and
could lead to destruction to our planet’s
delicate ecosystem.

Some other effects are:

Increase in Pollution.
Increasing Costs of Living and Housing.
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 Methods of Mitigation.
High Population Density
In rural areas, solutions we can use are:

Provision of essential services in the rural areas

Creation of more jobs

Better infrastructure(water, roads, electricity) etc.

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SUMMARY
• Of the approximately 390,000 people living in Bahamas,84% live in
urban areas, the highest urbanization rate in the English-speaking
Caribbean. Nearly all this urban population lives in Nassau, New
Providence Island.
North Andros, Mangrove Cay, Inagua and Central Andros are amongst
the rural areas in the Bahamas.
• Factors that influenced the movement were no educational facilities and
so the younger generation moved and no other amenities(jobs, hospitals
etc.) and infrastructure(recreational parks, resorts etc.) were available in
abundance although the country is known for its tourism.

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 THANK YOU!
Ariel Taylor, Selecia Williams, Fantasia Andrews,
Beyonce Roberts, Niambe Caesar, Suhaana Raj

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