In western Africa, just south of the Sahara Desert, lies the landlocked nation of Burkina Faso. The nation experienced a 200 percent increase in urban population between 1975 and 2000. Much of that growth occurred in the capital city of Ouagadougou: Between 1960 and 1993, Ouagadougou experienced a 14-fold increase in area.
Published Jun 29, 2008
Although it is only the tenth largest country in Africa, Ethiopia is the second most populous country on the continent. Nearly a third of the country’s urban population lives in Adis Abeba (more commonly known as Addis Ababa).
Published Nov 7, 2008
Explosive urban growth is documented in this pair of images of Tehran from 1985 and 2009.
Published Nov 20, 2009
Acquired September 24, 2009, this false-color image shows the rapidly growing city of Kabul, Afghanistan. Vegetation is green, urbanized areas are gray to black, and bare ground is beige to red-brown.
Published Jan 3, 2010
For the past few decades, Africans have been moving from rural areas into cities, seeking work. The continent’s urban population has skyrocketed. Nairobi is a prime example of that migration, with its population pushing upward and its boundaries pushing outward.
Published Sep 30, 2016
In the past three decades, Quito’s urban area has more than quadrupled.
Published Sep 30, 2019
Juba, a port city on the White Nile, is the capital of the new nation of South Sudan and is one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
Published Jul 2, 2012
Taken from a distance of 400 kilometers, this astronaut photograph shows details of agricultural fields and city blocks on the Kerch Peninsula, on the shore of the Sea of Azov.
Published Jul 19, 2010
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