Temporal and Spatial Evolution Characteristics of Urban System in Ethiopia and Its Influencing Factors
LU Yufei, ZHAO Shengbo, YANG Qingli, WANG Xingping
Abstract：
Ethiopia is the important partner under the Belt and Road Initiative, which is experiencing rapid urbanization currently. Conducting research on the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors of Ethiopia’s urban system can provide a basis for local regional and urban coordinated development. Based on the population data from 1950 to 2025 in the Africapolis database on African urbanization, this paper employs methods such as Zipf’s Law, kernel density analysis, and standard deviation ellipses to analyze the evolutionary characteristics of Ethiopia’s urban system’s size and spatial structure. It also investigates the influencing factors of changes in Ethiopia’s urban system from various dimensions. This study reveals that: (1) The size structure of Ethiopia’s urban system is gradually approaching the standard distribution of Zipf’s Law but has not yet reached an optimal level; (2) The overall spatial pattern evolution of the urban system in Ethiopia has been significantly influenced by the independence of Eritrea, with spatial direction changes closely related to factors such as the direction of major productive capacity cooperation projects; (3) The spatiotemporal evolution of the size and spatial structure of Ethiopia’s urban system is directly or indirectly affected by factors such as natural geography, political history, socioeconomic conditions, and major policies. In conclusion, it suggests that further optimization of Ethiopia’s urban system should be pursued through policy interventions, capacity building, planning governance, regional development, etc. This optimization aims to promote the rational allocation of population and various resources, guide healthy development at national, regional, and urban levels.