To project the population of the Makurdi Local Government Area in Benue State, Nigeria, from 2006 to 2034 using the exponential growth method, we can use the formula:

$P(t) = P_0 \times e^{(rt)}$

Where:

• $P(t)$ is the population at time $t$ years after the base year.
• $P_0$ is the initial population (300,377 in 2006).
• $r$ is the annual growth rate (2.3% or 0.023 as a decimal).
• $t$ is the number of years since the base year (2034 - 2006 = 28 years).
• $e$ is the base of the natural logarithm (approximately 2.71828).

Step 1: Calculate the exponential growth factor

The exponential growth factor is given by $e^{(rt)}$.

$r = 0.023$ $t = 28 \text{ years}$ $e^{(rt)} = e^{(0.023 \times 28)}$

Step 2: Compute the projected population for 2034

$P(28) = 300,377 \times e^{(0.644)}$

Let's calculate this step-by-step.

I'll calculate it now.The projected population of the Makurdi Local Government Area in 2034, using the exponential growth method, is approximately 571,942 people.

Would you like further details or have any other questions?

Here are five related questions you might find interesting:

1. How does the projected population change if the growth rate increases to 3% annually?
2. What would the population be in 2024 using the same growth rate?
3. How does exponential growth compare to linear population growth?
4. What impact does a slight reduction in the growth rate have on the long-term population projection?
5. How does the population projection differ if calculated using the compound interest formula?

Tip: Exponential growth can lead to significant population increases over time, especially with even small percentage growth rates.