It is clear that there is an AIDS belt within Africa, from Ethiopia southwards to South Africa.

In this belt, national rates of HIV/AIDS are all over 5%, and rise to over 35% in two southern African countries – Botswana and Swaziland.

This is in contrast to the rest of Africa where rates are all below 10%, and below 5% in many countries of the interior of West Africa and in North Africa.

It is clear from the contrasts between Eastern/Southern Africa and West Africa that there are real differences in the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The geographical differences in HIV infection rates may be due to long established social and cultural differences. For example, these differences could be because of different attitudes to sex and faithful sexual relationships, both monogamous (with only one partner) and polygamous (with multiple partners).