Cheat sheet: General economic and geographical characteristics of African countries. Abstract central africa

Introduction……………………………………………………………………… 3

1 General economic and geographical characteristics of African countries ... 4

2 Colonization of Africa………………………………………………….... 6

3 Natural conditions and resources of Africa………………………………. 9

4 Mining regions of Africa……………………………….. 11

5 Economy: sectoral and territorial structure, place

Africa in the world………………………………………………………………………. 12

6 Problems and difficulties of African states………………….. 16

7 Integration processes……………………………………………. sixteen

8 External economic relations……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

9 Sub-regions of Africa………………………………………………….. 18

9.1.1 North Africa……………………………………………….. 18

9.1.2 Economic assessment of Egypt………………………………… 18

9.2.1 Tropical Africa…………………………………………... 20

9.2.2 Economic assessment of Angola……………………………….. 21

9.3.1 Republic of South Africa……………………………... 24

9.3.2 Economic Assessment of South Africa…………………………………. 24

Conclusion……………………………………………………………… 30

List of used sources…………………………………. 31

Introduction

Africa covers an area of 29.2 million km². The length from north to south is 8 thousand km, from west to east in the northern part - 7.5 thousand km. A feature of the EGP of many countries in the region is the lack of access to the sea. At the same time, in countries facing the ocean, the coastline is slightly indented, which is unfavorable for the construction of large ports. There are 55 states on the territory of Africa, of which three are monarchies, one (Nigeria) is a federal republic, the rest are republics. All countries, with the exception of South Africa, are developing, most of them are the poorest in the world (70% of the population lives below the poverty line).

There is no other continent in the world that would suffer as much from colonial oppression and the slave trade as Africa.

The continent is crossed almost in the middle by the equator and lies completely between the subtropical belts of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The peculiarity of its shape - the northern part is 2.5 times wider than the southern one - determined the difference in their natural conditions. At the base of most of the continent lies the Precambrian platform, 2/3 covered by sedimentary rocks (at the base in the north). The relief of Africa is characterized by stepped plateaus, plateaus, and plains. The highest uplifts are confined to the outskirts of the mainland. Africa is exceptionally rich in minerals, although they are still poorly understood. Among other continents, it ranks first in reserves of ores of manganese, chromite, bauxite, gold, platinum, cobalt, diamonds, and phosphorites. Oil resources are also great, natural gas, graphite, asbestos.

1 General economic and geographical characteristics of African countries

The mainland occupies 1/5 of the earth's land mass. In size (30.3 million square kilometers with islands) of all parts of the world it is second only to Asia. The region includes 55 countries.

There are several options for dividing Africa into regions. In the scientific literature, the five-term division of Africa is most accepted, including the North (the Maghreb countries, the Mediterranean coast), the West (the northern part of the Atlantic coast and the coast of the Gulf of Guinea), the Central (Chad, Tsar, Zaire, the Congo, etc.), the East (located to east of the Great African Rifts), South.

Almost all African countries are republics (with the exception of Lesotho, Morocco and Sutherland, which are still constitutional monarchies). The administrative-territorial structure of states, with the exception of Nigeria and South Africa, is unitary.

To estimate the GWP of African countries, one can use different criteria. One of the main criteria that separate countries by the presence or absence of access to the sea. Due to the fact that Africa is the most massive continent, no other of them has so many countries located far from the seas. Most of the inland countries are the most backward.

Africa's minerals are unevenly distributed. There are countries in which the lack of a raw material base hinders their development. African land resources are significant. However, extensive farming and rapid population growth have led to catastrophic soil erosion, which reduces crop yields. This, in turn, exacerbates the problem of hunger, which is very relevant for Africa.

The agro-climatic resources of Africa are determined by the fact that it is the hottest continent, lies entirely within the average annual isotherms + 20 "C.

In terms of water resources, Africa is significantly inferior to Asia and South America. The hydrographic network is distributed extremely unevenly.

Africa's forest resources are second only to those of Latin America and Russia. But its average forest cover is much lower, moreover, as a result of deforestation, which exceeds natural growth, deforestation has assumed alarming proportions.

Africa stands out worldwide with the highest rates of population reproduction. In 1960, 275 million people lived on the continent, in 1980-475 million people, in 1990-648 million people, and in 2000, according to forecasts, there will be 872 million.

In terms of growth rates, Kenya-4, 1% (first place in the world), Tanzania, Zambia, and Uganda are especially distinguished. Such a high birth rate is explained by centuries-old traditions of early marriages and large families, religious traditions, as well as an increased level of healthcare. Most countries of the continent do not pursue an active demographic policy.

The change in the age structure of the population as a result of the demographic explosion also entails great consequences: in Africa, the proportion of children's ages is high and still growing (40-50%). This increases the "demographic burden" on the able-bodied population. The population explosion in Africa exacerbates many of the problems of the regions, the most important of which is the food problem. Many problems are connected with the ethnic composition of the population of Africa, which is very diverse. 300-500 ethnic groups stand out. According to the linguistic principle, 12 of the population belongs to the Niger-Kordofan family, 13 to the Afro-Asiatic family, and only 1% are residents of European origin. An important feature African countries is the mismatch of political and ethnic boundaries as a consequence of the colonial era of the development of the continent. It is also a legacy of the past that the official languages of most African countries are still the languages of the former metropolises - English, French, Portuguese.

In terms of urbanization, Africa still lags far behind other regions. However, the rate of urbanization here is the highest in the world. As in many others developing countries ah, there is "false urbanization" in Africa.

After gaining independence, African countries began to make efforts to overcome centuries of backwardness. Of particular importance were the nationalization of natural resources, the implementation agrarian reform, economic planning, training of national personnel. As a result, the pace of development in the region accelerated. The restructuring of the sectoral and territorial structure of the economy began. The greatest successes along this path have been achieved in the mining industry, which now makes up 14 of the world's output in terms of production. In the extraction of many types of minerals, Africa has an important, and sometimes monopoly place in the foreign world. It is the extractive industry that primarily determines Africa's place in the MGRT. The manufacturing industry is poorly developed or non-existent. But some countries in the region have a higher level of manufacturing - South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco.

The second branch of the economy, which determines the place of agriculture in the world economy, is tropical and subtropical agriculture. It also has a pronounced export orientation. But in general, Africa lags behind in its development. It ranks last among the regions of the world in terms of the level of industrialization and crop productivity.

2 Colonization of Africa

The colonies of Africa at the end of the 19th century: the possessions of Great Britain were the most extensive and richest. The colonial empire of France was not inferior in size to the British, but the population of its colonies was several times smaller, and its natural resources were poorer. Most of the French possessions were in West and Equatorial Africa, and a considerable part of their territory fell on the Sahara, the adjacent semi-desert Sahel region and tropical forests. Belgium owned the Belgian Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in 1971-1997 - Zaire), Italy - Eritrea and Italian Somalia, Spain - Spanish Sahara (Western Sahara), Germany - German East Africa (now - the continental part of Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi), Cameroon, Togo and German South West Africa (Namibia).

The main incentives that led to the heated battle between the European powers for Africa are considered to be economic ones. Indeed, the desire to exploit the natural wealth and population of Africa was of paramount importance. But it cannot be said that these hopes were immediately justified. The south of the continent, where the world's largest deposits of gold and diamonds were discovered, began to give huge profits. But before receiving income, large investments were first needed to explore natural resources, create communications, adapt the local economy to the needs of the metropolis, to suppress the protests of the indigenous people and to find effective ways to make them work for the colonial system. All this took time.

Another argument of the ideologues of colonialism was not immediately justified either. They argued that the acquisition of colonies would open up many jobs in the metropolitan countries themselves and eliminate unemployment, since Africa would become a capacious market for European products and huge construction of railways, ports, and industrial enterprises would unfold there. If these plans were implemented, then more slowly than expected, and on a smaller scale.

First World War was to a large extent a struggle for the redivision of Africa, but it did not affect the lives of most African countries particularly strongly. Military operations were conducted only on the territory of the German colonies. They were conquered by the Entente troops and after the war, by decision of the League of Nations, they were transferred to the Entente countries as mandated territories: Togo and Cameroon were divided between Great Britain and France, German South-West Africa went to the Union of South Africa (South Africa), part of German East Africa - Rwanda and Burundi - was transferred to Belgium, the other - Tanganyika - to Great Britain. With the acquisition of Tanganyika, an old dream of the British ruling circles came true: a continuous strip of British possessions arose from Cape Town to Cairo.

After the end of the war, the process of colonial development of Africa accelerated. The colonies were increasingly turning into agricultural and raw material appendages of the metropolises. Agriculture is increasingly export-oriented. An increasing number of colonies became countries of a monocultural economy. On the eve of the Second World War, in many countries from two-thirds to 98% of the value of all exports came from any one crop. In the Gambia and Senegal, this culture has become peanut, in Zanzibar - cloves, in Uganda - cotton. Some countries had two export crops: on the Coast Ivory and in Togo - coffee and cocoa, in Kenya - coffee and tea, etc. In Gabon and some other countries, valuable forest species have become a monoculture.

In West Africa, as well as in most parts of East and Central Africa, export products were produced mainly on the farms of the Africans themselves. European plantation production did not take root there because of the difficult climatic conditions for Europeans. The main exploiters of the African manufacturer were foreign companies. Export agricultural products were produced on farms owned by Europeans located in the Union of South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, part of Northern Rhodesia, Kenya, South West Africa.

During the Second World War, military operations in Tropical Africa were conducted only in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Italian Somalia. Hundreds of thousands of Africans were mobilized in the metropolitan army. More more people had to serve the troops, work for military needs. Africans fought in North Africa, Western Europe, the Middle East, Burma, Malaya.

1960 went down in history as the "Year of Africa". 17 new African states appeared on the world map. Most of them are French colonies and UN Trust Territories.

1960 changed the whole situation on the African continent. The dismantling of the rest of the colonial regimes has already become inevitable.

3 Natural conditions and resources of Africa

Africa is a continent of great economic opportunities, which is characterized by a variety of natural conditions, a wealth of mineral resources, and the presence of significant land, water, plant and other resources. Africa is characterized by a slight dissection of the relief, which contributes to economic activity - the development of agriculture, industry, and transport.

The location of most of the continent in the equatorial belt largely determined the presence of huge tracts of humid equatorial forests. Africa accounts for 10% of the world's forest area, accounting for 17% of the world's timber resources - one of the main African exports.

The largest desert in the world - the Sahara - contains huge reserves of fresh water in its bowels, and large river systems are characterized by gigantic volumes of flow and energy resources.

Africa is rich in minerals, which are resources for the development of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, and the chemical industry. Thanks to new discoveries, Africa's share in the proven world reserves of energy raw materials is increasing. There are more reserves of phosphorites, chromites, titanium, tantalum than in any part of the world. The reserves of bauxite, copper, manganese, cobalt, uranium ores, diamonds, rare earth metals, gold, etc. are of world importance. Zambia to East Africa (deposits of copper, uranium, cobalt, platinum, gold, manganese); Guinean part of West Africa (deposits of bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, oil); the zone of the Atlas Mountains and the coast of North-West Africa (cobalt, molybdenum, lead, zinc, iron ore, mercury, phosphorites); Northern Africa (oil, gas of the Mediterranean coast and shelf).

Africa is exceptionally rich natural resources. In depressions and coastal areas there is fuel raw material. Oil and gas are produced in North and West Africa (Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Libya). Enormous reserves of cobalt and copper ores are concentrated in Zambia and the People's Republic of the Congo; manganese ores are mined in South Africa and Zimbabwe; platinum, iron ores and gold - in South Africa; diamonds - in the Congo, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Ghana; phosphorites - in Morocco, Tunisia; uranium - in Niger, Namibia.

Table 1 - Classification of African countries according to the degree of their wealth in minerals

Countries rich in diverse mineral resources

Countries rich in one or two types of minerals

Countries poor in minerals

South Africa - gold, platinum, diamonds, uranium, iron, chromite, manganese ores, coal, asbestos.

Zaire - cobalt, manganese, copper, tin, zinc-lead ores.

Guinea- gold, diamonds, bauxites, iron ore, oil.

Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, Gabon and others - oil and natural gas.

Liberia, Mauritania, Algeria- ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, uranium, diamonds, iron ore.

Ghana- bauxites.

Zambia, Morocco- cobalt.

Zambia- copper.

Nigeria- tin.

O. Madagascar- mica and graphite.

North African countries- phosphites, lead and zinc.

Botswana- lithium, chromite.

Tanzania, Morocco- manganese.

Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan.

4 African mining regions

Over the past decades, Africa has emerged as one of the largest producers of minerals. Africa's share in the world mining industry is 14, but in the production of diamonds, gold, cobalt, manganese ores, chromites, uranium concentrates, phosphites, it is much larger. It also produces a lot of copper and iron ore, bauxite, oil and natural gas. Africa dominates the market for such "metals of the 20th century" as vanadium, lithium, beryllium, tantalum, niobium, and germanium. Almost all extracted raw materials and fuel are exported from Africa to economically developed countries, which makes its economy more dependent on the world market. In particular, this applies to countries such as Algeria, Libya, Guinea, Zambia, Botswana, where the mining industry provides more than 9/10 of all exports.

Africa has very favorable natural conditions for the development of the mining industry.

In total, seven main mining regions can be distinguished in Africa.

1. The region of the Atlas Mountains stands out for its reserves of iron, manganese, polymetallic ores, phosphorites (the world's largest phosphorite belt).

2. The Egyptian mining region is rich in oil, natural gas, iron, titanium ores, phosphorites, etc.

3. The region of the Algerian and Libyan parts of the Sahara is distinguished by the largest oil and gas reserves.

4. West Guinean region - rich in oil, gas, metal ores.

6. Zaire-Zambian region - on its territory there is a unique "Copper Belt" with deposits of high-quality copper, as well as cobalt, zinc, lead, cadmium, germanium, gold, silver.

Zaire is the world's leading producer and exporter of cobalt.

7. The largest mining region in Africa is located within Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. Almost all types of fuel, ore and non-metallic minerals are mined here, with the exception of oil, gases and bauxites.

5 Economy: sectoral and territorial structure, place

Africa in the world

African countries have not yet succeeded in changing the colonial type of sectoral territorial structure of the economy, although the pace of economic growth has somewhat accelerated. The colonial type of the sectoral structure of the economy is distinguished by the predominance of small-scale, consumer agriculture, the weak development of the manufacturing industry, and the lag in the development of transport. African countries have achieved the greatest success in the mining industry. In the extraction of many minerals, Africa holds a leading and sometimes monopoly place in the world (in the extraction of gold, diamonds, platinoids, etc.). The manufacturing industry is represented by light and food industries, other industries are absent, with the exception of a number of areas near the availability of raw materials and on the coast (Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, Zambia, Zaire).

The second sector of the economy that determines Africa's place in the world economy is tropical and subtropical agriculture. Agricultural products account for 60-80% of GDP. The main cash crops are coffee, cocoa beans, peanuts, dates, tea, natural rubber, sorghum, spices. V Lately began to grow crops: corn, rice, wheat. Animal husbandry plays a subordinate role, with the exception of countries with arid climates. Extensive cattle breeding prevails, characterized by a huge number of livestock, but low productivity and low marketability. The continent does not provide itself with agricultural products.

Monocultural specialization and low level economic development African states appear in a small share in world trade and in great importance, which has foreign trade for the continent itself. Thus, more than 1/4 of Africa's GDP goes to foreign markets, foreign trade provides up to 45 government revenues to the budget of African countries. About 80% of the trade turnover of the continent falls on the developed countries of the West

The leading role in the foreign economic relations of African countries belongs to foreign trade. Exports are dominated by mining and agricultural raw materials, while imports are dominated by finished products. Oil is exported by Algeria, Nigeria, Libya, iron ores - Liberia, Mauritania, diamonds and gold - South Africa, copper - Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa, phosphates - Morocco, uranium - Niger, Gabon, cotton - Egypt, Sudan, Tanzania, coffee - Ethiopia, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Uganda, Angola and others, peanuts - Senegal, Sudan, olive oil - Tunisia, Morocco.

Typical for African countries is a low level of national income, the predominance of commodity-export production in agriculture, and the spread of monoculture. The foreign trade of the continent retains mineral and agrarian raw material specialization.

For the economy of Africa, the following features are typical:

a) versatility;

b) low level of economic development;

c) the agrarian nature of the economy of most countries;

d) a sharp delimitation in agriculture of commodity-export production, subsistence and small-scale farming, serving local needs;

e) the spread of monoculture in agriculture;

f) the predominance of the mining industry in industrial production;

g) preservation of the colonial character in foreign trade.

The essential features of the location of the economy of most African countries are the concentration economic activity in several centers and a significant gap in the levels of population, development and economic development of individual territories and countries.

Comparatively economically developed in Africa are the territories adjacent to the capitals - cities that became important economic centers back in the colonial period, as well as to ports through which raw materials are exported and where they are partially processed (the Casablanca region in Morocco, Lagos in Nigeria, Alexandria in Egypt, Mombasa in Kenya, etc.). Significant industrial and economic centers arose in the zones of extraction of mineral raw materials (the centers of the "copper belt" in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, industrial centers associated with the oil and gas fields in Algeria and Libya, industrial regions of South Africa).

Africa is a world supplier of many types of tropical plant raw materials: cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, spices, etc. At the same time, the agriculture of developing countries does not provide food for the local population due to the lag in most countries in the production of basic food crops from population growth rates. More than 1/3 of the mainland area is used in African agriculture. Under arable land and perennial plantations, about 7% is occupied, and under pastures - 24% of the area of the continent. and oil palm (tropics), olive (subtropics). In some areas, coffee (coffee) and chocolate (cocoa) trees are grown. The plantation economy in Africa is quite developed, but less than in Latin America and Southeast Asia. In the tropical zone, only separate scattered areas of plantations arose.

On the mainland, the network of means of communication is not sufficiently developed, especially in the hinterland. Rail transport is represented mainly by single-track lines connecting ports with hinterland or connecting navigable sections of rivers. Modern highways are available only near metropolitan or industrial cities. Transport retains the colonial type: railroads run from the areas of extraction of raw materials to the port of its export. Relatively developed rail and sea modes of transport. V last years other types of transport have also been developed - automobile (a road has been laid across the Sahara), air, and pipeline.

Most states of the mainland are characterized by the presence of "dirty" industries, as well as fuel and communication (construction of communication lines, development of communications) problems.

6 Problems and difficulties of African states

Swollen, unprofessional and inefficient bureaucracies have emerged in most African states. Given the amorphous nature of social structures, the army remained the only organized force. The result is endless military coups. The dictators who came to power appropriated untold wealth. The capital of Mobutu, President of the Congo, at the time of his overthrow was $ 7 billion. The economy functioned poorly, and this gave room for a "destructive" economy: the production and distribution of drugs, illegal mining of gold and diamonds, even human trafficking. Africa's share in world GDP and its share in world exports were declining, output per capita was declining.

The formation of statehood was extremely complicated by the absolute artificiality of state borders. Africa inherited them from the colonial past. They were established during the division of the continent into spheres of influence and have little in common with ethnic boundaries. The Organization of African Unity, created in 1963, realizing that any attempt to correct this or that border could lead to unpredictable consequences, called for these borders to be considered unshakable, no matter how unfair they may be. But these borders have nevertheless become a source of ethnic conflict and the displacement of millions of refugees.

7 Integration processes

A characteristic feature of the integration processes in Africa is high degree their institutionalization. At present, there are about 200 economic associations of various levels, scales and directions on the continent. But from the point of view of studying the problem of the formation of subregional identity and its relationship with national and ethnic identity, the functioning of such large organizations as the West African Economic Community (ECOWAS), the South African Development Community (SADC), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), etc. The extremely low effectiveness of their activities in previous decades and the advent of the era of globalization required a sharp acceleration of integration processes at a qualitatively different level. Economic cooperation is developing in new - in comparison with the 70s - conditions of contradictory interaction between the globalization of the world economy and the increasing marginalization of the positions of African states within its framework and, naturally, in a different coordinate system. Integration is no longer seen as a tool and basis for the formation of a self-sufficient and self-developing economy, relying on its own forces and as opposed to the imperialist West. The approach is different, which, as mentioned above, presents integration as a way and means of including African countries in a globalizing world economy, as well as as an impetus and indicator of economic growth and development in general.

8 Foreign economic relations

Monocultural specialization and the low level of economic development of African states are manifested in an insignificant share in world trade and in the great importance that foreign trade has for the continent itself. Thus, more than 1/4 of Africa's GDP goes to foreign markets, foreign trade provides up to 45 government revenues to the budget of African countries. About 80% of the trade turnover of the continent falls on the developed countries of the West.

9 Sub-regions of Africa

9.1.1 North Africa

North Africa(area - 10 million km2, population - 150 million people). The northern part of this subregion is adjacent to Southern Europe and Southwestern Asia and has access to sea routes, the southern part forms the sparsely populated desert and semi-desert spaces of the Sahara. The main centers of the manufacturing industry, the main districts of subtropical agriculture and almost the entire population are concentrated in the coastal strip. Big cities- Cairo, Alexandria, Tunisia, Algiers, Casablanca.

9.1.2 Economic evaluation of Egypt

Nationalization - the basis of the economy of Egypt, according to the constitution of 1971, are the principles of socialism. Major nationalization steps were taken after 1961 with the aim of restricting the private sector and weakening the influence of the capitalists. By the early 1970s, almost all important sectors of the economy were already controlled by the government, including large-scale industry, banking, finance, cotton trading, and foreign trade.

Taxation - The income tax rate is progressive. The goal is to achieve equality in the distribution of income. There is a direct income tax.

Trade unions are mostly government-run. The workers receive a share of the profits earned by the corporations and elect their representatives on the board of directors. Trade unions are also represented in the National Assembly.

Investment Policy - In the early 1970s, the Egyptian government began to campaign to increase foreign investment in the country's economy and began to receive financial assistance from wealthy Arab states. Although Arab aid was suspended after the signing of a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, the subsequent return of several Western and Japanese corporations increased the potential for further foreign investment in the country's economy.

Wages and standard of living - the general standard of living in Egypt is quite low; and the country's economic resources are limited. The rural population, especially the landless agricultural laborers, have the lowest standard of living in the country. Industrial and urban workers in general have a higher standard of living. The tallest wage- in the oil industry.

Resources - Approximately 96 percent of Egypt's territory is desert. The lack of forests, meadows and pastures increases the pressure on arable land, which makes up approximately 3 percent of the country's territory. There are natural resources. The country produces oil, phosphates, manganese, iron ore. There are also explored reserves of chromium, uranium and gold.

Agriculture - one of the main commodities produced in the country - cotton - occupies more than one-fifth of the arable land (in summer) and is a significant part of exports. Egypt is one of the world's major producers of "long cotton" (2.85 centimeters or more in length), producing roughly one-third of the world's crop. Other major crops include grain (corn), rice, wheat, millet, and beans.

Industry - the priority direction of development after the signing of an agreement with the USSR in 1964 was the development of heavy industry. The main source of electricity is the 12 Aswan Dam hydroelectric turbines, which have a capacity of approximately 2,000,000 kilowatts and are capable of producing 10,000,000,000 kilowatt hours per year. The capacity of thermal stations is approximately 45 percent of the capacity of the Aswan dam.

The country is producing oil (Morgan, Ramadan), there are deposits of natural gas. Egypt has several oil refineries, two of which are located in Suez. The first of the oil pipelines, which linked the Gulf of Suez and the Mediterranean in the area of Alexandria, was opened in 1977. This Suez-Mediterranean pipeline, known as "Sumed", can pass up to 80,000,000 tons of oil per year.

Finance - Egypt's banking system is built around the Central Bank of Egypt. In 1961 all banks operating in Egypt were nationalized and their activities concentrated within five commercial banks established in addition to the Central Bank.

Trade - imports make up about one third, exports about one tenth of the gross national product. Almost two-thirds of imports consist of raw materials, mineral, chemical products and capital goods (machines); more than one quarter are food products. More than half of exports consist of oil and oil products, cotton and cotton products. Agricultural exports include rice, onions, garlic, and citrus fruits. Italy and France are among the largest markets for Egypt. The United States is the main source of Egyptian imports.

9.2.1 Tropical Africa

Tropical Africa- located south of the Sahara (territory - 20 million km2, population - over 500 million). The most backward part of the entire developing world (there are 29 least developed countries). The population belongs to the Negroid race. The most complex ethnic composition in Western and East Africa. The only sub-region where agriculture remains the main area of material production. Industry: there is one large district extractive industry - copper belt in Zaire and Zambia. Transport is underdeveloped. Desertification, deforestation, depletion of flora and fauna are proceeding rapidly. The main area of drought and desertification is the Sahel zone.

The main branch of the economy of most countries in Tropical Africa is agriculture, designed to provide food for the population and serve as a raw material base for the development of the manufacturing industry. It employs the predominant part of the region's able-bodied population and creates the bulk of the total national income. In many states of Tropical Africa, agriculture occupies a leading place in exports, providing a significant part of foreign exchange earnings. In the last decade, an alarming picture has been observed with the growth rates of industrial production, which allows us to speak about the actual deindustrialization of the region. If in 1965-1980 they (on average per year) amounted to 7.5%, then in the 80s only 0.7%, a drop in growth rates took place in the 80s both in the extractive and manufacturing industries. For a number of reasons, a special role in ensuring the socio-economic development of the region belongs to the mining industry, but this production is also declining by 2% annually. A characteristic feature of the development of the countries of Tropical Africa is the weak development of the manufacturing industry. Only in a very small group of countries (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Sinegal) does its share in GDP reach or exceed 20%.

9.2.2 Economic evaluation of Angola

Angola is an agrarian country with a relatively developed industry on an African scale, based on the oil and mining industries. GNP in 2000 amounted to 3.079 million dollars (5%).

The country's economy is based on agriculture, oil production (it is estimated that Angola's undeveloped deposits contain about 13 billion barrels of oil), gas, diamonds and minerals. The mining industry accounts for up to half of the GNP: oil fields are being developed and diamonds are being mined.

The gross national product remains quite low due to the civil war that has lasted for more than 20 years.

More than 2/3 of the labor force is employed in agriculture. Cassau, sweet potatoes, corn, and beans are grown for the domestic market. Coffee, cotton, tobacco, sisal, sugarcane, and palm oil are grown for export. Animal husbandry is developed throughout the country; cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, and poultry are bred.

The timber industry is developed, in the eastern regions of Angola (the provinces of South Lund and Moxico), as well as in Cabinda, valuable species of wood (black, red and yellow wood) are being harvested, which is exported. In the Benguela region, eucalyptus trees are grown in forest nurseries.

Before gaining independence, Angola had a fairly developed fishing fleet, but during the war the catch gradually began to decline. Stocks of fish in the economic zone of Angola, according to UN estimates, are about 1 million tons. In 1998, the national companies and vessels of Spain, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, China and Russia caught 202 thousand tons. fish, in 1999 - 240 thousand tons. Enterprises of light, food and manufacturing industries operate at 20-30% capacity.

The country's foreign exchange earnings are mainly provided by the export of oil, gas and oil products, the share of which in total exports is more than 90% (3.8 billion dollars). In 1998, diamonds were mined for 800 million dollars. Angola's external debt is $9.5 billion. (1999), including Russia - 2.9 billion, Portugal - 1.2 billion, Brazil - 1 billion, France - 300 million.

Export Composition:

Oil 90%, diamonds, oil products, gas, coffee, sisal, fish and fish products, timber, cotton. In 2000, the volume of exports amounted to 8 billion dollars.

Export geography:

USA 63%, Benelux 9%, China, Chile, France.

Import composition:

Machinery and electrical equipment, spare parts and components for machines, medicines, food, textiles, weapons and ammunition. In 2000, the volume of imports amounted to 2.5 billion dollars.

Import geography:

Portugal 20%, USA 17%, South Africa 10%, Spain, Brazil, France.

Road length:

72 thousand km, of which about 6 thousand are paved. Railway length: about 3300 km. There are four railways in the country (mainly owned by British and Belgian companies).

Main ports:

Luanda, Lobito, Cabinda, Namibe. There are national and foreign companies that carry out ocean and coastal (only between the ports of Angola) transportation. Airports: international - Luanda, 13 local.

A promising export commodity is granite, especially black (export since 1995 amounted to 5 thousand cubic meters per year). Developments are underway for the extraction of phosphates and uranium.

In 1998, the balance of payments deficit amounted to 600 million dollars. Inflation has exceeded 800%. 60% of the able-bodied population are unemployed. The annual per capita income is $273.

In the future, foreign companies, with the support of the Angolan government, plan to invest about $17 billion in the development of the country's industry over the next seven years.

The projects include the development of deep water deposits, the drilling of about 300 mines, the construction of an oil refinery and a natural gas liquefaction plant.

Also, the current government is making efforts to attract potential investors in the development of tourism.

Industrial projects:

The government plans to sell some of the state-owned enterprises into private hands. The newly acquired cement factory has tripled its productivity and output. Industrial development projects include the possibility of acquiring three pharmaceutical plants in Luanda, Benguela and Dondo and the rehabilitation of a fish processing plant in Namibe. In the future, there is also the construction of a steel complex, a shipyard, a seaport in the province of Cabinda, a conveyor for the assembly of military trucks and a brewery.

9.3.1 Republic of South Africa

Republic of South Africa(South Africa) is the only economically developed country on the continent. According to all indicators of economic development, it belongs to the 1st place in Africa. South Africa accounts for 2/5 of industrial production, 4/5 of steel production, 7z of railway length. d., 1/2 car park Africa. The largest industrial region of the continent is the Witwatersrand, in which the capital Pretoria is located.

In accordance with the racist policy of apartheid, 10 "independent black states" or bantustans were created on the site of the former reservations. At the present time apartheid has been officially abolished, but the backwardness of the Bantustans persists.

9.3.2 Economic assessment of South Africa

Today, South Africa is one of the most promising markets among all third world countries. The economy of the Republic of South Africa, this economic giant on the scale of the African continent, contains a unique combination of socio-economic factors inherent in both developed countries and third world countries. The presence of a developed economic infrastructure, a broad technological base, highly qualified managerial and engineering personnel, as well as a vast market for fairly cheap skilled and unskilled labor have made South Africa extremely attractive and profitable for free enterprise and foreign capital investment. The largest international investment companies highlight South Africa as an emerging market with the most favorable conditions for foreign investment.

The recent global financial crisis, which had such a strong impact on a number of third world countries, only underscored the strength and dynamism of the South African economy. Among the fundamental factors that determine the socio-economic situation in the country, in the first place, the increased attention of the South African government to the issues of supporting the constant growth of the country's exports, investment in fixed assets, the dynamics of consumption growth and real incomes of the population stands out. The South African government is called upon to provide the most favorable conditions for the external development of the country's economy, maintaining a positive balance of payments and foreign trade of South Africa. This is expressed, first of all, in the creation of a legal framework that in every possible way supports free enterprise and long-term investments.

Thanks to the economic reforms GEAR program, the economic situation since the end of 1996 has been characterized by constantly increasing GDP growth (at least 3%), low inflation rates, a stable exchange rate, and a trend towards improving budgetary indicators at all levels. Favorable domestic market conditions and increasing investment have been factors stimulating economic growth and economic stability in South Africa.

Along with economic transformations, reflected in fiscal and tax reforms, the South African government is encouraging investment and employment through the restructuring and privatization of state-owned enterprises.

Another priority for the government of South Africa is the solution of issues related to unemployment and the redistribution of incomes of the population, which is expressed primarily in the creation of additional jobs for low-skilled workers and the implementation of special subsidy programs.

The main components of the South African economy:

The richest raw material base;
In terms of reserves of a number of minerals, such as gold, platinum group metals, manganese, aluminoglucates, South Africa ranks first in the world;
Most of the South African deposits are unique in terms of the conditions and scale of the occurrence of resources;
Availability of the widest range of extracted minerals;
Large agricultural sector;
South Africa is not only fully self-sufficient in agricultural products, but is one of the six countries in the world that are able to export agricultural products on a sustainable basis;
Developed financial market, characterized by clarity and reliability of banking and insurance services;
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) is one of the 15 largest in the world;
Widespread use of advanced technologies in the banking sector, such as Internet technologies;
Availability of an extensive network of well-organized telecommunication services;
Provision of all types of telecommunication services and Internet services;
South Africa's mobile services and IP market is one of the fastest growing in the world;
Telcom, a South African telecommunications company with a backbone network, is constantly increasing its share of the fiber optic component, which allows increasing the speed and quality of telecommunications services;

Modern transport infrastructure.

The number of railways and roads exceeds the similar averages of other African countries by 15 and 10 times, respectively.

The presence of large commercial ports guaranteeing South Africa access to all maritime destinations: to Asia, Europe, America and other countries of the African continent.
The presence of a powerful energy base.
A constant surplus of electricity produced over consumption guarantees the future supply of an ever-increasing number of consumers.
The consumption prices for electricity available throughout South Africa are among the lowest in the world.
Progressive legislation aimed at attracting foreign capital.
Investments are being attracted and advanced technologies are being introduced in all significant sectors of the South African economy.

The average value of return on investment has been steadily increasing since 1992, which was made possible by a significant increase in average labor productivity (in 1997, labor productivity growth was 4.32%, in 1998 - 4.56%).

South Africa is one of the top 25 exporters in the world. Incomes from foreign trade reach 50% of GDP, while the volume of exports exceeds the volume of imports.

The main trading partners of South Africa are the USA, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Canada, and the turnover of foreign trade with these countries is increasing.

South Africa is one of the few countries with a unique dual system of property rights (public and private) for minerals. The restructuring of state enterprises, in which there is a redistribution of property rights from the state to private owners of enterprises, is especially noticeable in the mining industry. Another trend that is most noticeable in this sector of the economy is the merger of the largest companies and the monopolization of the market. Thus, more than 90% of diamond mining in South Africa is controlled by branches of the South African monopoly De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd.

South Africa is the world leader in the production of gold, platinum group metals, and is the world leader in diamond and hard coal. The share of production of enterprises associated with the direct processing of minerals, including metal production, is approximately 14% of GDP. The share of exports of minerals in the total exports of South Africa, despite a gradual decline, is currently more than 33%.

Mechanical engineering is the largest sector of the South African economy, the main component of which are automobile and machine tool enterprises owned by the largest foreign corporations.

Buses, trucks, trailers and semi-trailers, as well as spare parts for them, totaling more than 200 items, 159 of which are manufactured by NAACAM, come off the conveyors of factories owned by leading automobile corporations in the USA, Japan, Western Europe. Component parts are supplied not only to the assembly plants of the country, but also to the US markets, South America, Europe, Far East and Africa.

In addition, in South Africa there are a number of enterprises for the production of sea and river vessels, railway cars and locomotives, aircraft, components and some special devices. This sector of the economy is dominated by a group of companies led by Dorbyl Ltd.

Conclusion

Despite the huge natural and human potential, Africa continues to be the most backward part of the world economy. Therefore, the main task modern stage is to accelerate socio-economic transformations that contribute to the solution of complex demographic, food and environmental problems.

List of sources used

1Maksakovskiy, V.P. Economic and social geography of the world: textbook. for 10 cells. general education Institutions / V.P. Maksakovskiy. - 16th ed., Rev. - M. : Education, 2008. - 398 p.

2 Maksakovskiy, V.P. Geographical picture of the world. In 2 books. Book II: Regional characteristics of the world. - 2nd ed., stereotype. - M. : Bustard, 2005. - 480 p.

3 Economic analysis of countries [Electronic resource] - Access mode: http: // www. profishop.lv, free. - Zagl. from the screen.

4 Shkola.LV [Electronic resource] / Lessons / Economic geography - Access mode: http: // www. http://shkola.lv/index.php?mode=lsntheme&themeid=199&subid=303, free. - Zagl. from the screen.

Summary of a lesson in geography (Grade 11)

Topic: African countries. South Africa: EGP, population, economy.

Target:

Educational: to form in students an idea of the EGP of African countries; population and features of the sectoral and territorial structure of the economy; look at the political map; characteristics of the population.

Developing: to improve the skills of working with a map and with sources of geographic information when compiling the characteristics of industries and regions; continue to form practical skills for processing and analyzing the information received.

Educational: to bring up the importance of studying geography, curiosity.

Equipment: Map of Africa, atlases, physical map of the world, handout.

Lesson type: learning new knowledge.

During the classes

1. Organizational moment.

2. Reporting the topic, goals, objectives of the lesson and motivational activities.

Each region is unique in its own way: for example, Eurasia is the largest continent, North America is the wettest continent, Australia is the driest continent. Africa is a continent of shrouds and jungles, hot deserts and mountains with snowy peaks. It is the variety of associations associated with Africa that determines our perception of the "dark continent" as something mysterious, indefinite.

3. Learning new material.

Territory - 30,221,532 km²

Population 1.1 billion people

Density 30.51 people/km²

Names of inhabitants - Africans

Includes 55 states

Africa is the second largest continent after Eurasia. Its area is 30.3 million km2. Most of the mainland is located in the Northern Hemisphere. Africa, like other fragments of Gondwana, has a massive outline. It does not have large peninsulas and deep bays off its coast.

Africa is the hottest continent. It contains the world's largest desert, the Sahara, in the north of which, in Libya, the most heat on the planet: +58°C.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ECONOMY OF THE COUNTRIES OF AFRICA

EGP features

Natural resources

It is washed by the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

Long coastline (30 thousand km).

Proximity to Europe and the Middle East.

Location in both hemispheres.

Mineral resources: one third of the world reserves (2nd place in deposits of gold, diamonds, chromium, manganese; 2nd place - copper, uranium, graphite; 3rd place - oil, gas).

Water resources: distributed unevenly.

Forest and land resources: significant forest resources (10% of the world's forests). The soil is not fertile.

STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY

Metallurgy	Energy		mechanical engineering	Chemical		Other
Black: 80% of Africa's copper is South Africa. Also: Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Zimbabwe. Color: aluminum (South Africa, Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana), Copper (Zambia, South Africa), zinc (Morocco, Tunisia, Libya).	Oil refining (South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Gabon, Algeria, Libya). Electricity: Africa:		With the exception of South Africa (heavy, agricultural, wagon, ship repair), the industry is almost not developed. Machine tool industry (Egypt, Algeria, Morocco).	Mineral fertilizers, organic. Rich resource base. The main production area is South Africa.		Food: many export crops. Textile: cotton (Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, Sudan, Kenya, Algeria, South Africa). The extractive dominates.
Agriculture					Transport
animal husbandry		crop production			It is poorly developed, the paths are concentrated near the mining industries. Horse-drawn transport (camels) is developed. The most developed maritime transport: Alexandria, Algeria, Casablanca, Dakar, Lagos, Mombasa.
Beef cattle breeding (Somalia, Djibouti). Sheep breeding (South Africa, South Africa). Camel breeding (Sahara, Lesotho). Fisheries (Morocco, Senegal, Mauritania)		Export: cocoa (Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana), coffee (Ethiopia, Uganda, Côte d'Ivoire), peanuts (Sudan, Senegal, Gambia, Nigeria), palm oil (Western and Equatorial Africa), cotton (Egypt, Sudan, Tanzania) , grapes (South Africa), cinnamon and vanilla (Seychelles), etc. Small commodity sector (for themselves): yams, taro, bagat, millet, sorghum, wheat, rice.

POPULATION

The population of Africa is about 1.1 billion people. Population growth for 2004 was 2.4%. Over the past 50 years, the average life expectancy has increased from 39 to 54 years.

Among the world religions dominated Islam and Christianity(the most common denominationsCatholicism, Protestantism, lessorthodoxy, Monophysitism). Also living in East AfricaBuddhists and Hindus(many of them come fromIndia). Followers also live in AfricaJudaism and Bahaism. Religions brought to Africa from outside are found both in pure form andsyncretizedlocal traditional religions. Among the "major" traditional African religions areifa or bwiti.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUTH AFRICA

Chart plan	South Africa
State form. rights	Parliamentary republic
S territories	1.2 million km 2
Population	4.9 million people
Average population density	41 people/km 2
Urban population
ethnic structure	79.4% - Africans 2.6% - Indians and Asians
Demographic situation	Is eating. growth - 0.4% Young mortality - 43.2% 0
Share of young and old
Unemployment rate	23% for (2010)
Extractive industry	The mining industry is well developed. South Africa is a major exporter of minerals. The country is the world leader in platinum, gold and chromium mining. South Africa is among the leaders in the extraction of diamonds, manganese, titanium, uranium, iron ore, vanadium, coal (one of the major exporters). Copper, nickel, antimony, asbestos, lead, and phosphate rock are also mined.
Manufacturing industry	Power industry (93% - thermal power plants, hydroelectric power plants - on the Orange River). Automotive industry (BMW, Toyota, Mazda, Hummer). Mechanical engineering (mining equipment). Chemical (petrochemistry, production of acids, alkalis, soda, mineral fertilizers). Light industry, non-ferrous metallurgy (copper smelting), woodworking, manufacturing building materials, food industry.
Agriculture	Cereals, sugarcane, citrus fruits, cotton, corn, wheat, oats and sorghum and grapes are grown. Bred: MRS, sheep, goats and cattle.
Grow international specialization	Mining industry, car assembly, metal structures, mechanical engineering.
Transport	The densest network of railways and roads. Main seaports: Cape Town, Durban, Port Enuabot, Richards Bay. International airports: Johannesburg, Cape Town and Pretoria.
Non-manufacturing sphere	4% - agriculture; 31% - industry; 65% - service sector (tourism, education, art)
	Metals, diamonds, cars and transp. equipment, wine, wool, fish.
	Oil, food, chemical products.

4. Generalization and systematization of the studied material.

Exercise 1.

Conversation.

What features of the EGP of individual subregions of Africa affect the development of their economy?

What explains the unequal population distribution in Africa?

Why is the ethnic composition of the population of most African countries is heterogeneous.

What factors testify to the economic backwardness of African countries?

What social and economic problems should African countries solve in the near future?

Task 2.

Use the textbook to determine:

The most developed industries of African countries;

The level of development of energy and manufacturing industry;

Promising industries.

Task 3.

Map work.

Using the World Population Atlas map, name the areas of Africa that are most and least densely populated.

5. The result of the lesson.

6. Homework. Presentation on the topic: "Culture of Africa".

General economic and geographical characteristics of African countries The mainland occupies 1/5 of the earth's land mass. In size (30.3 million km2 - with islands) of all parts of the world it is second only to Asia. The region includes 55 countries. There are several options for dividing Africa into regions. The school course proposes to divide Africa into 3 subregions: North Africa, Tropical Africa, South Africa. In the scientific literature, the five-term division of Africa is most accepted, including the North (the countries of the Maghreb, the Mediterranean coast), the West (the northern part of the Atlantic coast and the coast of the Gulf of Guinea). Central (Chad, CAR, Zaire, Congo, etc.), Eastern (located east of the Great African Rifts), Southern. There is no other continent in the world that would suffer as much from colonial oppression and the slave trade as Africa. The collapse of the colonial system began in the 50s in the north of the continent, the last colony, Namibia, was liquidated in 1990. In 1993, a new state emerged on the political map of Africa - Eritrea (as a result of the collapse of Ethiopia). Under the auspices of the UN are Western Sahara (Saharan Arab Republic. Different criteria can be used to assess the EGP of African countries. One of the main criteria is dividing countries by the presence or absence of access to the sea. Due to the fact that Africa is the most massive continent, no other of these, there are not so many countries located far from the seas.Most of the inland countries are the most backward.Africa was freed from colonial dependence only at the end of the 20th century.Now there are 55 countries on the political map of this region, all of them are sovereign states.The state system is dominated by republics , only three countries have a monarchical form of government: Morocco, Lesotho and Swaziland.Most African countries are quite large in territory.Of the features of the economic and geographical position of African countries, we can distinguish: Lack of access to the sea for most states; Access to international sea routes through the Gulf of Guinea and Mediterranean Sea Africa extremely rich in natural resources. Its main wealth is minerals. The region ranks first in the world in terms of reserves of most types of mineral raw materials. Oil and gas are mined here (Libya, Algeria, Nigeria), iron ore (Liberia, Mauritania, Guinea, Gabon), manganese and uranium ores (Gabon, Niger), bauxite (Guinea, Cameroon), copper ores (Zaire, Zambia), gold and diamonds (South Africa and West African countries), phosphorites (Nauru). South Africa is richest in minerals. There are almost all types of mineral resources (with the exception of oil, gas and bauxite). African countries are well endowed with water resources. In addition to them, Africa has a whole system of lakes (Victoria, Tanganyika, Nyasa). However, water resources are unevenly distributed: there is an excess of moisture in the equatorial zone, and there are practically no rivers and lakes in the arid regions. African countries are generally well endowed with land resources. However, as a result of erosion, a large amount of land is constantly withdrawn from agricultural circulation. The soils of Africa are not very fertile, and, in addition, demanding on agricultural technology. In terms of forest area, Africa is second only to Russia and Latin America. Forests occupy 10% of the total area of the region. These are humid equatorial forests. Currently, they are actively cut down, which leads to desertification of the territory.

West African countries

West Africa - part of the African continent, which is located south of the central Sahara and washed from the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, the natural border is the Cameroonian mountains.

The country	Population, million people	Capital
Benin	10,32	Porto-Novo
Burkina Faso	16,93	Ouagadougou
Islamic Republic of Gambia	1,849	banjul
Ghana	25,9	Accra
Guinea	11,75	Conakry
Guinea-Bissau	1,704	Bissau
Cape Verde	0,499	praia
Ivory Coast	20,32	Yamoussoukro
Liberia	4,294	Monrovia
Mauritania	3,89	Nouakchott
Mali	15,3	Bamako
Niger	17,83	Niamey
Nigeria	173,6	Abuja
Saint Helena, Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha	0,005	Jamestown
Senegal	14,13	Dakar
Sierra Leone	6,092	Freetown
Togo	6,817	Lome

History of West Africa

The culture of this region has its roots in the ancient West African empires of Ghana, Mali and Sopgai, which flourished between the 6th and 16th centuries. These empires fell into decay, and small independent kingdoms appeared in their place. In the 15th century, Portuguese merchants sailed here, followed by the British, French and Dutch.

Over the next 400 years, Europeans continuously invaded here, founding colonies. The conquerors exploited people and land, built gold mines, set up plantations to grow coffee, coconuts, sugarcane and cotton, and forced Africans to work for them as slaves. Europeans took natives to America on ships, where they sold them into slavery to local planters. On the way, many died, and the survivors faced the painful life of slaves.

In 1807, Britain abolished slavery, but independence for these countries was still a long way off. Colonial authorities remained in West Africa until the middle of the 20th century. After that, military and dictatorial regimes were established in some countries. Today, many countries have become democratic.

EGP West Africa

The EGP of West Africa is characterized by a higher level of development compared to its eastern neighbor, but a lower level of development compared to North Africa. This region is one of the richest mineral resources in the world. Quite large reserves of manganese, tin, gold, diamonds, and iron ore are concentrated here. Significant oil and gas reserves. Nigeria is the largest oil supplier in the region.

Mangrove forests and mud flats stretch along the coast of West Africa. They are washed by warm rains brought from the ocean. Further from the shore, lagoons and coastal swamps give way to tropical rainforests that stretch for hundreds of kilometers.

Winding rivers are often the only means of communication, as the roads, already washed out during the rainy season, are swallowed up by the jungle. Evaporative forests cover the cooler central highlands. Rivers, breaking down from a great height into narrow gorges, form picturesque waterfalls. During the rains, the rivers flood the surrounding lands, giving off fertile silt, periodically washing away entire villages. And finally, the landscape turns into endless savannahs, shimmering under the hot sun.

Agriculture in West Africa

Despite the recent intensifying process of industrialization in the most developed countries of West Africa, agriculture in this region continues to be the basis of the economy. The main branches of agricultural production: nomadic and semi-nomadic pastoralism, which is especially common in the Sahel zone.

In West Africa, cattle breeding is harmoniously combined with agriculture. Complementary industries increase the overall productivity of agriculture. The main crops grown are corn, sorghum, peanuts, palm oil, cotton.

Industry of West Africa

Industrial production is generally rather poorly developed. There is a preponderance towards the extractive industries. The main development was the mining industry and oil and gas production. The manufacturing industries are in the stage of initial development and are represented by the processing of mineral resources, textile production, cotton processing, and furniture manufacturing.

Some part of the population of West Africa works on modern machines on rubber plantations owned by foreign companies. The scarce land and arid climate make farming difficult, but priceless treasures are hidden in the land itself. Nigeria is one of the world's largest oil producers. Deposits of phosphorites, diamonds, bauxites and iron ore are the key to further prosperity.

Population of West Africa

The population of this region is about 300 million people. There is a rapid population growth, the birth rate exceeds 50 babies per 1,000 inhabitants. Consequently, West Africa is still in the second phase of its demographic transition.

Most of the population belongs to the Negroid race. In the northern part of Mali live the Berber-speaking Tuareg, belonging to the Mediterranean type of a large Caucasian race. Negroid peoples are: Fulbe, Diola, Wolof, Kisi, Serer, Senufo, etc.

In the cities of West Africa, people live in modern high-rise buildings or in wooden, tin-roofed houses. Many urban women leave daily for the countryside to work in the fields or livestock farms and poultry houses. Around coastal lagoons village houses with thatched roofs are built on stilts above the water. Fishermen and merchants living in these places travel by boat. Most West Africans live in rural areas and are rather poor farmers and herders. For themselves, they grow millet, cassava and rice. And cotton, peanuts and palm oil are sold.

Africa freed itself from colonial dependence only at the end of the 20th century. Now there are 55 countries on the political map of this region, all of them are sovereign states.

The state system is dominated by republics, only three countries have a monarchical form of government: Morocco, Lesotho and Swaziland. Most African countries are quite large in size.

Of the features of the economic and geographical position of African countries, we can distinguish:

Lack of access to the sea of most states;
Access to international sea routes through the Gulf of Guinea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Africa is extremely rich in natural resources.

Its main wealth is minerals. The region ranks first in the world in terms of reserves of most types of mineral raw materials. Oil and gas are mined here (Libya, Algeria, Nigeria), iron ore (Liberia, Mauritania, Guinea, Gabon), manganese and uranium ores (Gabon, Niger), bauxite (Guinea, Cameroon), copper ores (Zaire, Zambia), gold and diamonds (South Africa and West African countries), phosphorites (Nauru). South Africa is richest in minerals. There are almost all types of mineral resources (with the exception of oil, gas and bauxite).

African countries are well endowed with water resources. In addition to them, Africa has a whole system of lakes (Victoria, Tanganyika, Nyasa). However, water resources are unevenly distributed: there is an excess of moisture in the equatorial zone, and there are practically no rivers and lakes in the arid regions.
African countries are generally well endowed with land resources. However, as a result of erosion, a large amount of land is constantly withdrawn from agricultural circulation. The soils of Africa are not very fertile, and, in addition, demanding on agricultural technology.

In terms of forest area, Africa is second only to Russia and Latin America. Forests occupy 10% of the total area of the region. These are humid equatorial forests. Currently, they are actively cut down, which leads to desertification of the territory.

The population of Africa is characterized by several specific features.

Here 300-500 ethnic groups stand out, and some of them have already formed into large nations (Arabs in North Africa), and some are still at the level of nationalities. In this regard, most states are multinational. In addition, the borders of colonial possessions were drawn without taking into account ethnic characteristics, which leads to ethnic conflicts.

Rapid population growth. Africa has the highest birth rate and natural increase in the world. The highest rates are in Kenya, Benin, Uganda, Nigeria, Tanzania.

The significant predominance of young people in the age structure of the population is associated with high birth and death rates. Extremely uneven population distribution. The average density is 2 times lower than the world average. Very sharp contrasts within countries. There are completely uninhabited territories (in the Sahara, in the zone of equatorial forests), and on the coast, in the valleys and river deltas, the concentration of the population is high (Egypt).

The region has a historically low level of urbanization. In Africa, only 20% of cities are millionaires, there are no urban agglomerations. However, there is now a high rate of urbanization, which leads to the uncontrolled growth of capitals due to the influx of rural residents.

At present, Africa's economy is the most backward part of the world economy (with the exception of South Africa). The countries of the continent act on the world market as major suppliers of minerals and agricultural products.

In the sectoral structure of the economy, the leading role belongs to the mining industry. For some types of minerals, Africa accounts for a significant part of world production: diamonds (96%), gold (76%), cobalt and chromium ores (67 - 68%), manganese ores (57%).

The extracted raw materials are mainly exported. Main exporters:

Oil - Nigeria, Libya, Algeria;
Medi - Zaire, Zambia;
Iron ores - Liberia, Mauritania;
Manganese ores - Gabon;
Phosphorites - Morocco;
Uranium ores - Niger, Gabon.

The manufacturing industry is represented mainly by light and food industries. In recent years, the share of metallurgy, mechanical engineering, and the chemical industry has increased. However, the range of types of manufacturing products is still very narrow, and heavy industry enterprises are concentrated in a small number of countries: in Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, Zambia, Zaire and some others. Another sector of the economy that determines Africa's place in the world economy is agriculture. It employs up to 90% of the population of individual countries. The leading industry is crop production, in particular tropical and subtropical agriculture. It has an export orientation and often defines a monocultural specialization. For example: agriculture monoculture Senegal - peanuts, Ethiopia - coffee, Ghana - cocoa beans. Other export commodities include dates, tea, natural rubber, sorghum, spices, and cotton.

Main exporters:

Cotton - Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Mali, Tanzania;
Coffee - Ethiopia, Angola, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda;
Cocoa beans - Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria;
Peanuts - Senegal, Gambia, Sudan;
Olive oil - Tunisia, Morocco.

Animal husbandry plays a secondary role and is characterized by low productivity.

Agriculture relies on a backward production and technical base. The weak development of irrigation leads to droughts, and the use of slash-and-burn agriculture leads to land degradation, erosion, and desertification.

The transport system in Africa is not developed. The transport network was formed in accordance with the interests of the former colonizers to ensure the export of export goods. Therefore, transport routes are represented by "penetration lines" connecting the port of call with areas of export specialization (a raw material extraction area or a tropical farming area).

The call for raw materials required the organization, first of all, of sea and rail transport. Maritime transport continues to play a leading role in the transport system of the region. The largest ports in Africa: Alexandria, Dakar, Algiers, Casablanca, Lagos, Dar es Salaam.

Recently, other modes of transport have also developed. A highway across the Sahara has been built, major oil and gas pipelines have been laid in Algeria and Libya.

From the above, it follows that in Africa the colonial type of sectoral structure of the economy is still preserved. Its characteristic features:

The predominance of low-commodity, low-productive agriculture;
Weak development of the manufacturing industry;
Underdevelopment of the transport network;
Restriction of the non-productive sphere to trade and services.

The territorial structure of the economy of the countries of the region is characterized by disproportions in the location of the economy, separate centers of industry and high-value agriculture.

There are several sub-regions in Africa. They differ in their geographical, natural and cultural-historical features. The economic zoning of Africa has not yet taken shape.

The Republic of South Africa (SAR) is the only African country that belongs to the group of developed countries. In all indicators of economic development, it occupies the first place in Africa. It accounts for 25% of weapons and military equipment and 40% of industrial production. The economy is based on the mining industry. South Africa ranks first in the world in gold mining, second in diamond mining, and third in uranium ore mining. Metallurgy and mechanical engineering are highly developed.