Category: Africa

African economy
Africa is one of the poorest continents in the world. While in other countries an increase in the economy can be seen, in Africa many millions of people live below the subsistence level. Although there are regional differences in terms of mass impoverishment, the African economy is stagnating and trade is decreasing.

Export
Most of the time, Africans worked as farmers and shepherds, although they used to produce exclusively for their own use. Since there were few markets in the history of Africa, trade was only conducted among relatives and friends. In addition, handicraft products were made, which were then exchanged for other goods.

With the colonization by the Europeans a certain need arose for certain agricultural products and special mineral resources. The Europeans introduced European production processes and improved the information systems in the country. In this way a modern exchange economy emerged in Africa. In addition, the product range in Africa was expanded to include some new crops. Coffee, sugar cane and rubber in particular were cultivated for export. A manufacturing industry was created, as well as new ports and administrative centers. At the same time, the cultivation of certain crops for the supply of the African population was preserved. This state of affairs is an essential feature of the African economy and led to the fact that no single economic area was created in Africa.

Even today, cocoa, diamonds, gold and crude oil are among the most important African export items. Cocoa has a 70% share of the world market, diamonds 50%, gold 25% and oil 10%.
India and China in particular are currently investing in Africa’s raw materials business, so South Africa in particular has had the best economic times in recent years.

Natural resources of Africa
Africa is rich in natural resources, which are still in great demand on the world market. The most important raw material and at the same time the most important export article is crude oil. It alone accounts for almost half of all Africa’s exports. But gold, diamonds and metal ores are also exported from Africa.

In addition, uranium, platinum, vanadium, manganese, cobalt, chromite and titanium can also be found in Africa. Of this, platinum, chromite and manganese make up 80 percent of the world’s deposits, uranium and vanadium almost 40 percent. It is interesting that almost all known raw material deposits are stored in South Africa. There are large deposits of gold, diamonds and copper here. Large quantities of oil are exported from West Africa. The remaining African countries hardly contribute to exports.

Africa’s GDP in comparison
The GDP, i.e. the gross domestic product, denotes the total value of all goods in a country that have been produced within a year and are intended for final consumption. The rate of change in GDP shows the growth of a country’s economy. The GDP is calculated using different methods. A distinction is made between the creation, the use and the distribution calculation. It is particularly meaningful if you compare the gross domestic product per capita between the individual countries and continents. For more information about the continent of Africa, please check eningbo.info.