Among other continents, Africa ranks first in reserves of diamonds, gold, platinum, manganese, chromites, bauxites and phosphorites. Large reserves of coal, oil and copper, iron, uranium, cobalt ores. In addition, African minerals often differ high quality and low production costs. The richest in minerals - it has an almost complete set of known mineral resources, with the exception of oil, natural gas, bauxite.

However, stocks mineral resources placed unevenly. Among the countries of the region there are countries that are very poor in terms of reserves of resources (, CAR, etc.), which greatly complicates their development.

Significant land reserves in Africa are due to the predominance of the flat (Atlas, Futa-Jallon, Cape and Drakon mountains are located only on the outskirts of the mainland), as well as the presence (red-yellow, black, brown soils equatorial forests, brown soils of subtropics, alluvial soils river valleys), extensive natural pastures (areas of savannahs, steppes and semi-deserts occupy about half of the area of ​​Africa) favorable for various kinds agricultural activities.

A favorable condition is the high availability of thermal resources (the sum of active temperatures is 6,000-10,000 °C).

However, the conditions of moisture supply significantly limit the possibilities for the development of agriculture in this region. In almost 2/3 of Africa, sustainable agriculture is possible only with. In the equatorial region of Africa, where the amount of precipitation is 1500 or more mm per year, there is an excess of moisture, in the semi-deserts and deserts of the northern and southern hemispheres (, Namib,), on the contrary, there is a lack of it. The most favorable for agriculture are the natural conditions of the windward slopes of the Atlas and Cape Mountains, the Mediterranean regions, and the eastern marginal regions, where the amount of precipitation is 800-1000 mm per year.

Africa has significant By total area forests, it is second only to Russia. But the average is much lower. Besides, in recent times deforestation has taken on rampant proportions due to increased cutting down of trees.

Africa has certain On the one hand, these are resorts on sea ​​coast(primarily the coast of the Mediterranean and Red Seas), on the other - monuments of world culture (- the cradle of ancient Egyptian civilization). In this regard, it stands out. In addition, Africa is creating National parks, in which you can see the most various representatives flora and fauna. First of all, this applies to, where international tourism in terms of income is second only to coffee exports.

The second largest continent on the planet. Second in terms of population. A continent with truly colossal reserves of minerals and other natural resources. Homeland of mankind. Africa.

third part of the world

In the views of the ancient Greeks, there were only two parts of the world - Europe and Asia. In those days, Africa was known under the name of Libya and referred to one or the other. Only the ancient Romans, after the conquest of Carthage, began to call their province in what is now Northeast Africa this name. Other known territories southern continent bore the names of Libya and Ethiopia, but later only one remained. Then Africa became the third part of the world. The Europeans, and then the Arabs, had mastered only the lands of the north of the continent, the more southern parts were separated by the grandiose Sahara desert, the largest in the world.

After the beginning of the colonial seizure of the rest of the world by Europeans, Africa became the main supplier of slaves. Colonies on the territory of the mainland itself did not develop, but served only as collection points.

The beginning of independence

The situation began to change slightly from the nineteenth century, when slavery was abolished in many countries. Europeans turned their attention to their possessions on the continent of Africa. Natural resources controlled lands exceeded the potential of the colonial states themselves. True, development was carried out in the most populated areas of North and South Africa. The remaining territories of almost virgin nature were considered as an opportunity for exotic recreation. The largest safaris were organized on this continent, which caused the mass extinction of large predators, rhinos and elephants. After the Second World War, almost all African countries achieved their independence and began to fully use their potential. But this did not always lead to positive consequences, sometimes the natural conditions and resources of Africa deteriorated significantly due to their irrational use by man.

Wealth and scarcity of water resources

The largest rivers in Africa are located in the center and west of the continent. These rivers - Congo, Niger, Zambezi - are among the most full-flowing and major rivers peace. The northern part of the continent is almost completely deserted and the rivers that dry up there are filled with water only during the rainy season. The longest river in the world, the Nile, is unique. It begins in the central part of the continent and crosses the largest desert in the world - the Sahara, without losing its deep water. Africa is considered to be the least wealthy continent water resources. This definition applies to the entire continent, while being an average indicator. After all, the central part of Africa, having an equatorial and subequatorial climate, is endowed with water in abundance. And the northern desert lands suffer from acute shortage moisture. After independence in African countries a boom in hydrotechnical construction began, thousands of dams and reservoirs were built. In general, Africa's natural water resources rank second in the world after Asia.

African lands

Africa's land situation is similar to that of water resources. On the one (northern) side, it is a practically uninhabited and uncultivated desert. And on the other - fertile and well-moistened soils. True, the presence of huge areas still makes its own adjustments here. rainforest, the territories of which are not used for agriculture. But that's Africa. Natural land resources are very significant here. In terms of the area of ​​cultivated land to the number of population, Africa is twice as large as Asia and Latin America. Although only twenty percent of the entire territory of the continent is used for agriculture. As already noted, the natural resources of Africa are not always used rationally. and subsequent soil erosion threaten to advance the desert for as long as fertile lands. Countries in the central part of the continent should be especially worried.

Forest expanses

The peculiarities of Africa's location have affected the fact that it has large forest lands. Seventeen percent of all the world's forests are on African continent. The eastern and southern lands are rich in dry tropical forests, while the central and western lands are wet. But the use of such grandiose reserves leaves much to be desired. Forests are cut down without being restored. This is due to the presence of valuable tree species and, the saddest thing, to use them as firewood. Almost eighty percent of energy in countries in the west and in the center of Africa comes from burning trees.

General characteristics of mineral resources

South Africa

most rich country continent and one of the richest in the world is considered Republic of South Africa. Traditionally, coal mining is developed here. Its deposits are practically surface, so the cost of production is very low. Eighty percent electrical energy, produced at local thermal power plants, uses this cheap coal. The wealth of the country is provided by deposits of platinum, gold, diamonds, manganese, chromites and other minerals. Oil is probably one of the few minerals that South Africa is not rich in. The natural resources of the center of the continent and especially its north, on the contrary, are endowed with significant reserves of hydrocarbons.

Natural resources of North Africa

The sedimentary rocks of the north of the continent are rich in oil and gas deposits. Libya, for example, has about three percent of the world's reserves. On the territory of Morocco, Northern Algeria and Libya there are zones of phosphorite deposits. These deposits are so rich that more than fifty percent of all the world's phosphorites are mined here. Also in the Atlas Mountains large stocks containing zinc, lead, as well as cobalt and molybdenum.

The video tutorial is dedicated to the topic " Natural resource potential and general characteristics of the economy of Africa. From the lesson, you will learn what resources the continent is rich in and what is the peculiarity of their use. The teacher will tell you in detail about the specifics of the economy of African countries. As additional material in the lesson, three topics are considered: “Monoculture”, “South Africa” and “Trans-African Highways”.

Theme: Africa

Lesson: Natural resource potential and general characteristics Africa

Africa is exceptionally rich in minerals, although they are still poorly understood. Among other continents, it ranks first in the reserves of the following natural resources:

1. Manganese ore.

2. Khromitov.

3. Bauxites.

4. Gold.

5. Platinum.

6. Cobalt.

7. Diamonds.

8. Phosphorites.

The resources of oil, natural gas, graphite, and asbestos are also great. Africa's share in the world mining industry is 1/4. Almost all extracted raw materials and fuel are exported from Africa to economically the developed countries.

Rice. 1. Diamond mining in Africa ()

In the central part of Africa there are large reserves of forest and water resources.

In addition, significant land resources Africa. There is more cultivated land per inhabitant than in South-East Asia or Latin America. In total, 20% of the land suitable for agriculture is cultivated. 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.

Rice. 3. Desertification map of 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 of +20 °C. However, the main factor determining the differences in climatic conditions, are precipitation. 30% of the territory - arid areas occupied by deserts, 30% - receive 200-600 mm of precipitation, but are subject to droughts; the equatorial regions suffer from an excess of moisture. Therefore, in 2/3 of the territory of Africa, sustainable agriculture is possible only through land reclamation work.

After gaining independence, African countries began to make efforts to overcome centuries of backwardness. The restructuring of the sectoral and territorial structure of the economy began. Biggest successes along this path have been achieved in the mining industry, which now accounts for 1/4 of the world's output in terms of production.

Despite some progress, most regions of Africa are still characterized by colonial type economy.

The main features of the colonial type of economy:

1. The predominance of small-scale agriculture.

2. Weak development manufacturing industry.

3. Strong backlog of transport.

4. Restriction of the non-productive sphere only to trade and services.

5. Monocultural specialization.

Africa exports bananas, coffee, tea, dates, citrus fruits and other agricultural products.

In total, seven main mining regions can be distinguished in Africa. Three of them are in North Africa and four in sub-Saharan Africa.

Rice. 4. Map of the mining regions of Africa ()

Mining regions of 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 fields.

4. The West Guinean region is characterized by a combination of gold, diamonds, iron ores, and graphites.

5. The East Guinean region is rich in oil, gas, and metal ores.

6. Zaire-Zambian region. On its territory there is a unique "Copper Belt" with deposits of high-quality copper ores, as well as cobalt, zinc, lead, cadmium, germanium, gold, silver. Congo (former 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 the inclusion of oil, gas and bauxite.

Africa is divided into 5 regions or 2 large regions (North Africa and Tropical Africa).

Rice. 5. Map of African regions ()

Each region differs in the composition and distribution of the population, natural and climatic conditions, resources, and specialization of the economy. Tropical Africa (Sub-Saharan Africa) - least industrialized, least urbanized region world and the most backward region of the world.

Rice. 6. Map of Tropical Africa ()

monocultural specialization- narrow specialization economy of the country in the production of one, as a rule, raw or food product, intended mainly for export.

Rice. 7. Monocultures of African countries ()

Republic of South Africa. This country is in many ways economic development ranks first in Africa. South Africa accounts for the lion's share of Africa's GDP, manufacturing and vehicle fleet. South Africa is distinguished by the development of the mining industry, the extraction of gold, diamonds, iron ores, etc.

Trans-African Highways: Maghreb, which connects all the countries of North Africa from Morocco to Egypt (Rabat - Cairo) and runs along the coast mediterranean sea; Trans-Sahara Highway Algiers (Algeria) - Lagos (Nigeria); Trans-African highway Lagos - Mombasa (Kenya), or highway West - East, etc.

Homework

Topic 8, P. 1, 2

1. What resources are Africa richest in?

2. What is monoculture?

Bibliography

Main

1. Geography. A basic level of. 10-11 cells: Textbook for educational institutions/ A.P. Kuznetsov, E.V. Kim. - 3rd ed., stereotype. - M.: Bustard, 2012. - 367 p.

2. Economic and social geography of the world: Proc. for 10 cells. educational institutions / V.P. Maksakovskiy. - 13th ed. - M .: Education, JSC "Moscow textbooks", 2005. - 400 p.

3. Atlas with kit contour maps for grade 10. Economic and social geography of the world. - Omsk: Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Omsk Cartographic Factory", 2012. - 76 p.

Additional

1. Economic and social geography of Russia: Textbook for universities / Ed. prof. A.T. Khrushchev. - M.: Bustard, 2001. - 672 p.: ill., cart.: tsv. incl.

Encyclopedias, dictionaries, reference books and statistical collections

1. Geography: a guide for high school students and university applicants. - 2nd ed., corrected. and dorab. - M.: AST-PRESS SCHOOL, 2008. - 656 p.

2. Africa // encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.

Literature for preparing for the GIA and the Unified State Examination

1. Thematic control by geography. Economic and social geography of the world. Grade 10 / E.M. Ambartsumova. - M.: Intellect-Centre, 2009. - 80 p.

2. The most complete edition standard options real tasks USE: 2010. Geography / Comp. Yu.A. Solovyov. - M.: Astrel, 2010. - 221 p.

3. The optimal bank of tasks for preparing students. Unified state exam 2012. Geography: Tutorial/ Comp. EM. Ambartsumova, S.E. Dyukov. - M.: Intellect-Centre, 2012. - 256 p.

4. The most complete edition of typical options for real USE assignments: 2010. Geography / Comp. Yu.A. Solovyov. - M.: AST: Astrel, 2010. - 223 p.

5. Geography. Diagnostic work in USE format 2011. - M.: MTSNMO, 2011. - 72 p.

6. USE 2010. Geography. Collection of tasks / Yu.A. Solovyov. - M.: Eksmo, 2009. - 272 p.

7. Tests in geography: Grade 10: to the textbook by V.P. Maksakovskiy “Economic and social geography of the world. Grade 10 / E.V. Baranchikov. - 2nd ed., stereotype. - M.: Publishing house "Exam", 2009. - 94 p.

8. Unified state exam 2009. Geography. Universal materials for the preparation of students / FIPI - M .: Intellect-Center, 2009. - 240 p.

9. Geography. Answers on questions. Oral exam, theory and practice / V.P. Bondarev. - M.: Publishing house "Exam", 2003. - 160 p.

10. USE 2010. Geography: thematic training tasks/ O.V. Chicherina, Yu.A. Solovyov. - M.: Eksmo, 2009. - 144 p.

11. USE 2012. Geography: Standard exam options: 31 options / Ed. V.V. Barabanova. - M.: national education, 2011. - 288 p.

12. USE 2011. Geography: Standard exam options: 31 options / Ed. V.V. Barabanova. - M.: National Education, 2010. - 280 p.

Materials on the Internet

1. Federal Institute pedagogical measurements ( ).

2. federal portal Russian Education ().

3. Electronic version of the journal Geography ().

The natural conditions of Africa are very peculiar. This continent is located in almost equal parts in the northern and southern hemispheres, and they lie mainly in tropical latitudes. But the combination natural conditions Africa can be divided into several zones. In its central and western equatorial parts, along the northern coast of the Gulf of Guinea and in the Congo Basin, tropical evergreen forests (hylaea) dominate. To the north and south of the hyla, “monsoon” forests grow, shedding their leaves during the dry season. These forests turn into savannah, which makes up about 30% of Africa's area. A significant part of the mainland is occupied by semi-deserts and typical deserts: in North Africa, this Sahara Desert, in South Africa- Kalahari and Namib semi-deserts. The natural conditions of Africa are conducive to agriculture. Africa is the birthplace of the banana, yam root, peanut(peanuts), ground beans, African millet (sorghum), Ethiopian bread (teff), coffee tree, oil and date palms, rubber vines (landolphia). Cotton is grown on irrigated soils in a hot climate

Africa is also rich in minerals. The reserves of bauxites, copper, manganese, cobalt, uranium ores, diamonds, metals, gold, etc. are of world importance. Democratic Republic Congo through 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). The leading place belongs to the mining and mining and metallurgical industries. Of the manufacturing industries - light and food. Promising industries are metallurgy, mechanical engineering and the chemical industry.

29) Socio-economic x-ka Sev. America. egp usa

North America is a continent located at the intersection of the Western and Northern hemispheres of planet Earth. Population North America is 500 million people. North America covers the territory of two states - the USA and Canada.

Economic and geographical position very beneficial. This is due to the presence of a wide front of maritime boundaries, natural harbors and the position between three oceans. Land borders are conditional lines, rivers and lakes, contributing to the development of trade and economic ties. The longest river system on the globe is located exactly there - the Mississippi with a tributary of the Missouri, and the largest cluster fresh water located in the Great American Lakes region.

USA. About half of the main territory (adjacent states) - mountain ranges, plateaus and plateaus of the Cordillera; the eastern edge of the Cordillera belt is formed by the Rocky Mountain ranges with a height of more than 4000 m, the western - by the Coast Ranges, stretching along the Pacific coast. In the east of the country - the Appalachian mountains. Between the Cordillera and the Appalachians - extensive interior plains(Central, Great). Along the coasts of the Atlantic and its Mexican Hall. - Atlantic and Mexican lowlands. highest point countries - Mount McKinley (6193 m) in Alaska. The climate is mostly temperate and subtropical continental. The main rivers are the Mississippi with tributaries of the Missouri and Ohio, Columbia, Colorado, Yukon. To the northeast is the Great Lakes system. Population 320 million people Many natural resources, including energy and raw materials. High-tech production. Developed scientific research. Well-developed service sector, competitive industry. The world's largest exporter of goods. Transnational companies such as Ford, General Motors and Exxon. Leading manufacturer software. Good higher education system

CANADA It occupies the northern part of the mainland and the islands adjacent to it, including the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the islands of Newfoundland, Vancouver. It borders on the United States, there is a border with Russia along the Arctic Circle. The area is 9976 thousand km2 (in terms of territory it is the second country in the world after Russia). Capital Ottawa. Canada occupies almost half of the North American continent and is wide open to three oceans - the Arctic, the Atlantic (in the east) and the Pacific (in the west). The relief of Canada is diverse: the central and eastern regions are occupied by plains, and a powerful mountain system Cordillera. The country is covered with a dense and full-flowing river network. The hydropower potential of its rivers is one of the largest in the world. The true wealth of the country - woodlands, consisting of conifers and occupying almost half of the territory of Canada. In terms of wood reserves per capita, the country has no equal. The best soils (chernozems) are located in the south.

GENERAL ECONOMIC AND GEOGRAPHICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COUNTRIES OF AFRICA

Table 11. Demographic and socio-economic indicators of the world, Africa and South Africa.

General review. Geographical position.

The mainland occupies 1/5 of the land the globe. In size (30.3 million km 2 - with islands) of all parts of the world it is second only to Asia. It is washed by the waters of the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

Figure 14. Political map of Africa.

The region includes 55 countries.

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

There is no other continent in the world that would suffer as much from colonial oppression and the slave trade as Africa. Decay colonial system began in the 50s in the north of the continent, the last colony, Namibia, was liquidated in 1990. In 1993, on political map Africa, a new state arose - Eritrea (as a result of the collapse of Ethiopia). Under the auspices of the UN are Western Sahara (Saharan Arab Republic).

For rate PRG countries Africa, you can use different criteria. One of the main criteria is separating 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.

Natural conditions and resources.

The continent is almost in the middle crossed 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. In general, the mainland is compact: 1 km coastline accounts for 960 km 2 of territory. 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 minerals, although they are still poorly studied. Among other continents, it ranks first in reserves of ores of manganese, chromite, bauxite, gold, platinum, cobalt, diamonds, and phosphorites. The resources of oil, natural gas, graphite, and asbestos are also great.

Africa's share in the world mining industry is 1/4. 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 total, seven main mining regions can be distinguished in Africa. Three of them are in North Africa and four are in sub-Saharan Africa.

1. The region of the Atlas Mountains stands out for its reserves of iron, manganese, polymetallic ores, and 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 area of ​​the Algerian and Libyan parts of the Sahara is distinguished by the largest oil and gas fields.
4. The West Guinea region is characterized by a combination of gold, diamonds, iron ores, and graphites.
5. The East Guinean region is rich in oil, gas, and metal ores.
6. Zaire-Zambian region. On its territory there is a unique "Copper Belt" with deposits of high-quality copper ores, as well as cobalt, zinc, lead, cadmium, germanium, gold, silver. Congo (former 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 the inclusion of oil, gas and bauxite.

Africa's minerals are unevenly distributed. There are countries where the absence raw material base hinders their development.

Significant land resources Africa. There is more cultivated land per inhabitant than in Southeast Asia or Latin America. In total, 20% of the land suitable for agriculture is cultivated. 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.

Agro-climatic resources Africa is determined by the fact that it is the hottest continent, lies entirely within the average annual isotherms of + 20 ° C. But at the same time, precipitation is the main factor determining differences in climatic conditions. 30% of the territory - arid areas occupied by deserts, 30% - receive 200-600 mm of precipitation, but are subject to droughts; the equatorial regions suffer from an excess of moisture. Therefore, in 2/3 of the territory of Africa, sustainable agriculture is possible only through land reclamation work.

Water resources Africa. In terms of their volume, Africa is significantly inferior to Asia and South America. The hydrographic network is distributed extremely unevenly. The degree of use of the huge hydropower potential of the rivers (780 million kW) is low.

forest resources In terms of reserves, Africa is second only to the resources of Latin America and Russia. But its average forest cover is much lower, besides, as a result of logging, deforestation has assumed alarming proportions.

Population.

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, and in 2000, according to forecasts, there will be 872 million. Kenya stands out in terms of growth rates - 4, 1% (first place in the world), Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda. 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.

Big consequences entails a change as a result population explosion age structure of the population: in Africa, the share 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. Despite the fact that 2/3 of Africa's population is employed in agriculture, the average annual population growth (3%) significantly outpaces the average annual growth in food production (1.9%).

Many problems are associated with ethnic composition African population, which is very diverse. 300-500 ethnic groups stand out. Some of them have already formed into large nations, but most are still at the level of nationalities, and remnants of the tribal system are also preserved.

According to the linguistic principle, 1/2 of the population belongs to the Niger-Kordofan family, 1/3 to Afroasian family and only 1% are residents of European origin.

An important feature of African countries is the mismatch of political and ethnic boundaries as a consequence colonial era development of the continent. As a result, many united peoples found themselves different sides borders. This leads to interethnic conflicts and territorial disputes. The latter cover 20% of the territory. Moreover, 40% of the territory is not demarcated at all, and only 26% of the length of the borders pass along natural boundaries, partially coinciding with ethnic boundaries.

The legacy of the past is that official languages Most African countries still have the languages ​​of the former metropolitan countries - English, French, Portuguese.

The average population density in Africa (24 people / km 2) is less than in overseas Europe and Asia. Africa is characterized by very sharp contrasts resettlement. For example, the Sahara contains the largest uninhabited territories in the world. Rare population and in the zone of tropical rainforests. But there are also quite significant clumps of population, especially on the coasts. The population density in the Nile Delta reaches 1000 people/km2.

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, in Africa there is a "false urbanization".

General characteristics of the economy.

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 success along this path has been achieved in the mining industry, which now accounts for 1/4 of the world's output in terms of production. In terms of the extraction of many types of minerals, Africa holds an important and sometimes monopoly place in foreign world. The main part of the extracted fuel and raw materials is exported to the world market and provides 9/10 of the region's exports. 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 are distinguished by a higher level of manufacturing industry - South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco.

The second branch of the economy, which determines Africa's place in the world economy, is tropical and subtropical agriculture. It also has a pronounced export orientation.

But in general, Africa is still far behind in its development. She takes last place among the regions of the world by the level of industrialization, by crop yields.

Most countries are characterized by a colonial type of sectoral structure of the economy.

It is defined:
• the predominance of low-commodity extensive agriculture;
• underdeveloped manufacturing industry;
• a strong backlog of transport - transport does not provide communications between the hinterland, and sometimes - foreign economic relations of states;
• the non-productive sphere is also limited and is usually represented by trade and services.

The territorial structure of the economy is also characterized by general underdevelopment and strong disproportions remaining from the colonial past. On the economic map In the region, only separate centers of industry (mainly metropolitan areas) and high-commodity agriculture stand out.

The one-sided agrarian and raw material development of the economy of most countries is a brake on the growth of their socio-economic indicators. In many countries, one-sidedness has reached the level of monoculture. monocultural specialization- narrow specialization of the country's economy in the production of one, as a rule, raw material or food product, intended mainly for export. The emergence of such specialization is associated with the colonial past of countries.

Figure 15. Monoculture countries in Africa.
(click on image to enlarge image)

Foreign economic relations.

monocultural specialization and low level economic development of African states are manifested 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 enters foreign markets, foreign trade provides up to 4/5 government revenue to the African budget.

About 80% of the trade turnover of the continent falls on the developed countries of the West.

Despite the huge natural and human potential, Africa continues to be the most backward part of the world economy.