>>Geography: We give a general description of Africa

We give a general description of Africa

Africa covers an area of ​​30.3 million km 2 with a population of 905 million people (2005). There is no other continent in the world that would suffer as much from colonial oppression and the slave trade as Africa. By the beginning of the twentieth century. the whole of Africa turned into a colonial continent, and this largely predetermined its backwardness.

After the Second World War, the colonial system was gradually eliminated, and now on political map continent 54 sovereign states (with islands). Almost all of them belong to the developing ones. The Republic of South Africa belongs to the type of economically developed states.

In key indicators of economic and social development, Africa lags markedly behind other major regions, and in some countries the gap is even widening.

1. Territory, borders, position: great internal differences, political system.

The territory of Africa stretches from north to south for 8 thousand km, and from west to east for a maximum of 7.5 thousand km. African countries are generally larger than European countries.

Example. The largest country in Africa is Cydan (2.5 million km 2). It is 4.5 times larger than the largest European country, France. Algeria, DR Congo, Libya, Angola, Ethiopia, South Africa also surpass France in area by two to three times.

Different criteria can be used to evaluate the GWP of African countries. One of the most important is the presence or absence of access to the sea. No other continent has such a number of countries - 15, located far from the seas (sometimes at a distance of 1.5 thousand km), as in Africa. Most of the inland countries are among the most backward.

In terms of the state system, African countries differ much less: only three of them (see Table 2 in the "Appendices") retain a monarchical form of government, the rest are republics, and almost all of them are presidential. However, under the republican form of government, military, dictatorial political regimes are often hidden here.

Coups d'etat are also very frequent here. .
Africa is another region of widespread territorial disputes and border conflicts. In most cases, they arose in connection with the borders inherited by the countries of this continent from their colonial past. Acute conflicts of this kind exist between Ethiopia and Somalia, Morocco and Western Sahara, Chad and Libya, and others. Along with this, Africa is also characterized by internal political conflicts, which have repeatedly led to lengthy civil wars.

Example. For several decades, the civil war in Angola continued, where the opposition group (UNITA) opposed the government political group. Hundreds of thousands of people died in this war.

To help strengthen the unity and cooperation of the states of the continent, preserve their integrity and independence, counteract neo-colonialism, the Organization of African Unity 1 was created, which was transformed in 2002 into the African Union . (Exercise 1.)

2. Natural conditions andresources : the most important factor in the development of African countries.

Africa is exceptionally rich in a variety of minerals. Among other continents, it ranks first in the reserves of ores of manganese, chromites, bauxites, gold, platinoids, cobalt, diamonds, and phosphorites. In addition, the mineral raw materials are of high quality, and are often mined in an open pit.

Example. The richest country in Africa is South Africa. Its subsoil contains almost the entire known set of fossil resources, with the exception of oil, natural gas, and bauxite. The reserves of gold, platinum, and diamonds are especially large. .

But there are countries in Africa that are poor minerals and this hinders their development. (Task 2.)

African land resources are significant. There is more cultivated land per inhabitant than in Southeast Asia or Latin America. In addition, so far only about 1/5 of the land suitable for agricultural production is being cultivated on the continent. However, land degradation in Africa has also taken on a particularly large scale. Back in the 30s, the Belgian geographer Jean-Paul Gappya wrote a book about land degradation in Africa called "Africa is a dying land". Since then, the situation has deteriorated significantly. Africa accounts for 1/3 of all drylands in the world. Almost 2/5 of its territory is at risk of desertification.

1 The Organization of African Unity (OAU) was established in 1963. It included 51 African countries. The headquarters of the OAU was in Addis Ababa. In 2001-2002 The OAU, following the model of the European Union, was transformed into the African Union (AU), within the framework of which it is planned to create an all-African parliament, a single bank, a currency fund and other supranational structures.

Africa's agro-climatic resources cannot be unambiguously assessed. You know that Africa is the hottest continent on Earth, so it is fully provided with heat supplies. But water resources are distributed over its territory extremely unevenly. This has a negative impact on agriculture, and on the whole life of people. So the catchphrase "Water is life!" refers to Africa, probably in the first place. For its arid parts, artificial irrigation is of great importance (so far only 3% of the land is irrigated). And in the equatorial belt, on the contrary, the main difficulties for life and economic activity are created by excessive moisture. The Congo Basin also accounts for about 1/2 of Africa's hydropower potential. .

In terms of total forest area, Africa is second only to Latin America and Russia. But its average forest cover is much lower. In addition, as a result of deforestation, which exceeds natural growth, deforestation has assumed alarming proportions. (Task 3.)

3. Population: features of reproduction, composition and distribution.

As you already know, Africa stands out worldwide with the highest rate of population reproduction. This is largely due to the long tradition of having many children. In Africa they say: “Not having money is a disaster. But not having children means being doubly poor.” In addition, most countries of the continent do not pursue an active demographic policy, and birth rates here remain extremely high.

Example. In Niger, Chad, Angola, Somalia, and Mali, the birth rate reaches 4,550 babies per 1,000 inhabitants, i.e., it is four to five times higher than in Europe, and more than twice the world average. In Ethiopia, Mali, Uganda, Benin, there are 7 or more children per woman.

Accordingly, African countries are also leading in terms of natural population growth (see Table 13 in the "Appendices").

That is why, despite the fact that Africa is still the region of the highest mortality, its population is growing very rapidly. Consequently, Africa is still in the second phase of its demographic transition. This means maintaining a very high proportion of children's ages, further aggravation of the problems of employment, education, and health care. In addition, the quality of the population in Africa is the lowest: over 1/3 of adults are illiterate, more people are getting AIDS. . The average life expectancy for men is 51 years, for women - 52 years.

Many problems are connected with the ethnic composition of the population of Africa, which is very diverse. Scientists ethnographers distinguish 300-500 ethnic groups and more on the continent.

Some of them, especially in North Africa, have already formed into large nations, but most are still at the level of nationalities; remnants of the tribal system are also preserved.

Like foreign Asia, Africa is a region of numerous ethnic, more precisely, ethno-political conflicts, which flare up with the greatest severity from time to time in Sudan, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Chad, Angola, Rwanda, Liberia. Often they take on the character of a real genocide 1 .

Example 1 As a result of the civil war in Liberia, which began in the late 80s, in a country with a population of 2.7 million people, 150 thousand people died, more than 500 thousand were forced to leave their habitats and another 800 thousand people fled to neighboring countries.

Example 2 In 1994, an acute conflict arose between the Tutsi and Hutu tribes in rural Rwanda. As a result, 1 million people died, the number of refugees within the country ranged from 500 thousand to 2 million people, and another 2 million people were forced to flee to neighboring countries.

In general, Africa accounts for about half of all refugees and displaced persons in the world, and in the vast majority these are “ethnic refugees”. Such forced migrations always lead to outbreaks of famine, epidemics, and increase infant and general mortality.

The legacy of the past is that the official (official) languages ​​of most African countries are still the languages ​​of the former metropolises - English, French, Portuguese. .

The cultural heritage of Africa is very great. This is oral folk art - folklore, this is monumental architecture that originated in ancient Egypt, this is arts and crafts that preserves the traditions of ancient rock art. Almost every people in Africa has its own musical culture, retains the features of singing and dancing, musical instruments. Since ancient times, there have been theatrical rites, rituals, ritual masks, etc. In Africa, 109 World Heritage Sites have been identified (see Table 10 in the "Appendices"). Among them, objects of cultural heritage prevail, but there are also many natural objects. .

The average population density in Africa (30 people per 1 km 2) is several times less than in foreign Europe and Asia. As in Asia, it is characterized by very sharp contrasts in settlement. 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. Even sharper contrasts are characteristic of individual countries.

1 Genocide (from Greek glIos - clan, tribe and Latin cado - I kill) the extermination of entire population groups along racial, national, ethnic or religious grounds.

Example. Egypt is, one might say, a classic example of this kind. In fact, almost all of its population (about 80 million people) lives on the territory of the Nile delta and valley, which is only 4% of its total area (1 million km 2). This means that there are about 2,000 people per 1 km 2 here, and less than 1 person in the desert.

In terms of urbanization, Africa still lags far behind other regions. This applies both to the share of the urban population, and to the number of large cities and cities with a population of millions. In Africa, the formation of urban agglomerations is just beginning. However, the rate of urbanization here is the highest in the world: the population of some cities doubles every 10 years.

This can be seen in the growth of millionaire cities. The first such city in the late 20s. 20th century became Cairo. In 1950 there were only two of them, but already in 1980 there were 8, in 1990 - 27, and the number of inhabitants in them increased from 3.5 million to 16 and 60 million people, respectively. At the beginning of the XXI century. In Africa, there were already 40 agglomerations with a population of more than 1 million people, which concentrated 1/3 of the urban population. Two of these agglomerations (Lagos and Cairo) with a population of over 10 million people have already entered the category of "super-cities". But such a manifestation of the "urban explosion" has a number of negative consequences. After all, it is mainly capital cities and "economic capitals" that are growing, and growing thanks to a constant influx of rural residents who have no means of subsistence and huddle in the outlying slums.

Example. Recently, Lagos in Nigeria has become the second most populated city in Africa after Cairo. Back in 1950, its population was not even 300 thousand people, and now (within the agglomeration) it has exceeded 10 million! However, the living conditions in this overpopulated city (besides, founded at one time by the Portuguese on a small island) are so unfavorable that in 1992 the country's capital was transferred from here to another city - Abuja.

Of the individual subregions of the continent, North and South Africa stand out in terms of urbanization. In Tropical Africa, this level is lower. But in terms of the exaggeratedly high proportion of capital cities in the urban population, some of the countries of Tropical Africa are unmatched. .

Despite the scale of the "urban explosion", 2/3 of Africans still live in the countryside. (Task 4.)

4. Economy: sectoral and territorial structure, Africa's place in the world.

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 of agrarian reform, economic planning, and the training of national personnel. As a result, the pace of development accelerated. The restructuring of the sectoral and territorial structure of the economy began.

In the sectoral structure, the share of industry and non-production spheres increased. Nevertheless, in most countries the colonial type of sectoral structure of the economy is still preserved. Its distinguishing features are: 1) the predominance of low-commodity, low-productive agriculture, 2) the weak development of the manufacturing industry, 3) the strong backlog of transport, 4) the limitation of the non-productive sphere, mainly trade and services. The colonial type of sectoral structure is also characterized by one-sided economic development. In many countries, this one-sidedness has reached the level of monoculture.

Monocultural (mono-commodity) specialization - a narrow specialization of the country's economy in the production of one, as a rule, raw material or food product, intended mainly for export.

Monoculture is not only a natural phenomenon, but also a historical and social one. It was imposed on African countries during the colonial period. And now, as a result of such narrow international specialization, the whole life of dozens of countries is dependent on world demand for one or two exported goods - coffee, cocoa, cotton, peanuts, oil palm fruits, sugar, livestock, etc. Monoculture countries are striving to create a diversified economy, but so far only a few have been successful along this path.

That is why the place of Africa in the world economy is determined mainly by two groups of industries. The first of these is the mining industry. Today, in the extraction of many types of minerals, Africa holds an important, and sometimes monopoly place in the world (see table 8). Since the main part of the extracted fuel and raw materials is exported to the world market, it is the extractive industry that primarily determines the place of Africa in the international geographic division of labor. The second sector of the economy that determines Africa's place in the world economy is tropical and subtropical agriculture (see Table 8). It also has a pronounced export orientation. (Task 5.)

There have also been some changes in the territorial structure of the African economy. Along with areas of high-yield crop production and extensive pasture cattle breeding, several rather large areas of the mining industry have already formed the axis. However, the role of the manufacturing industry, largely handicraft, in creating the geographical pattern of its economy is still small. Transport infrastructure also lags behind.

On the whole, in terms of the level of its social and economic development, Africa ranks last among the major regions of the world. Sub-Saharan Africa's share of the world GDP is only 1.2%.

In the 80s. The socio-economic situation in Africa has deteriorated especially, turning into a deep crisis. The pace of development has slowed down. The gap between food production (annual growth of about 2%) and the needs of the population (an increase of 3%) has widened: as a result, grain imports have increased. In addition, Africa suffered an unprecedented drought that affected more than half of the countries of the continent and directly affected 200 million people. Africa has also found itself in the grip of indebtedness to Western countries. That is why it has been increasingly referred to as the "calamity continent".

Africa is the second largest continent after Eurasia, washed by the Mediterranean Sea from the north, the Red Sea from the northeast, the Atlantic Ocean from the west and the Indian Ocean from the east and south. Africa is also called the part of the world, consisting of the mainland Africa and adjacent islands. The area of ​​Africa is 29.2 million km², with islands - about 30.3 million km², thus covering 6% of the total surface area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe Earth and 20.4% of the land surface. On the territory of Africa there are 55 states, 5 unrecognized states and 5 dependent territories (islands).

General economic and geographical characteristics of African countries

A feature of the geographical position 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.
Africa is exceptionally rich in natural resources. Especially large are the reserves of mineral raw materials - ores of manganese, chromites, bauxites, etc. Fuel raw materials are available in depressions and coastal regions. 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 Democratic 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.
In Africa, there are quite large land resources, but soil erosion has become catastrophic due to improper processing. Water resources across Africa are distributed extremely unevenly. Forests occupy about 10% of the territory, but as a result of predatory destruction, their area is rapidly declining.
Africa has the highest rate of natural population growth. The natural increase in many countries exceeds 30 persons per 1,000 inhabitants per year. A high proportion of children's ages (50%) and a small proportion of older people (about 5%) remain.
African countries have not yet succeeded in changing the colonial type of sectoral and 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, DRC).
The second branch of the economy, which determines Africa's place in the world economy, is tropical and subtropical agriculture. Agricultural products make up 60-80% of GDP. The main cash crops are coffee, cocoa beans, peanuts, dates, tea, natural rubber, sorghum, spices. Recently, grain crops have been grown: 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.
Transport also retains a colonial type: railways go from the regions of extraction of raw materials to the port, while the regions of one state are practically not connected. Relatively developed rail and sea modes of transport. In recent years, other types of transport have also been developed - automobile (a road has been laid across the Sahara), air, and pipeline.
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).

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, the 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.
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 for 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 even this production is reduced 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, Senegal) does its share in GDP reach or exceed 20%.

Integration processes

A characteristic feature of the integration processes in Africa is the high degree of 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 way to include African countries in the globalizing world economy, as well as an impulse and indicator of economic growth and development in general.

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North Africa
1) Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan.
2) Access to the Mediterranean, Red Sea.
3) The population is concentrated in the cities: Algiers, Tripoli, Rabat, Casablanca. (approximately from 1 to 5 million people.). Mostly Arab peoples.
4) This sub-region is located in the tropical zone. In the zone of semi-deserts and deserts, occasionally hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs. Iron ores, oil, phosphorites, natural gas, polymetallic ores, gold.
5) Pastures with pockets of cultivated land, in the far north - cultivated land and oases. Manufacture of machines, devices, equipment, wood and timber products, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, oil products.
6) a large area of ​​underutilized land, the development of gas and oil fields.

West Africa
1) Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Ghana.
2) access to the Atlantic Ocean
3) The population is concentrated in cities and rural settlements: Dakar, Conakry, Monrovia, Abidjan, Ouagadougou. Mostly peoples: Akan, Yoruba, Hausa, Fulbe and Arab.
4) This region is located in the tropical, subequatorial and equatorial belt. In the zone of deserts, savannahs and woodlands, variable-moist forests. Iron ores, Phosphorites, gold, aluminum ores, manganese ores, diamonds.
5) Pastures with pockets of cultivated land, forests with pockets of cultivated land, cultivated lands and oases. Production of wood and timber products, meat products, cocoa and banana distribution area.
6) a large area of ​​underutilized land, the absence of any large-scale production, the potential for the development of the timber industry.

Central:
1) Nigeria, Niger, Chal, Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea.
2) access to the Atlantic Ocean.
3) The population is concentrated in cities and rural settlements: Malabo, Yaounde, Brazzaville, Kinshasa and others. Mostly peoples: Tubu, Azande, Hausa.
4) This region is located in the subequatorial and equatorial belt. In the zone of savannas and light forests, variable-moist forests, areas of altitudinal zonation, permanently humid forests. Oil, Manganese ores, Aluminum ores, Uranium ores.
5) Forests with pockets of cultivated land, pastures. Manufacture of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, oil products, wood and timber products. The area of ​​distribution of rubber-bearing, cotton and bananas.
6) potential for the development of uranium ores and oil production, problems: soil erosion, poaching, undrinkable water.

East Africa
1) Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia.
2) access to the Indian Ocean.
3) The population is concentrated evenly in cities and towns, there is no urbanization. Mostly peoples: Amhara, Somalis.
4) This region is located in the subequatorial zone, the equatorial zone. In the zone of savannahs and light forests, altitudinal zonation, semi-deserts. Gold, Phosphorites, Diamonds, Titanium ores.
5) Pastures with pockets of cultivated land. Leather production. Area of ​​distribution of bananas, coffee, date palm. Breeding of camels and cattle.
6) Problems: overgrazing, desertification, widespread poaching. Potential for breeding camels, cattle and for the production of ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

South
1) South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, Zambia.
2) access to the Atlantic, Indian Ocean.
3) The population is concentrated in cities: Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban, Lusaka, Harare. Mostly peoples: Bantu, Bushmen, Afrikaners, Gotentots.
4) This region is located in the subequatorial, tropical, subtropical zone. In the zone of savannahs and light forests, altitudinal zonation, semi-deserts and deserts. Manganese ores, Diamonds, Polymatal ores, Gold, Copper ores, Cobalt ores, Chrome ores, Asbestos, Coal, Iron ores.
5) Grassland with pockets of cultivated land, cultivated land and oases. Manufacture of machines, equipment, devices, ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Distribution area: cotton. Breeding: sheep, cattle.
6) Problems: limited supply of drinking water, deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution, excessive use of pastures. The potential for the production of meat products, the development of hydroelectric power stations and nuclear power plants (there are deposits of uranium).

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 earth's land mass. 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 African countries are republics (with the exception of Lesotho, Morocco and Swaziland, which are still 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. 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 appeared 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 evaluate the GWP of African countries. 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 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. In general, the mainland is compact: 1 km of 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 in which the lack of a 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.

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. 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 connected with the ethnic composition of the population of Africa, 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 the Afro-Asiatic 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 result of the colonial era of the development of the continent. As a result, many united peoples found themselves on opposite sides of the border. This leads to inter-ethnic 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 the official languages ​​of most African countries are still the languages ​​of the former metropolises - English, French, Portuguese.

The average population density in Africa (24 people / km 2) is less than in foreign Europe and Asia. Africa is characterized by very sharp contrasts in settlement. 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. Like many other developing countries, Africa is experiencing "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 of agrarian reform, economic planning, and the 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 the extraction of many types of minerals, Africa holds an important, and sometimes even a monopoly, place in the 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. It ranks last among the regions of the world in terms of the level of industrialization and crop productivity.

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 of 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 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 4/5 of 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.

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