Natural Resources

Africa

Agricultural Resources

• Subsistence Farming (raising crops to feed your family)

• Sell or trade a few crops for other items that they need

• Morocco– farmers raise barley and wheat– Irrigate fields to grow fruits and vegetables

Agricultural Resources

– Farms at Saharan Oases in Egypt• Produce dates and small crops of barley and wheat

– In dry tropical savannas (Burkina Faso and Niger)• Subsistence farmers grow grain.

– In regions with more rainfall farmers grow• Vegetables, fruits and roots such as yams and cassava.

(Tapioca is made from cassava).

– In West Africa• Corn and rice are important crops

Agricultural Resources

• Cash crops (crops for sale)– Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Cameroon

• Coffee and cacao

– Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique

• Tea

• In some regions cash crops have led to food shortages– Families grow food to sell, not for their

families.

Agricultural Resources

• Harvesting Trees– Hardwood trees grow in all four regions of

Africa

Mineral Resources

• Economy—a system for producing, distributing, consuming, and owning goods, services, and wealth.– Mining is an important part of Africa’s

economy

• North Africa– Libya and Algeria have large amounts of

petroleum which is used to make oil and gasoline.

Mineral Resources

• West Africa– Nigeria is a major oil producer. Ghana was

once called the Gold Coat because it was a leading exporter of African gold.

• Other mineral sources include:– Copper, silver, uranium, titanium, and

diamonds

Balancing Crops, Minerals, and Industry

• Diversify—to add variety.• Specialized Farming– makes the economy

sensitive to rainfall and to the price of crops.• These countries are working to produce a variety

of crops, raw materials, and manufactured goods.

• A country with a diverse economy will not be hurt as much if a major cash crop fails or if world prices for one of its major mineral exports suddenly drop.