PENNSVALLEY
96
COPYRIGHT
Central Africa
Lesson 49:
Natural Resources and Economy
of Central Africa
The countries of Central Africa are some of the poorest in the world. Civil wars, unstable
governments and corruption, brutal dictatorships, and ethnic violence have set back economic
development. Subsistence farming is still the primary form of agriculture, and mining and
manufacturing remain under-developed.The economy of Cameroon is the exception inCentral Africa.
Since 1990, a stable government and good leadership have used petroleum income to develop and
expand agriculture, mining, andmanufacturing.
ACTIVITY 1:
Use the paragraphs above, and the chart of Central Africa Products and Industries, to answer the
questionson thenext page.Look for
boldfaced
words in your chart as cluesof a country’smajor cash
crops, exports, and industries.
Central Africa Products and Industries
Country
Major Products and Industries
Cameroon
subsistence farming,
cocoa, coffee
, oil palms,
bananas, rubber, timber
(mahogany,
teak, ebony);
petroleum
, bauxite, iron ore, gold; aluminum, paper, tires
EquatorialGuinea
subsistence farming, cocoa, coffee, timber, fishing,
petroleum
, deposits of titanium,
manganese, iron ore, and uranium; food process
SaoTome and
large plantations-
cocoa, sugar cane
; copra, coffee, bananas, palm oil,
fishing;
Principe
tourism
Gabon
subsistence farming,
coffee, cocoa
, oil palms,
timber; petroleum,manganese
,
deposits of iron ore; oil refining, timber processing
Congo
subsistence farming,
sugar cane, coffee, timber; petroleum
, deposits of zinc and
lead; paper mills, reforestation, food processing, textiles
Central African
subsistence farming,
peanuts, cotton, coffee
, oil palms,
timber; diamonds
, deposits
Republic
of uranium, copper, iron ore, gold; small scalemanufacturing
Dem. Rep.
subsistence farming, fishing, coffee, cocoa, rubber, cotton, timber;
copper
, cobalt,
of Congo
uranium,
diamonds
, gold, silver, petroleum; petroleum refining and
industrial
diamonds
Uganda
subsistence farming, large plantations–
coffee, cotton
, tea; tobacco, fishing; copper,
cobalt, gold
Rwanda
subsistence farming, coffee
, tea, sugar cane, very limitedmining andmanufacturing
Burundi
subsistence farming, coffee
, cotton, small scalemining andmanufacturing
1.What is the primary type of agriculture inCentral Africa?
2.Which country is amajor producer of manganese, amineral
used in the production of steel, and in paints and batteries?
3. List three products that large plantations inUganda are noted for producing.
,
and
