Northern Africa - Economy and land use
Economy and land use
978-3-14-100890-6 | Page 156 | Ill. 1
Overview
The map of economic activities in the northern part of Africa shows that the economy in this region is essentially based on raw materials and agriculture. Industry only plays a role in a few areas (see the large coastal cities in North Africa or West Africa). In terms of sector structure, certain industries dominate there, such as food processing or petrochemicals, each of which has a regional raw material base.
In agriculture, there is a zonal arrangement that corresponds to the climate and vegetation zones or the altitude levels (exception: oases). Mining activities are sporadic, without pronounced focal points, apart from the relatively important oil and natural gas deposits in Algeria, Libya, and Nigeria.
The map does not show the informal sector, whose existence may indicate structural problems, but which is of great importance for the local economy, jobs, and the income situation in many African states. It is estimated that in many parts of Africa half or even more of the working population is employed in the informal sector.
Mining, industry and energy
The networks of oil and natural gas pipelines in North Africa, Sudan and Nigeria, as well as the numerous symbols for deposits, oil refineries and chemical industry sites, give an idea of the primary importance of these economic sectors for the national economy. Together with Nigeria, Africa's largest oil supplier, the North African states belong to the group of "oil exporting countries". These states have already achieved economically significant industrialisation from the basic materials to the consumer goods industry.
In Morocco, a country with many resources, including two-thirds of the known world reserves of phosphates, industrialisation has begun with phosphate production. Morocco's mineral resources also include coal, oil and natural gas, as well as lead, copper and iron ores. Important industries are metal processing, the chemical industry and the food and textile industries. In addition to citrus fruits, various vegetables and wine, cork oaks are cultivated for export. Another important economic sector is tourism, which accounts for about one third of foreign exchange earnings.
The service sector has gained in importance. Moreover, Morocco is striving to use its geographical advantages and to establish itself as a logistical hub for trade between Europe and Africa through the creation of an appropriate infrastructure - expansion of the road and railway network, construction of a deep-sea port near Tangier (2008).
Another strategic goal is to reduce dependence on energy imports. With the "Desertec" project, wind farms, solar plants, and power lines are being planned in Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.
Agriculture and livestock
Agricultural use reveals the major division of the region into the Mediterranean fringe of Africa, the Atlas chains, the Sahara, the Sahel, the Sudan zone and the rainforest areas around the Gulf of Guinea. Wheat cultivation, viticulture, fruit, and olive cultures dominate the plains of humid to semi-arid North Africa. The mountains still bear remnants of Mediterranean forests, the high plateaus and middle altitudes are involved in pastoralism.
In Libya, where more than 85 per cent of the land area is desert, agricultural cultivation is only possible on small parts of the land area. The most important crops here are wheat and barley, vegetables (especially tomatoes), fruit and olives. As there is not a single river in Libya that carries water all year round, the country could hardly produce enough food to feed its own population under natural conditions. In order to increase the area under cultivation, groundwater has been piped from the southern parts of the country to the coastal regions since the mid-1980s as part of the "Great Artificial River" irrigation project.
In the Sahara and its peripheral areas, a semi-nomadic pastoral economy still exists despite the fact that the population is largely sedentary. The migratory areas reach as far as the Mediterranean steppes and the Sahel-Sudan zone of West Africa. While in North Africa the economic importance of transhumant pastoralism is low, in West Africa it still has considerable importance for meat supply and the production of hides.
The most important locations for agricultural use of the deserts are the oases. The "oasis death" that was predicted decades ago has not occurred. Instead, the pressure to increase food production of dates, cereals and vegetables has led to an expansion of agriculture in oases in all countries of the Sahara. However, the expansion of irrigated land is offset by losses due to salinisation and silting, so that overall, with strong population growth, the food supply of the countries of North Africa remains precarious and many are still dependent on food imports.
The same applies to the countries of the Sahel. In this contact zone between the habitats of semi-nomads and arable farmers, there is a considerable ecological risk due to rainfall fluctuations and episodic droughts. In terms of area, the savanna zone is dominated by semi-nomadic pastoralism, with Fulbe cattle herders being the most significant group.
The increasing numbers of cattle, goats, and sheep, which are a result of population growth, the increasing demand for meat in the cities, but also, in some places, the water supply, are causes of progressive desertification. Another cause is the expansion of agriculture in rainy years far beyond the agronomically dry limit. Deforestation for firewood also destroys tree and bush cover over large areas, thereby contributing to desertification.
There are some scattered irrigation areas in North Africa, for example along the Senegal River, in the inland delta of the Niger River or in central Sudan. Immediately south of the Sahel, important agricultural settlement and production areas extend from Senegal to Sudan in the Sudan zone. From this zone, the population pushes north into the thorn savanna in rainy years, expanding cultivation into old dune areas. In low rainfall years, these areas are destroyed by wind erosion and become uninhabitable. Therefore, there is a general tendency for the population to migrate south to the wet savanna or rainforest areas, especially to the coastal metropolises (either as migrant workers or for permanent settlement). As a result of impoverishment, however, there is also a return migration from the cities to the rural areas.
The dry savannas of West Africa are among the most important millet, peanut and cotton growing areas on the continent. Starting from the concentrations of peasant population in the old empires of the Sudan zone, peanut and cotton cultivation has developed into an important agricultural occupation since colonial times. Today, however, the countries of the Sahel-Sudan zone face the problem of export dependency. Especially since they have to compete on the world market with agricultural products that are heavily subsidised by the rich industrialised nations. The strong fluctuations of the world market price for cotton, for example, are a serious problem for export-dependent countries like Mali.
The situation with regard to food supply and export production is usually somewhat more favourable in the coastal states of Africa, which have shares of wet savanna or tropical rainforest. Here, maize, yams, manioc, plantain, and rice dominate as food. Oil-producing plants are the shea butter tree and the oil palm. Cotton or coffee, cocoa, and palm oil are important export products, and for some time now they have also been supplemented (again) by rubber. In West Africa, the tropical rainforest only covers large areas in Liberia.
The Ethiopian highlands have distinct altitudinal levels of use, which are overlaid by the contrast between wetlands in the south and drought-prone drylands in the north of the country. While a nomadic way of life still prevails in the desert-like lowlands, the highlands in the central and northern parts are characterised by the cultivation of cereals, which serve as a staple food here. Africa's most important coffee-growing area is located in the southern highlands.
Agriculture and livestock
Agricultural use reveals the major division of the region into the Mediterranean fringe of Africa, the Atlas chains, the Sahara, the Sahel, the Sudan zone and the rainforest areas around the Gulf of Guinea. Wheat cultivation, viticulture, fruit, and olive cultures dominate the plains of humid to semi-arid North Africa. The mountains still bear remnants of Mediterranean forests, the high plateaus and middle altitudes are involved in pastoralism.
In Libya, where more than 85 per cent of the land area is desert, agricultural cultivation is only possible on small parts of the land area. The most important crops here are wheat and barley, vegetables (especially tomatoes), fruit and olives. As there is not a single river in Libya that carries water all year round, the country could hardly produce enough food to feed its own population under natural conditions. In order to increase the area under cultivation, groundwater has been piped from the southern parts of the country to the coastal regions since the mid-1980s as part of the "Great Artificial River" irrigation project.
In the Sahara and its peripheral areas, a semi-nomadic pastoral economy still exists despite the fact that the population is largely sedentary. The migratory areas reach as far as the Mediterranean steppes and the Sahel-Sudan zone of West Africa. While in North Africa the economic importance of transhumant pastoralism is low, in West Africa it still has considerable importance for meat supply and the production of hides.
The most important locations for agricultural use of the deserts are the oases. The "oasis death" that was predicted decades ago has not occurred. Instead, the pressure to increase food production of dates, cereals and vegetables has led to an expansion of agriculture in oases in all countries of the Sahara. However, the expansion of irrigated land is offset by losses due to salinisation and silting, so that overall, with strong population growth, the food supply of the countries of North Africa remains precarious and many are still dependent on food imports.
The same applies to the countries of the Sahel. In this contact zone between the habitats of semi-nomads and arable farmers, there is a considerable ecological risk due to rainfall fluctuations and episodic droughts. In terms of area, the savanna zone is dominated by semi-nomadic pastoralism, with Fulbe cattle herders being the most significant group.
The increasing numbers of cattle, goats, and sheep, which are a result of population growth, the increasing demand for meat in the cities, but also, in some places, the water supply, are causes of progressive desertification. Another cause is the expansion of agriculture in rainy years far beyond the agronomically dry limit. Deforestation for firewood also destroys tree and bush cover over large areas, thereby contributing to desertification.
There are some scattered irrigation areas in North Africa, for example along the Senegal River, in the inland delta of the Niger River or in central Sudan. Immediately south of the Sahel, important agricultural settlement and production areas extend from Senegal to Sudan in the Sudan zone. From this zone, the population pushes north into the thorn savanna in rainy years, expanding cultivation into old dune areas. In low rainfall years, these areas are destroyed by wind erosion and become uninhabitable. Therefore, there is a general tendency for the population to migrate south to the wet savanna or rainforest areas, especially to the coastal metropolises (either as migrant workers or for permanent settlement). As a result of impoverishment, however, there is also a return migration from the cities to the rural areas.
The dry savannas of West Africa are among the most important millet, peanut and cotton growing areas on the continent. Starting from the concentrations of peasant population in the old empires of the Sudan zone, peanut and cotton cultivation has developed into an important agricultural occupation since colonial times. Today, however, the countries of the Sahel-Sudan zone face the problem of export dependency. Especially since they have to compete on the world market with agricultural products that are heavily subsidised by the rich industrialised nations. The strong fluctuations of the world market price for cotton, for example, are a serious problem for export-dependent countries like Mali.
The situation with regard to food supply and export production is usually somewhat more favourable in the coastal states of Africa, which have shares of wet savanna or tropical rainforest. Here, maize, yams, manioc, plantain, and rice dominate as food. Oil-producing plants are the shea butter tree and the oil palm. Cotton or coffee, cocoa, and palm oil are important export products, and for some time now they have also been supplemented (again) by rubber. In West Africa, the tropical rainforest only covers large areas in Liberia.
The Ethiopian highlands have distinct altitudinal levels of use, which are overlaid by the contrast between wetlands in the south and drought-prone drylands in the north of the country. While a nomadic way of life still prevails in the desert-like lowlands, the highlands in the central and northern parts are characterised by the cultivation of cereals, which serve as a staple food here. Africa's most important coffee-growing area is located in the southern highlands.
