NET, IAS, State-SET (KSET, WBSET, MPSET, etc.), GATE, CUET, Olympiads etc.: World Regions of Africa
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Wheat
- It is of little importance except in the extreme south, in parts of Cape Province and in northern Africa (Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) .
- Elsewhere in Africa, maize is much more important than wheat.
Rice
- Egypt (Nile Delta and valley) Though Basin irrigation is still used, huge dams like Aswan have helped in the development of perennial irrigation system.
- Minor producers Congo, C. A R, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Mali and Madagascar.
Maize
- S Africa is the major producer.
- Production is often small in African countries but the crop is relied on as a staple food and therefore has an importance in the economy greater than mere production figures would indicate.
- Oat and Barley in Africa these are grown in eastern, southeastern and southern pockets.
- Millet and sorghum -Millet is an important subsistence crop. It is often called Durra or Guinea
Corn
- Main producers Nigeria, Sudan, Niger, Chad, Mali and Egypt. Vegetables
Starchy Tubers
- Manioc or Cassava (Zaire and Nigeria)
- Yams (common food crops in Africa , S. E. Asia and the Pacific islands and are grown by shifting cultivators and subsistence farmers) . Major producers Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Ivory Coast.
Fruits
1) Tropical fruits
- Dates (Desert areas of Sudan and Algeria)
- Bananas (W. Africa)
- Pineapples (Zaire and Ivory Coast)
2) Sub tropical and warm temperate fruits Citrus fruits like Grapes in S. Africa.
Spices
- Clove Pemba and Zanzibar
- Vanilla Malagasy (Elsewhere Vanilla is grown in Mexico and Indonesia)
Tea
- Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda
- Kenyan tea is of high quality and is grown on highlands around Nairobi. Java coffee (Indonesia) , Mocha (Yemen)
- Ivory Coast, Zaire and Cameroon are chief producers.
- Kenya, Uganda and Angola also grow coffee. Cocoa
- Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Cameroon -Mainly on small holdings.
- Brazil and Ivory Coast (new producers) have higher yields than Ghana and Nigeria.
- The greatest concentration is in the cocoa triangle (including Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi) Forests
- Nigeria, Ethiopia and Sudan are major timber producers.
- Many countries have turned to commercial extraction Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and Zaire
- Forests are less extensive and often less luxuriant than in Latin America or South East Asia.
- Though largest forest area is in Zaire Basin, transportation is difficult.