Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique

Language: French (official), Malagasy (official)

Currency: 1 Malagasy franc (FMG) = 100 centimes

Population: 14,873,387 (

Natural Hazards: periodic cyclones

Import: intermediate manufactures 30%, capital goods 28%,
petroleum 15%, consumer goods 14%, food 13%

Export: coffee 45%, vanilla 20%, cloves, shellfish, sugar,
petroleum products

Industries: meat processing, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum, tourism

Transportation: Railways:
total: 883 km
narrow gauge: 883 km 1.000-m gauge (1994)

Highways:
total: 49,837 km
paved: 5,781 km
unpaved: 44,056 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: of local importance only; isolated streams and small portions of
Lakandranon' Ampangalana (Canal des Pangalanes)

Ports & Harbors: Antsiranana, Antsohimbondrona, Mahajanga, Toamasina,
Toliara

Location: Southern Africa, east of Zambia

Language: English (official), Chichewa (official), other languages important regionally

Currency: 1 Malawian kwacha (MK) = 100 tambala

Population: 10,000,416

Natural Hazards: NA

Import: food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment

Export: tobacco, tea, sugar, coffee, peanuts, wood products

Industries: tea, tobacco, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 789 km
narrow gauge: 789 km 1.067-m gauge

Highways:
total: 28,400 km
paved: 5,254 km
unpaved: 23,146 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi); Shire River, 144 km

Ports & Harbors: Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota

Location: Western Africa, southwest of Algeria

Language: French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages

Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Population: 10,429,124

Natural Hazards: hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts

Import:machinery and equipment, construction materials,
petroleum, foodstuffs, textiles

Export: cotton 50%, gold, livestock

Industries: minor local consumer goods production and food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 641 km; (linked to Senegal's rail system through Kayes)
narrow gauge: 641 km 1.000-m gauge (1995)

Highways:
total: 15,100 km
paved: 1,827 km
unpaved: 13,273 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 1,815 km navigable

Ports & Harbors: Koulikoro

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara

Language: Hasaniya Arabic (official), Pular, Soninke, Wolof (official), French

Currency: 1 ouguiya (UM) = 5 khoums

Population: 2,581,738

Natural Hazards: hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts

Import: foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum products, capital goods

Export: fish and fish products, iron ore, gold

Industries: fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 704 km (single track); note—owned and operated by government mining
company
standard gauge: 704 km 1.435-m gauge (1995)

Highways:
total: 7,660 km
paved: 866 km
unpaved: 6,794 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: mostly ferry traffic on the Senegal River

Ports & Harbors: Bogue, Kaedi, Nouadhibou, Nouakchott, Rosso

Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

Language: English (official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bojpoori

Currency: 1 Mauritian rupee (MauR) = 100 cents

Population: 1,182,212

Natural Hazards: cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards

Import: manufactured goods 37%, capital equipment 19%,
foodstuffs 13%, petroleum products 8%, chemicals 7%

Export: clothing and textiles 55%, sugar 24%

Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing; chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery; tourism

Transportation:
ailways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 1,860 km
paved: 1,732 km (including 30 km of expressways)
unpaved: 128 km

Ports & Harbors:Port Louis

Location: Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-half of the way from northern Madagascar to northern Mozambique

Language: Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French

Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes

Population: 149,336

Natural Hazards: cyclones during rainy season

Import: building materials, machinery and transportation
equipment, metals, chemicals, rice, clothing, flour

Export: ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra

Industries: newly created lobster and shrimp industry

Transportation:
Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 93 km
paved: 72 km
unpaved: 21 km

Ports & Harbors: Dzaoudzi

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara

Language: Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government, and diplomacy

Currency: 1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes

Population: 29,661,636

Natural Hazards: northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts

Import: semiprocessed goods 26%, capital goods 25%, food and beverages 18%, fuel and lubricants 15%, consumer goods 12%, raw materials 4%

Export: food and beverages 30%, semiprocessed goods 23%, consumer goods 21%, phosphates 17%

Industries: phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing, leather goods, textiles, construction, tourism

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 1,907 km
standard gauge: 1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (1,003 km electrified; 246 km double
track) (1994)

Highways:
total: 60,626 km
paved: 30,556 km (including 219 km of expressways)
unpaved: 30,070 km

Ports & Harbors: Agadir, El Jadida, Casablanca, El Jorf Lasfar, Kenitra, Mohammedia, Nador, Rabat, Safi, Tangier; also Spanish-controlled Ceuta and Melilla

Location: Southern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania

Language: Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects

Currency: 1 metical (Mt) = 100 centavos

Population: 19,124,335

Natural Hazards: severe droughts and floods occur in central and southern provinces; devastating cyclones

Import: food, clothing, farm equipment, petroleum

Export: shrimp 40%, cashews, cotton, sugar, copra, citrus

Industries: food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 3,131 km
narrow gauge: 2,988 km 1.067-m gauge; 143 km 0.762-m gauge (1994)

Highways:
total: 30,400 km
paved: 5,685 km
unpaved: 24,715 km

Waterways: about 3,750 km of navigable routes

Ports & Harbors: Beira, Inhambane, Maputo, Nacala, Pemba, Quelimane

Location: Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa

Language: English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous
languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama

Currency: 1 Namibian dollar (N$) = 100 cents

Population:1,648,270

Natural Hazards: prolonged periods of drought

Import: foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Export: diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle,
processed fish, karakul skins

Industries: meat packing, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamond, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper)

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 2,382 km
narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1.067-m gauge; single track

Highways:
total: 64,799 km
paved: 7,841 km
unpaved: 56,958 km

Ports & Harbors: Luderitz, Walvis Bay

Location: Western Africa, southeast of Algeria

Language: French (official), Hausa, Djerma

Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Population: 9,962,242

Natural Hazards: recurring droughts

Import: consumer goods, primary materials, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals

Export: uranium ore 50%, livestock products 20%, cowpeas,
onions

Industries: cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses,
and a few other small light industries; uranium mining

Transportation:
Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 10,100 km
paved: 798 km
unpaved: 9,302 km

Waterways: Niger river is navigable 300 km from Niamey to Gaya on the Benin
frontier from mid-December through March

Ports & Harbors: none

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon

Language: English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani

Currency: 1 naira (N) = 100 kobo

Population: 113,828,587

Natural Hazards: periodic droughts

Import: machinery, chemicals, transportation equipment,
manufactured goods, food and animals

Export: petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber

Industries: crude oil, coal, tin, columbite, palm oil, peanuts, cotton, rubber, wood, hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food products,
footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing, ceramics, steel

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 3,557 km
narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge
standard gauge: 52 km 1.435-m gauge
note: years of neglect of both the rolling stock and the right-of-way have seriously
reduced the capacity and utility of the system; a project to restore Nigeria's railways is now underway

Highways:
total: 51,000 km
paved: 26,000 km (including 2,044 km of expressways)
unpaved: 25,000 km
note: many of the roads reported as paved may be graveled; because of poor
maintenance and years of heavy freight traffic (in part the result of the failure of the
railroad system), much of the road system is barely useable

Waterways: 8,575 km consisting of the Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers
and creeks

Ports & Harbors: Calabar, Lagos, Onne, Port Harcourt, Sapele, Warri