TOP 10 POOREST COUNTRIES

IN THE WORLD 2018

1. South Sudan — $246

The Capital city of South Sudan is JUBA. South Sudan is one of the poorest
countries in the world. Most villages in the country have no electricity or running
water, and the country's overall infrastructure is lacking, with few paved roads.
South Sudan exports timber to the international market. Some of the states with the
best known teaks and natural trees for timber are Western Equatoria and Central
Equatoria. In Central Equatoria, some teak plantations are at Kegulu; the other, oldest planted forest reserves
are Kawale, Lijo, Loka West, and Nuni. Western Equatoria timber resources include mvuba trees at Zamoi.
TOP EXPORTING PRODUCTS
1. OIL 2. Agriculture 3. Infrastructure

The top exports of South Sudan are Crude Petroleum ($1.33B) Other Oily Seeds
($3.81M), Oil Seed Flower ($3.14M), Dried Legumes ($3.12M) and Scrap Vessels ($2.04M), using the 1992
revision of the HS (Harmonized System) classification. Its top imports are Raw Sugar ($53.4M), Packaged
Medicaments ($12.5M), Cars ($11.2M), Rice ($10.7M) and Palm Oil ($10.7M).

The top export destinations of South Sudan are China ($1.33B), Algeria ($7.09M), Pakistan ($6.56M),
Uganda ($2.35M) and Jordan ($343k). The top import origins are Uganda ($189M), China ($46.2M), Pakistan
($38.3M), Algeria ($19.9M) and the Netherlands ($9.7M).

Located in the continent of Africa, South Sudan covers 644,329 square kilometers of land, making it the
42nd largest nation in terms of land area.

South Sudan became an independent state in 2011, after gaining its sovereignty from The United
Kingdom. The population of South Sudan is 10,625,176 (2012) and the nation has a density of 16 people per
square kilometer.

The currency of South Sudan is the South Sudanese Pound (SSP). As well, the people of South Sudan
are referred to as South Sudanese.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:

The Sudan swampland is considered to be one of the world's largest wetlands, and within the Nile basin
is The landscape of South Sudan is primarily made up of tropical forests, swamps and grassland. 

Located in the southeast, and extending intoUganda, the Imatong Mountains contain South Sudan's
highest point: Mount Kinyeti at 10,456 ft. (3,187 m).

The lowest point of the country is unknown at this time.

Significant rivers include the White Nile, which passes straight through the country, and whose water absorbs
into surrounding swamps. The Sudan, Bahr el Ghazal and Sobat River are other notable water sources in South
Sudan.
the largest freshwater wetland. During the wet season, the Sudan extends some 50,193 sq. miles (130,000 sq.
km).

2. Burundi — $339

The capital city of Burundi is Bujumbura. Burundi, country in east-

central Africa, south of the Equator. The landlocked country, a historic
kingdom, is one of the few countries in Africa whose borders were not
determined by colonial rulers. Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country
with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. Agriculture accounts for over
40% of GDP and employs more than 90% of the population. Burundi's primary
exports are coffee and tea, which account for more than 60% of foreign
exchange earnings. Thus, Burundi's export earnings - and its ability to pay for imports - rest primarily on
favorable weather conditions and international coffee and tea prices, although exports are a relatively small
share of GDP. Burundi is heavily dependent on aid from bilateral and multilateral donors. Foreign aid
represented 48% of Burundi's national income in 2015, one of the highest percentages in Sub-Saharan Africa,
but decreased to 33.5% in 2016. Burundi joined the East African Community (EAC) in 2009.

The 1993-2005 civil war resulted in more than 200,000 deaths, forced more than 48,000 refugees into
Tanzania, and displaced 140,000 others internally. Political stability, aid flows, and economic activity improved
following the war’s end, but underlying weaknesses – low governmental capacity, a high poverty rate, poor
educational levels, a weak legal system, a poor transportation network, and overburdened utilities – have
prevented the implementation of planned economic reforms. Government corruption has also hindered the
development of a private sector. The purchasing power of most Burundians has decreased as wage increases
have not kept pace with inflation.

In 2015, Burundi’s economy suffered from political turmoil, including street protests and an attempted
coup, following President NKURUNZIZA’s controversial announcement that he would run for a third term.
Insecurity and refugee flows to neighboring countries slowed down economic activity and donors withdrew aid,
increasing Burundi’s budget deficit and decreasing hard currency reserves. Real GDP growth dropped
precipitously and has yet to recover to pre-conflict levels.

TOP 3 EXPORTING PRODUCTS

1. Coffee (69 percent of total exports) 2. Tea (26 percent) 3. Cotton and Skins
 Main export partners are Switzerland (26 percent of total exports) and Pakistan (11 percent). Others
include: Belgium, United Kingdom, Rwanda, Uganda and Egypt.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

The landlocked small country of Burundi, located on the northeastern shoreline of Lake Tanganyika, is a
very mountainous country. The only land below 3,000 feet is a narrow strip of plain along the Ruzizi River in
the west.

Burundi's highest point is Mount Heha which rises 8,759 ft. (2,670 m); the lowest point of the country is
Lake Tanganyika at 2,532 ft. (772 m).

Estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world (by volume), Lake Tanganyika is divided
amongst four different countries, including Burundi. Its waters flow into the Congo River, which leads to the
Atlantic Ocean.

From the wooded Mitumba Mountains in the west, the land drops gradually into an uneven plateau with
some grassland savanna, up to its border with Tanzania. The average elevation of the central plateau is over
5,000 ft.

Major rivers include the Kanyaru, Malagarasi, Rusize and Ruvubu, and significant lakes include the
Cohaha, Rwero and of course, Lake Tanganyika.

3. Malawi — $342

The capital city of Malawi is Lilongwe. The economy of Malawi is

predominantly agricultural, with about 80% of the population living in rural areas.
The landlocked country in south central Africa ranks among the world's least
developed countries. In 2017, agriculture accounted for about one-third of GDP and
about 80% of export revenue.

The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank,
and individual donor nations.

The government faces strong challenges: to spur exports, to improve educational and health facilities, to
face up to environmental problems of deforestation and erosion, and to deal with the problem of HIV/AIDS in
Africa.
Top exporting products

1. Tobacco (53% of export value) 2. Tea 3. Raw Sugar

The top exports of Malawi are Raw Tobacco ($550M), Gold ($82.5M),
Raw Sugar ($75.4M), Tea ($74.1M) and Dried Legumes ($49M), using the 1992 revision of the HS
(Harmonized System) classification. Its top imports are Packaged Medicaments ($97.2M), Wheat ($35.5M),
Human or Animal Blood ($34.9M), Postage Stamps ($28.6M) and Delivery Trucks ($23.4M).

The top export destinations of Malawi are Belgium-Luxembourg ($125M), Germany ($120M), the
United Arab Emirates ($88.9M), the United States ($74.4M) and Russia ($65.2M). The top import origins
are South Africa ($363M), China ($228M), India ($173M), Malaysia ($31.6M) and Tanzania ($30.7M).

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

Malawi is situated in southeastern Africa. Malawi is a long, narrow country situated in the southern part
of the East African Rift Valley The Great Rift Valley traverses the country from north to south. In this deep
trough lies Lake Malawi, the third-largest lake in Africa, comprising about 20% of Malawi's area.

The country is divided administratively into three regions: Southern – hilly, densely populated, Central –
fertile, well-populated plains, Northern – mountainous and sparsely populated. The main commercial and
industrial city of Blantyre is in the Southern Region, the capital city of Lilongwe is in the Central Region and
Mzuzu serves as the administrative and commercial headquarters of the Northern Region.

The Shire River flows from the south end of the lake and joins the Zambezi River 400 kilometers (250
mi.) farther south in Mozambique. East and west of the Rift Valley, the land forms high plateaus, generally
between 900 and 1,200 meters (3,000-4,000 ft.) above sea level. In the north, the Nyika Uplands rise as high as
2,600 meters (8,500 ft.); south of the lake lie the Shire Highlands, with an elevation of 600-1,600 meters (2,000-
5,000 ft.), rising to Mts. Zomba and Mulanje, 2,130 and 3,048 meters (7,000 and 10,000 ft.). In the extreme
south, the elevation is only 60-90 meters (200-300 ft.) above sea level.

Malawi is a narrow country that hugs the western shore of Lake Malawi (sometimes referred to as Lake
Nyasa). At places, its land area is barely 50 miles wide. Malawi shares borders with Tanzania, Zambia, and
Mozambique. The terrain varies widely and includes grassy slopes, rolling hills, striking rock outcroppings, and
dense forests.

Much of the land surface of Malawi is a large plateau that is between

3,000 to 4,000 feet above sea level. Elevations rise over 8,000 feet in the
Nyika Plateau in the north. In the regions of Mt. Mulanje elevation is about
10,000 feet, and at Mt. Zomba 7,000 feet. The Shire highlands in the south
are the lowest area in the country with elevations extending from 2,000 to
3,000 feet. In the north are rugged highlands that contain rolling hills in the
Nyika and Vwanza plateaus, while in the southern part of the country the
landscape forms part of the Great African Rift Valley.

Malawi’s altitude varies from less than 200 feet above sea level at
Nsanje in the south to almost 10,000 feet at the peak of Mount Mulanje.
Lake Malawi, about 1,500 feet above sea level and 380 miles long, is
Africa’s third largest lake and Malawi’s major tourist attraction. Imagine a
lake that is larger than the state of New Hampshire! Malawi has rainy and dry seasons. The rainy season is from
December to April, with the heaviest rainfall between December and March.
4. Central African Republic — $425

Capital city is Bangui. The Central African Republic’s economic

freedom score is 49.2, making its economy the 163rd freest in the 2018
Index. Its overall score has decreased by 2.6 points, with a plunge in
investment freedom and smaller declines in labor freedom, judicial
effectiveness, and government integrity overwhelming solid improvements
in fiscal health and property rights. The CAR is ranked 39th among 47 countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa
region, and its overall score is well below the regional and world averages.
The CAR scores very poorly on such regulatory factors as labor market flexibility and taxation. Progress
to achieve a more welcoming business environment has been marginal. The landlocked CAR is one of the
world’s least-developed countries, constrained by a poor transportation system, a largely unskilled work force,
and a legacy of misdirected macroeconomic policies. More than half of the population lives in rural areas and is
dependent on subsistence agriculture.

Top exports products

1. Diamonds (40 percent of total exports) 2. Timber (16 percent) 3. Coffee

Central African Republic main export partners are: Belgium, China, Congo, France and Japan.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

The Central African Republic is, in essence, an undulating plateau. Central and south are a series of
forested, rolling hills, with some topping 2000 ft. A dense tropical rainforest in the southeast fronts the Ubangi
River, and in the north, the land flattens into treeless, desert-like savanna grassland.

On the western border with Cameroon, the land rises into the high granite plateau of the Karre
Mountains. The Bongos Massif in the far northeast
extends into Sudan. Numerous tributaries of the
Chair (Shari) and Longone Rivers crisscross the
land, central and north, while the Ubangi River
system dominates the south, as it forms much of the
country's southern border with the DRC.
The highest point of the Central African
Republic is Mt. Kayagangiri at 4,660 ft (1,420 m);
the lowest point of the country is the Oubangui
River, 1,099 ft (335 m).

5. Yemen — $449
 Capital city is Sana’a. Yemen is a low-income country
that faces difficult long-term challenges to stabilizing and
growing its economy, and the current conflict has only
exacerbated those issues. The ongoing war has halted Yemen’s
exports, pressured the currency’s exchange rate, accelerated
inflation, severely limited food and fuel imports, and caused
widespread damage to infrastructure. The conflict has also
created a severe humanitarian crisis - the world’s largest cholera
outbreak currently at nearly 1 million cases, more than 7 million people at risk of famine, and more than 80% of
the population in need of humanitarian assistance.Prior to the start of the conflict in 2014, Yemen was highly
dependent on declining oil and gas resources for revenue. Oil and gas earnings accounted for roughly 25% of
GDP and 65% of government revenue.
The Yemeni Government regularly faced annual budget shortfalls and tried to diversify the Yemeni
economy through a reform program designed to bolster non-oil sectors of the economy and foreign investment.
In July 2014, the government continued reform efforts by eliminating some fuel subsidies and in August 2014,
the IMF approved a three-year, $570 million Extended Credit Facility for Yemen.However, the conflict that
began in 2014 stalled these reform efforts and ongoing fighting continues to accelerate the country’s economic
decline. In September 2016, President HADI announced the move of the main branch of Central Bank of
Yemen from Sanaa to Aden where his government could exert greater control over the central bank’s dwindling
resources. Regardless of which group controls the main branch, the central bank system is struggling to
function. Yemen’s Central Bank’s foreign reserves, which stood at roughly $5.2 billion prior to the conflict,
have declined to negligible amounts. The Central Bank can no longer fully support imports of critical goods or
the country’s exchange rate.
The country also is facing a growing liquidity crisis and rising inflation. The private sector is
hemorrhaging, with almost all businesses making substantial layoffs. Access to food and other critical
commodities such as medical equipment is limited across the country due to security issues on the ground. The
Social Welfare Fund, a cash transfer program for Yemen’s neediest, is no longer operational and has not made
any disbursements since late 2014.Yemen will require significant international assistance during and after the
protracted conflict to stabilize its economy. Long-term challenges include a high population growth rate, high
unemployment, declining water resources, and severe food scarcity.
Top 3 exports products
1. Mineral fuels including oil: US$1.6 billion (82.8% of total exports)

2. Fish: $102.3 million (5.2%) 3. Fruits, nuts: $53.6 million (2.7%)

The top exports of Yemen are Gold ($531M), Crude Petroleum

($140M), Non-fillet Frozen Fish ($23.3M), Molluscs ($23.1M) and Non-fillet Fresh Fish ($20.2M), using the
1992 revision of the HS (Harmonized System) classification. Its top imports are Wheat ($530M), Refined
Petroleum ($416M), Raw Sugar ($322M), Rice ($232M) and Raw Iron Bars ($213M).
The top export destinations of Yemen are Oman ($296M), the United Arab Emirates ($286M), China
($149M), Egypt ($27.6M) and Thailand ($18.4M). The top import origins are China ($1.69B), Turkey
($535M), Oman ($517M), India ($447M) and Brazil ($384M).

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

Yemen has some of the most fertile lands in the entire Middle East, and yet, for the most part, they're not
developed to their full potential.

Along its Red Sea coast there's a flat sandy plain that extends the length of the country. The Gulf of
Aden coastline is covered by a narrow, rocky, and relatively flat plain, fronted by hills that rise into the rugged
mountains, central and west.

To the north of those central mountains, the high desert slopes down through fertile plains into the
interior of southern Saudi Arabia, and the endless sands of the Rub' Al Khali Desert - the famous "Empty
Quarter."

Yemen's highest point is Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb at 12,336 ft. (3,760 m).
There are no perennial lakes and rivers, however, in the northern highlands some river valleys (wadis)
small streams exist (fall and winter) but fade away quickly in the summer heat.

6. Mozambique — $472

The Capital city is Maputi. The colonial economy was

characterized by private monopolies, central planning, and state
marketing of key products—all designed to promote capital
accumulation by the state, Portuguese settlers, and Portuguese-
based commerce and industry. Colonial policy excluded most
Africans from highly skilled and managerial positions until the
year’s immediately preceding independence. After independence the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frente de
Libertação de Moçambique; Frelimo) government tried to change the colonial economic patterns by
nationalizing key properties, promoting African education and training, and breaking up the Portuguese and
South Asian hold on commercial distribution. Despite Frelimo’s public stand against ethnic discrimination,
Portuguese settlers and South Asian traders—threatened by the government’s economic policies—left by the
thousands. Settlers anticipating nationalization abandoned their properties, adding by default to the proportion
of the national economy that the state controlled, and large-scale state-run farms and communal and cooperative
farming replaced the settler and company plantations. Frelimo’s agricultural undertakings proved unproductive
and unmanageable, however, and, in combination with the flight of South Asian merchants and the instability
caused by guerrilla warfare, much of the country’s agricultural production, commerce, and distribution system
collapsed. In an effort to rebuild the economy, the state ultimately reoriented economic policy in accordance
with plans imposed by the International Monetary Fund, which emphasized decentralization and privatization
and provided assistance to family farmers.

Although agriculture has been the most widespread economic activity, remittances from migrant labourers in
South Africa and revenues from tourism and the country’s port and railway sector have been equally important
historically as sources of foreign exchange. While all these sectors declined severely during the 1980s and early
’90s because of civil unrest, they rebounded after the 1992 peace accord, and the industry sector —specifically,
resource exploitation, aluminum smelting, and electricity production—also expanded. By the early 21st century,
Mozambique had attained a significant amount of economic growth.

Top 3 exporting products

1. Prawns 2. Cotton 3. Timber

The top export destinations of Mozambique are South Africa ($810M), China ($435M), Italy ($387M),
India ($360M) and Spain ($171M). The top import origins are South Africa ($2.31B), China ($1.31B), India
($873M), Australia ($275M) and Zimbabwe ($267M).

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Mozambique is divided into two topographical regions:

To the north of the Zambezi river, a narrow coastline and bordering plateau slope upward into hills and a
series of rugged highlands punctuated by scattered mountains.

South of the Zambezi River, the lowlands are much wider with scattered hills and mountains along its
borders with South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia.

Monte Binga, peaking at 7,988 ft. (2,435 m), is the highest point of Mozambique; the Indian Ocean (0
m) is the lowest.
 The country is drained by several significant rivers, with the Zambezi being the largest and most
important. The Zambezi is in fact the fourth-longest river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian
Ocean from Arica. Lake Malawi (Nyasa) is the country's major lake. The Cahora Bassa is Africa's fourth-largest
artificial lake. A small slice of Malawi's Lake Chiuta sits in Mozambique.

7. Democratic Republic of Congo — $477

The capital city is Kinshasa. At independence in 1960, the

formal economy of Congo was based almost entirely on the
extraction of minerals, primarily copper and diamonds. Most of this
economic activity was controlled by foreign companies, such as the
Belgian Union Minière du Haut-Katanga (UMHK), whose assets in
1965 were valued at nearly $430 million. By that time, UMHK was
one of the largest single sources of Congolese governmental revenue and accounted for a large proportion of the
country’s foreign exchange earnings.

Following the coup carried out by Mobutu in 1965, however, the new government made plans to
nationalize UMHK. The ensuing struggle between the government and UMHK ended in a compromise in 1967
whereby UMHK operations were taken over by a newly created state company, Générale des Carrières et des
Mines (Gécamines), but daily operations were contracted out to a private management company created by the
former UMHK.

This arrangement provided the blueprint for the Mobutu government’s steady acquisition of private
economic concerns—heralded as the “Zairianization” of the economy. Mobutu appropriated the income from
new state enterprises, using it to amass a huge personal fortune and to create a vast patronage network. In the
1970s and ’80s, he also portioned out control over state enterprises to shifting networks of associates whose
loyalty he needed. He offered concessions to foreign private enterprises as well. Increasingly, the economy
became an adjunct of Mobutu’s political machine.
 At first, international agencies such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, as
well as Mobutu’s allies in the West, turned a blind eye to his personal appropriation of the economy and the
associated declines in productivity and exports. The fall in copper prices in the mid-1970s, however, led to
audits of state enterprises that revealed high levels of embezzlement. Nonetheless, Mobutu remained an
important Cold War ally for Western countries, and for the next 20 years international financial institutions and
his Western allies continued to find ways to keep the sinking economy afloat.

Yet as the economy became less and less productive, funds directed toward the maintenance of
Mobutu’s national, regional, and local patronage networks were becoming insufficient. Both state managers and
private owners of enterprises increasingly resorted to extortion and force to maintain their wealth. Units of the
army, as well as private militias, supplanted formal state authority in much of the country. In the early 1990s,
with the collapse of the Soviet Union and heightened demands for democratic reform worldwide, Mobutu’s
Western allies finally pressed for reforms in Congo.

By this time, however, the country was in crisis. Between 1990 and 1995, the economy demonstrated a
negative annual growth rate of –8.42 percent. In the early 1990s the value of the national currency sank to
remarkable lows. Average per capita income, which continued to fall drastically, was more than halved between
1990 and 2000 to become one of the lowest in the world. The state, nearly bankrupt, provided scarcely any
services to the population, which, in any case, increasingly did its business in an unofficial parallel economy, or
black market. The outbreak of civil conflict in the late 1990s deeply exacerbated the failures of the economy,
which subsequently continued to decline.

At the beginning of the 21st century, Congo took steps to stabilize its economic situation; in 2001, for
example, it shifted toward a more market-oriented economy. With the participation of the IMF and the World
Bank, other structural reforms were undertaken to liberalize the economy, break hyperinflation, and encourage a
more stable macroeconomic atmosphere. In 2002 the country experienced positive growth in its gross domestic
product (GDP) for the first time in more than a decade, and the economy continued to expand throughout the
remainder of the early 2000s, a factor attributed in part to increased stability following the end of the civil war.

DRC Main Export Products:

Minerals Lumber and Woods Coffee Beans

The top export destinations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are China ($2.05B), Saudi Arabia
($483M), South Korea ($464M), Belgium-Luxembourg ($281M) and Spain ($175M). The top import origins
are China ($992M), South Africa ($865M), Belgium-Luxembourg ($391M), Tanzania ($288M) and France
($261M).
 Democratic Republic of the Congo are China ($2.05B), Saudi Arabia ($483M), South Korea
($464M), Belgium-Luxembourg ($281M) and Spain ($175M). The top import origins
are China ($992M), South Africa($865M), Belgium-Luxembourg ($391M), Tanzania ($288M)
and France ($261M).

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

The massive expanse of the Congo Rainforest, the second largest rainforest in the world (after that of the
Amazon) covers most of the Congo River basin, central and west. The Congo River itself is 2,733 miles (4,398
km) long, and is navigable for almost 900 miles (1,448 km).

This area of the DRC is surrounded by plateaus merging into savannas in the south and southwest, by
mountainous terraces in the west, and by dense grasslands extending beyond the Congo River in the north.

In the east, the land rise into a plateau with heights over 5,000 ft (1,524 m) and then into the higher
glaciated and volcanic mountains of the Great Rift Valley. Southeast, the land rises into the peaks of the Shaba
Plateau.

The highest point of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is Mt. Stanley at 16,765 ft (5,110 m); the
lowest point of the country is the Atlantic Ocean (0 m).

A number of lakes front the country's eastern borders, including lakes Albert, Edward, Kivu, Mweru and
Tanganyika.

8. Madagascar — $479
The Capital city is Antananarivo. Madagascar is a mostly unregulated economy with many untapped natural
resources, but no capital markets, a weak judicial system, poorly enforced contracts, and rampant government
corruption. The country faces challenges to improve education, healthcare, and the environment to boost long-
term economic growth. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is a mainstay of the economy, accounting
for more than one-fourth of GDP and employing roughly 80% of the population. Deforestation and erosion,
aggravated by bushfires, slash-and-burn clearing techniques, and the use of firewood as the primary source of
fuel, are serious concerns to the agriculture dependent economy.After discarding socialist economic policies in
the mid-1990s, Madagascar followed a World Bank- and IMF-led policy of privatization and liberalization until
the onset of a political crisis, which lasted from 2009 to 2013. The strategy had placed the country on a slow
and steady growth path from an extremely low starting point. Exports of apparel boomed after gaining duty-free
access to the US in 2000; however, Madagascar's failure to comply with the requirements of the African Growth
and Opportunity Act (AGOA) led to the termination of the country's duty-free access in January 2010, a sharp
fall in textile production, and a loss of more than 100,000 jobs.Madagascar regained AGOA access in January
2015 following the democratic election of a new president the previous year. Madagascar produces around 80%
of the world’s vanilla supply; although supply was constrained by hurricane-related damage in 2017,
international demand drove prices to record highs, increasing export earnings for Malagasy vanilla.
Madagascar’s financial sector remains weak, limiting the use of monetary policy to control inflation, but an
ongoing IMF program aims to strengthen financial and investment management capacity.

TOP 3 EXPORTING PRODUCTS

Coffee tea spices

Exports in Madagascar decreased to 622673 million MGA in June

from 865467 million MGA in May of 2018. Exports in Madagascar averaged 390309.33 million MGA from
2008 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 1024139 million MGA in December of 2017 and a record low of
51994 million MGA in June of 2016.
Exports in Madagascar is expected to be 764811.06 million MGA by the end of this quarter, according
to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate Exports in
Madagascar to stand at 771948.90 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the Madagascar Exports is projected to
trend around 771991.75 million MGA in 2020, according to our econometric models.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Madagascar is a large island nation located in the Indian Ocean east of Africa and the country
Mozambique. It is the fourth largest island in the world and it is an African country. Madagascar's official name
is the Republic of Madagascar. The country is sparsely populated with a population density of only 94 persons
per square mile (36 persons per square kilometer). As such, most of Madagascar is undeveloped, incredibly
biodiverse forest land. Madagascar is home to 5% of the world's species, many of which are native only to
Madagascar.

Madagascar is considered a part of southern Africa as it is located in the Indian Ocean east of
Mozambique. It is a large island that has a narrow coastal plain with a high plateau and mountains in its center.
Madagascar's highest mountain is Maromokotro at 9,435 feet (2,876 m).

The climate of Madagascar varies based on location on the island but it is tropical along the coast
regions, temperate inland and arid in the southern its portions. Madagascar's capital and largest city,
Antananarivo, which is located in the northern part of the country somewhat away from the coast has a January
average high temperature of 82°F (28°C) and a July average low of 50°F (10°C). Madagascar is most well-
known around the world for its rich biodiversity and tropical rainforests. The island is home to about 5% of the
world's plant and animal species and about 80% of those are endemic or native only to Madagascar.

These include all species of lemurs and about 9,000 different species of plants. Because of their isolation
on Madagascar, many of these endemic species are also threatened or endangered due to increasing
deforestation and development. To protect its species, Madagascar has many national parks, and nature and
wildlife reserves. In addition, there are several UNESCO World Heritage Sites on Madagascar called the
Rainforests of the Atsinanana.

Population: 21,281,844 (July 2010 estimate)

Capital: Antananarivo

Area: 226,658 square miles (587,041 sq km)

Coastline: 3,000 miles (4,828 km)

Highest Point: Maromokotro at 9,435 feet (2,876 m)

Lowest Point: The Indian Ocean

9. The Gambia — $500

The capital city is Banjul. The Gambia’s economic freedom

score is 52.3, making its economy the 145th freest in the 2018
Index. Its overall score has decreased by 1.1 points, with lower scores for the property rights, fiscal health, and
tax burden indicators overwhelming an improvement in business freedom. The Gambia is ranked 28th among
47 countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, and its overall score is below the regional and world averages.

Facing a dire economic situation, the new government wants to use tax breaks and other investment
incentives in the energy and infrastructure construction sectors to rebuild investor confidence after decades of
economic mismanagement. The market for groundnuts, Gambia’s main export, will also be deregulated.
Pervasive corruption is a critical problem. Weak protection of property rights has undermined the rule of law.
State-owned enterprises are present in many sectors, and supporting them is a major cause of the government’s
debt.

Top 3 exporting products

GROUNDNUT FISH CASHEW

The top export destinations of the Gambia are China ($81.7M), Guinea-Bissau ($59.1M), India ($42.3M),
Vietnam ($11.3M) and Senegal ($10.4M). The top import origins are China ($297M), Brazil ($82.1M), Senegal
($81.1M), Cote d'Ivoire ($61M) and India ($57.7M).

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

The Gambia is a small West African country, bounded by

Senegal, with a narrow Atlantic coastline. It's known for its diverse
ecosystems around the central Gambia River. Abundant wildlife in its
Kiang West National Park and Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve includes
monkeys, leopards, hippos, hyenas and rare birds. The capital, Banjul,
and nearby Serrekunda offer access to beaches.

President: Yahya Jammeh (1994)

Land area: 3,861 sq mi (10,000 sq km); total area: 4,363 sq mi (11,300 sq km)
Population (2014 est.): 1,925,527 (growth rate: 2.23%); birth rate 31.75/1000; infant mortality rate: 65.74/1000;
life expectancy: 64.36

Capital (2014 est.): Banjul, 489,000

Monetary unit: Dalas

10. Sierra Leone — $505

The Capital City is Freetown.

Economy

GNI: US$4.5bn

GNI PC: US$680

GDP Growth: 5.0% p.a. 2009–13

Inflation: 13.0% p.a. 2009–13

With real GDP falling almost continuously from the 1980s to the start of the 2000s, the economy of
Sierra Leone became very depressed, despite the country’s rich resource base, notably diamonds, rutile (an
oxide of titanium), bauxite and gold. It still has one of the lowest per capita incomes in the Commonwealth.
Civil war in neighbouring Liberia and its spread within Sierra Leone, particularly from 1995, caused total
collapse of the economy. The country was burdened by an economically counter-productive parallel economy,
which increased in the lawless conditions of civil war. Around 90 per cent of diamonds produced in Sierra
Leone were estimated to be leaving the country illegally, and cash crops in the fertile south and east were being
smuggled out. The cost of maintaining a large army and bringing in foreign troops put a further strain on the
economy, and there were mass migrations of people to avoid the fighting.

Restoration of democracy in February 1998 and the peace agreement with the Revolutionary United
Front of July 1999 opened the way for a very substantial commitment of aid by the international community,
led by the UN, IMF and World Bank, to reintegrate the military into civilian life, to restore institutions, to
rebuild the economy and alleviate poverty.

Delivery of this aid was impeded and delayed by the collapse of the peace agreement in May 2000 and
during 2001 by the slow pace of demobilisation of rebel troops and of returning all areas of the country to peace
and security, but during 2001 the rutile mines were rehabilitated and agricultural production was resumed in
large areas of the country. In 2001, too, reserves of offshore oil and gas were discovered and further offshore oil
discoveries were announced in 2009 and 2010. The UN ban on the trade in uncut diamonds did begin to reduce
smuggling.

In December 2006, Sierra Leone qualified for debt relief amounting to US$994 million under the
IMF/World Bank Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative.

The economy began to expand again in 2000. After a very strong surge of growth in 2001–03, it grew at
about six per cent p.a. during the rest of the decade, while unemployment persisted at a high level and inflation
rose from practically nil in 2000–02 to generally more than ten per cent p.a. in the second half of the 2000s,
continuing into the 2010s. As the world economic downturn of 2008–09 depressed demand for Sierra Leone’s
exports, GDP growth moderated to 3.1 per cent in 2009, but recovered quickly in 2010, continuing at more than
five per cent p.a. in 2010–15. The outbreak of ebola in late 2013 had a devastating impact on economic
activity and caused the collapse of tourism.

TOP 3 EXPORTING PRODUCTS

Diamonds COCOA COFFEE BEANS

Sierra
Leone main export partners are: Belgium, Netherlands, China and United States.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

Located on the western coast of Africa, Sierra Leone contains four distinct regions:
plateaus, mountains, lowland plains and forests.

The plateaus in the eastern portion of the country are diffused with high mountains,
including Sierra Leone's highest point Loma Mansa (Mount Bintimani) at 6,391 ft (1,948 m).

As you move west, the center part of the country is made up of lowland plains punctuated
by forests, bush and farmland, all of which gives way to Guinean mangrove swamps along the
coast.

Major sources of water include the Rokel River, Taia River, Sewa River, and Moa River.

The lowest point of the Sierra Leone is the Atlantic Ocean (0 m).
 SAINT COLUMBAN COLLEGE (SCC)

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION (CBE)

PAGADIAN CITY

TOP 10
POOREST COUNTRIES
IN THE WORLD
2018

SUBMITTED BY:
HAIMEN A MASLA
BSA-I

SUBMITTED TO:
MARIA DEVERSIN D. RAMAS