Which one of the following countries has an export trade which is dominated by a single mineral?

Answer Details

Zambia is the country whose export trade is dominated by a single mineral: copper. Zambia sits on the Copperbelt, one of the world's richest copper-mining regions, and copper has historically accounted for the vast majority of the country's export earnings. This heavy dependence on a single mineral export makes Zambia a classic example of a mono-mineral economy.

The other countries do not have exports dominated by a single mineral:

• The Central African Empire (now the Central African Republic) has some diamond mining, but its economy is not as heavily dependent on one mineral as Zambia's is on copper.
• Kenya has a diversified export base led by agricultural products such as tea, coffee, and horticultural products (flowers and vegetables), along with tourism revenue.
• Uganda similarly relies on agricultural exports, particularly coffee, tea, and fish, rather than mineral exports.

Zambia's extreme dependence on copper exports has made the country vulnerable to fluctuations in global copper prices, illustrating the economic risks of relying on a single commodity.