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Summaries · Grade 6 Geography › Trade in South Africa and the world
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Trade in South Africa and the world

Exports and imports, harbours and transport, and how trade affects countries and people. Read one part at a time and tap “I know this”. Then test yourself in the quiz.

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Exports and imports

Countries trade because no country can make everything itself. Exporting is selling goods to another country; importing is buying goods from another country. If a country exports more than it imports, more money comes in than goes out.

South Africa exportsSouth Africa imports
Gold, platinum, coal and other mineralsCrude oil (we do not produce enough ourselves)
Fruit and wineMachines and electronic devices
Tourism (a service)
  • Raw materials are natural materials, such as iron ore, cotton and timber, that have not yet been processed in a factory.
  • The trade balance is the difference between exports and imports.
  • An import duty is a tax on goods brought into a country.
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Harbours, ships and trains

Ships carry the most cargo over long distances, in large steel containers. A harbour is where ships load and unload. Trains carry heavy cargo cheaply over land, and good roads and railways get goods to the markets.

Durban’s busy container harbour.
Durban’s busy container harbour.
  • Durban is South Africa’s busiest container harbour.
  • Richards Bay exports the most coal.
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Who wins from trade?

  • Shoppers get more choice at lower prices, and goods not made locally.
  • When cheap imports flood in, local factories struggle to compete.
  • The exchange rate is the value of one currency in another.
  • A trade bloc is a group of countries trading together; trade between two countries is bilateral trade.
Rule

Fair trade pays farmers a fair price. Buy products with a fair-trade label to support farmers who are treated fairly.

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Remember this and test yourself

Remember this: your summary
  • Export = sell to another country; import = buy from another country.
  • South Africa exports mainly minerals and metals (gold, platinum, coal) and imports crude oil.
  • Ships carry the most cargo; Durban is the busiest container harbour; Richards Bay exports the most coal.
  • The trade balance is the difference between exports and imports; the exchange rate is one currency’s value in another.
  • Fair trade pays farmers a fair price; exploitation is treating workers unfairly.

Write these points in your book. Read them again the night before the test.

Memory trick

Export = goods exit the country (sell). Import = goods come in (buy).

Flash cards · Tap to turn over

Important words

First say what the word means, then turn the card over.

Test yourself · Part 2

True or false?

Read the question and the answer. Is the answer right? Tap True or False.

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