The objective of this assignment is to get you to examine the geography of a commodity. To begin, select one particular commodity and explore the patterns of its origin and its consumption by identifying this commodity’s main exporters and importers. Then examine the geographical patterns of paths that this commodity takes from examples of its main points of origin and consumption. You are free to select a commodity of your choice among a wide range of agricultural products. In selecting a commodity you should avoid something as broad as ‘fruit’ or ‘beverages’ and narrow your focus to a particular product such as sugar, tea, bananas, or coffee.
In completing the assignment you should be sure to address the following questions:
- Where is the commodity produced?
Describe the geography of production. What are the major places, countries and world regions where the commodity is produced?
For question 1, refer to production data from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/ – rankings/countries_by_commodity and
http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/ – data/QC/visualize
- Where is the commodity consumed?
Where are the major markets for the commodity?.
Sample Solution
