Other ores and minerals also abound in African soil, including copper, nickel, iron, silver, uranium, lithium, bauxite, titanium, platinum, rubies, radium and zinc. Island and coastal nations produce fish, but also cinnamon trees, and even hydropower. Other natural resources include coconuts, guano deposits and other fertilizers, peat, marble, timber and petroleum. Petroleum reserves can be found in many African nations, among them Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Gabon, Chad, Angola and Cameroon. In this, the petroleum market in Africa is larger than many realize (Nationmaster.com).

The United States has noticed the African oil and petroleum reserves. Crude oil dominates US imports from Sub-Saharan Africa, and accounts for 61% of US purchases from the region. In 2002, Sub-Saharan Africa provided 13.8% of the US crude oil imports (by value); compare this to the Persian Gulfùwhich provides the US with 23% of its oil importsùand the significance of African natural resources for the US becomes clear (Feldman

According to the United States Department of Comme

Looking ahead it is clear that Africa, as a developing continent, will have a trajectory that will be difficult to predict. With so many variables impacting its economic stability, it is difficult to know where to turn first. Additionally, there are many unknowns. For example, the impact rural population pressure ôwill have on agriculture and natural resource management, agricultural productivity, poverty, or natural resource conditionsö is notoriously difficult to anticipate (Pender 325). In a continent such as Africa, where population growth is consistently an issue, the future of the export market for natural resources will likewise remain uncertain. Fold into this blend of traditional obstacles the AIDS pandemic, global market fluctuations and precarious oil and petroleum prices, and it becomes difficult to be optimistic on AfricaÆs behalf.

Perhaps the largest, most dangerous trend to afflict the African continent, however, is the HIV/AIDS crisis. The HIV/AIDS explosion in Africa has been and will continue to be an enormous factor, as more than 70% of the worldÆs HIV positive population resides in Sub-Saharan Africa. Within the continent, nearly one-in-three members of the adult population is a carrier of the HIV virus. From a purely economic standpoint, ôstudies estimate that in half the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, per capita GDP growth is falling by 0.7%-1.6% as a direct resu