200 1 Jim o' neill, chief economist of Goldman Sachs, first put forward the concept of BRIC, especially the global emerging markets. In 2009, BRICS leaders held their first meeting in Yekaterinburg, Russia, and held it once a year thereafter. The establishment of BRICS leaders' meeting mechanism has provided political guidance and strong impetus for BRICS cooperation and development. For a long time, the BRICS countries have spoken with one voice on major international and regional issues, actively promoted the process of global economic governance reform, and greatly improved the representation and voice of emerging market countries and developing countries.
It is worth mentioning that in 2003, Goldman Sachs published a global economic report entitled "Dream with the BRICS". According to the forecast, by 2050, the world economic structure will be drastically reshuffled, and the world's six new economies will become China, the United States, India, Japan, Brazil and Russia.
I. Overview of BRICS countries
BRICS countries account for 26.46% of the world's total territory and 42.58% of the world's total population. In 2020, the total GDP of BRICS countries will reach 2 1 trillion. As early as 20 17, the total economic output of the five countries accounted for about 23.24% of the world, and the total trade volume and foreign investment accounted for 15.88% and 12.45% of the world respectively, contributing 50% to the world economic growth. The voting rights of the five countries in the World Bank are 13.24%, and the total share in the International Monetary Fund is 14.9 1%. Member countries of BRICS: Brazil, Russian Federation, Indian Federation, China and South Africa.
Lin Yifu, president of Peking University Xinjiegou Research Institute, once said that if China can achieve an annual economic growth of 5% to 6% in the future 10, China will become the largest economy in the world until 2030. In 2020, China's total economic output exceeded 1000 billion yuan for the first time. It is predicted that the proportion of China's total economic output in the world economy will exceed 17% in that year.
2. What are the outstanding characteristics of BRICS countries?
1, China characteristics
Population: China, with a population of/kloc-0.4 billion, is the largest country in the world. It has abundant and reliable labor force and rapid development of science and technology, which promotes the economic prosperity of China. In addition to China's unparalleled price advantage, the quality of employees is constantly improving.
Geography: The land area is 9.6 million square kilometers, accounting for about115 of the world's total land area, slightly equivalent to the total area of European countries except the Soviet Union, ranking third in the world after Russia (17075 square kilometers) and Canada (9975438+00000 square kilometers). The eastern region accounts for 10.5%, the central region accounts for 25.3% and the western region accounts for 64.2%.
Economy: China is the world's second largest economy (after the United States), the world's largest industrial country, the world's largest agricultural country, and one of the fastest growing countries in the world, with an average annual growth rate of nearly 10% in the past 30 years. China is the world's largest exporter and second largest importer, while the United States is the world's largest importer and second largest exporter.
Transportation: The national railway mileage reached 6.5438+0.27 million kilometers, ranking first in the world; China's high-speed rail mileage has reached 35,000 kilometers, leading the world. The total length of expressways ranks first in the world.
Resources: China is one of the largest energy countries in the world, with a complete range of conventional energy sources. Especially rich in coal resources, as early as the end of 1990, the coal reserves reached 9014.53 million tons, ranking among the top in the world; Hydraulic resources are very rich, with theoretical reserves of 676 million kilowatts, ranking1in the world; China is one of the few countries in the world with many kinds of minerals, wide distribution, large reserves and self-sufficiency in most mineral resources. By the end of 1990, there were 148 kinds of minerals with certain reserves in China. Among them, tungsten, antimony, tin, mercury, molybdenum, zinc, copper, bismuth, vanadium, titanium, rare earth and lithium rank among the top in the world. For example, the reserves of tungsten are more than three times that of all countries in the world, rare earth metals account for more than half of the world's total reserves, and antimony accounts for 44% of the world's reserves. The reserves of lead, iron, silver, manganese and nickel are of world significance. Although the reserves of iron and manganese rank third in the world, pyrite and magnesite rank first, phosphate rock ranks second and asbestos ranks first. It is worth mentioning that the reserves of tungsten, tin, antimony, zinc, mercury and lead in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces in the southeast of China rank second in the world 1 and 2/respectively.
Scale: As the second largest economic power in the world, China has created many world firsts: for example, China's total power generation is the first, China's creativity is the first, China's express delivery is the first, China's sea-crossing bridge is the first, China's tall buildings are the first, China's port is the first, and China's orbital launch is the first. China's 500m spherical radio telescope (FAST) is the first in the world.
Culture: The total number of world heritage sites in China has reached 55, ranking first in the world.
2. Characteristics of Russia
With a land area of 17075400 square kilometers, Russia is the largest country in the world.
Russia's resources in this field: Russia has the largest reserves of mineral and energy resources in the world, and is also the largest exporter of oil and natural gas. Russia has the largest forest reserves and lakes in the world, and its fresh water reserves account for about 25% of the world total.
Russia is the world's largest exporter of natural gas and the second largest exporter of oil. Oil and natural gas are the two wings of Russian economy. The exploitation and production of these two industrial veins control one-fifth of the country's output, creating 50% of the export trade output value and 40% of the national income.
Russia is also the largest producer of palladium, platinum and titanium in the world. It is estimated that Russia's diamond reserves are 10 times that of the rest of the world combined.
Russian agriculture: Russia has maintained the number one export of wheat in the world for three consecutive years. Russia's grain exports rank second in the world. In fact, Russia's agricultural exports have surpassed the arms exports of the military industry and become the second pillar industry after oil and gas exports. Selling food is more profitable than selling weapons. Russia's Siberian land is fertile, with an area of120,000 square kilometers, which is especially suitable for developing agriculture. According to the statistics of Russian agricultural department, the total area of agricultural land in Russia is as high as 65.438+0.68 billion hectares, which is the most extensive agricultural land in the world, which makes Russia not only take off the hat of Russia as a global agricultural importer, but also transform itself into a top agricultural country in the world, on par with the United States.
Russia in the military field: Russia once inherited most of the military strength of the Soviet Union, ranking second in the world in terms of comprehensive military strength and possessing the largest nuclear arsenal in the world. In the international system of "one superpower, many powers", Russia is a powerful country with great influence, and its military strength is very strong, especially its space technology, which ranks among the best in the world.
Russian science and technology: Russia's aerospace industry is very developed and is in a leading position in the world. As early as 1957 10/0, the Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial earth satellite, which opened a new era of human conquest of space and confirmed the Soviet Union's leading position in the world space research field. Soviet scientists became pioneers in automatic space flight and manned space flight. The Soviet Union is the first country in the world, especially in manufacturing many spaceships, launching orbital stations and space welding. Soviet and Russian astronauts have so far maintained the world record of staying in space. In the field of orbital space station technology with cutting-edge technology in aerospace industry, Russia has been ahead of western countries such as the United States and Europe for decades. It is worth mentioning that the "Peace" orbital space station, which entered space as early as the 1980s, has flown around the earth more than 50,000 times and conducted a lot of scientific experiments.
3. Characteristics of Brazilians
Brazil is the largest country in South America and enjoys the reputation of "Football Kingdom". The total land area is 8514900 square kilometers, accounting for 46% of the total area of South America, ranking fifth in the world, next only to Russia, Canada, China and the United States. The total population is 21100 million. Football is the mainstream sport in Brazil's cultural life and the host country of the 20 14 World Cup.
Brazil's resources: Brazil's gross national product ranks first in Latin America and is currently the ninth largest economy in the world. It is worth mentioning that Brazil has natural advantages in raw material resources. Brazil has the highest reserves of iron, copper, nickel, manganese and bauxite in the world. Brazil has 18% of fresh water in the world, with a per capita fresh water possession of 29,000 cubic meters and a water conservancy reserve of 65,438+43 million kilowatts per year.
Embraer: Embraer ranks among the top three in the world's civil aviation industry, becoming a civil aviation aircraft manufacturer second only to Boeing and Airbus. It has become the world's largest manufacturer of commercial jets with seats below 120, accounting for about 45% of the world regional jet market.
Agriculture in Brazil: Agriculture and animal husbandry in Brazil are very developed. Brazil is the main producer of sugar, coffee, citrus, corn, chicken, beef, tobacco and soybean in the world. Brazil is the largest coffee producer and exporter in the world, and is known as the "coffee kingdom". Brazil is the world's largest producer and exporter of sucrose, the second largest producer and exporter of soybeans and the third largest producer of corn. Its corn exports rank among the top five in the world, and Brazil is also the largest exporter of beef and chicken in the world. Brazil's arable land area is about 6.5438+52.5 million hectares, including 46.6 million hectares of arable land and 6.5438+77 million hectares of pasture.
It is worth mentioning that the planting area of genetically modified crops in Brazil has shown double-digit year-on-year growth for four consecutive years, ranking first in the world in terms of growth rate; The area of genetically modified crops in this country ranks second in the world after the United States. Brazil is a model of green energy development in the world. Brazil is not only a big producer and exporter of biofuels in the world, but also the only country in the world that does not supply pure gasoline. Brazil used to consume 46% renewable energy such as ethanol, which was higher than the global average of 13%.
Brazil's economy: In 2020, Brazil's total economy will be 1.84 trillion US dollars. It is worth mentioning that Brazil entered the ranks of underdeveloped countries as early as the 1960s and 1970s, and had the basic conditions to attack an economic power more than 20 years ago. However, due to persistent inflation, it suffered from "Latin American disease", which failed to catch up with developed countries and had no advantage of cheap labor, and was marginalized by the global economy for 30 years. Then Brazil's economy began to rise again. Brazil relies on abundant natural resources and the injection of funds from Europe and America. Especially from 1968 to 1973, the average growth rate of Brazil's economy is as high as 1 1.2%, which is known as the "Brazilian miracle".
4. Characteristics of India
Overview of India: India, the largest country in the South Asian subcontinent, is one of the four ancient civilizations in the world. Indus civilization was founded between 2500 BC and 1500 BC. India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population as high as 654.38+0.3 billion. It has gradually replaced China's position in the world cheap labor market and become a new labor market for all countries in the world. In particular, more than 6,000 listed companies have also made the Indian stock market grow at an unprecedented scale. In the past few decades, India's economy has grown steadily at an average annual rate of 5.6%. India's economy is dominated by planting, modern agriculture, handicrafts, modern industry and its supporting industries. A quarter of the country's population still has no food and clothes.
India is the largest developing country with parliamentary system in the world, and as early as 20 years ago, India was one of the poorest countries in the world. Therefore, India's rapid economic growth has only been more than ten years, but India has reached the international advanced level in the fields of software, medicine and other industries, especially the financial service system is very perfect.
India's per capita and pharmaceutical industry: According to preliminary statistics, one quarter of the largest 1000 companies in the United States use software developed in India. India has become the second largest traditional software production base outside the United States, and the world's largest outsourcing software production base is in Silicon Valley. It is worth mentioning that 70% of the middle and high-level Internet technology companies are Indians and 20% are white. For example, sundar pichai, CEO of Google, is a pure Indian, and there are four Indians on Google's board of directors. More and more Indians are occupying Google, including the middle and grassroots. It is worth mentioning that the Indian pharmaceutical industry occupies a very important position in the global market. For example, 40% of the world's "generic drugs" (drugs whose patent period has expired) are produced in India, and this industry has driven disposable personal income to rise rapidly with double-digit growth rate. Some large-scale infrastructure projects in India, such as the 6000-kilometer-long highway network and booming export trade, have also provided powerful successors for economic development.
India's resources: India is rich in mineral resources, with bauxite reserves and coal production ranking fifth in the world, and mica exports account for 60% of the world's exports.
Agriculture in India: India is a big agricultural country, and the rural population accounts for 72% of the total population. India is one of the largest grain producers in the world, and its agricultural area is close to 200 million hectares. You know, the total area of cultivated land in the world has just reached 17.4 hectares. It can be said that India alone accounts for 1 1%. According to the report of the European Union, India has become a net exporter of global agricultural products. According to the output data of FAO as early as 20 14, the output of millet, banana, cottonseed and mango in India ranks first in the world, accounting for 40% of the world. India ranks first in lemon production in the world. Papaya production ranks first in the world. The output of betel nut ranks first in the world. The output of dried pepper is the first in the world, and the output of ginger is the first in the world.
India's economy also has weaknesses that cannot be ignored, such as insufficient infrastructure, high fiscal deficit, and excessive dependence on energy and raw materials. For example, changes in social ethics, tensions in Kashmir, serious religious conflicts and frequent terrorist attacks may all lead to economic turmoil.
5. Characteristics of South Africa
South Africa is located in the southern hemisphere, known as the "rainbow country", at the southernmost tip of the African continent, with a land area of 1, 2 1, 9090 square kilometers. South Africa is the second largest economy in Africa, with the highest living standard per capita and the most perfect industrial system in Africa, especially deep well mining technology. Minerals are the main source of South Africa's economy. Compared with other African countries, South Africa's economy is relatively stable.
South Africa has a complete hardware infrastructure and stock exchange market. It is worth mentioning that South Africa ranks first in the world in terms of gold and diamond production. Deep well mining and other technologies are in the leading position in the world. South Africa has always been regarded as a medium-sized power in international affairs and maintains important regional influence.
South Africa's natural resources: South Africa is famous for its rich mineral resources. South Africa has more than 70 kinds of minerals such as gold, platinum group metals, manganese, vanadium, chromium, silicon and aluminate, ranking first in the world, of which gold reserves account for 60% of the world total, vermiculite, zirconium, titanium and fluorite rank second, phosphate and antimony rank fourth, and uranium and lead rank fourth. Diamond, asbestos, copper, vanadium, uranium and coal, iron, titanium, mica, lead and so on are also extremely rich.
South Africa is an important producer and exporter of gold, platinum group metals and chromium in the world. Diamond production accounts for about 9% of the world. South Africa's De Beers Company is the world's largest diamond production and sales company, controlling 60% of the global rough diamond trade.
South Africa's industry: The power industry is relatively developed, accounting for 2/3 of Africa's total power generation, of which about 92% is thermal power generation, which is one of the countries with the lowest electricity bill in the world. For example, ESKOM, a state-owned enterprise, is the seventh largest power producer and the ninth largest power seller in the world, with the largest dry-cooling power station in the world, supplying 95% of electricity consumption in South Africa and 60% of electricity consumption in Africa. The commercialization level of coal-based synthetic fuel and natural gas-based synthetic fuel technology of South Africa Sasol Company is in the leading position in the world, and its liquid fuel accounts for about 1/4 of the total fuel supply in South Africa.
Agriculture in South Africa: corn, wheat, sugar cane, barley, etc. The export volume of sucrose ranks among the top in the world. Sheep wool production is considerable, making it the fourth largest exporter of sheep wool in the world.
South Africa is the only African member of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, and it is also the gateway for BRICS trade and investment to enter southern Africa. With the help of the sales and production network of South African enterprises in southern Africa, the products and services of BRICS countries can enter southern Africa 15 countries and regions in a timely and convenient manner. South Africa's participation in the BRICS cooperation mechanism has given emerging economies a voice in Africa, making them more representative.
Members of the BRICS countries have become the largest trading partners of Africa and South Africa, and other BRICS countries have also realized the huge development potential of the African market.
3. What is the global economic aggregate of BRICS countries?
The total economic output of BRICS countries is: China (14.34 trillion US dollars), Russia (10.7 trillion US dollars), India (2.87 trillion US dollars), Brazil (10.84 trillion US dollars) and South Africa (3.510.40 billion US dollars). What concept?
Globally, the total GDP of BRICS countries is equivalent to 2 1.43 trillion US dollars, which is 34 times that of EU 15.63 trillion US dollars, 4./kloc-0 times that of Japan's 5.08 trillion US dollars, 5.46 times that of Germany's 3.86 trillion US dollars and Switzerland's 7030.
From the perspective of BRICS countries, China's economic aggregate stands out from the rest, and there is no comparability, because the gap between other BRICS countries and China's economic aggregate is very obvious. For example, China's economic aggregate (GDP) is nearly five times that of India; 7.6 times that of Brazil; 8.4 times that of Russia; 40.8 times that of South Africa; Among them, India's economic aggregate is 1.55 times that of Brazil; Eight times that of South Africa;
4. What is the per capita GDP of BRICS countries?
The per capita GDP of BRICS countries is basically below $654.38+$00,000. In 2020, China's GDP per capita is $65,438 +00484 (data from IMF), Russian GDP per capita is $65,438 +00037, Brazil is $6,783, South Africa is $5,067, and the lowest Indian GDP is $65,438 +0965. According to the United Nations threshold of $20,000 for developed countries, this indicator of BRICS wealth still has a long way to go. Therefore, the per capita GDP of BRICS China is similar to that of Russia; Brazil and South Africa are at the same level. Judging from the future development potential, China has greater potential and the situation will be better. It will be more difficult for other BRIC countries to reach $20 thousand in the future.
5. Who has stronger comprehensive strength in BRICS countries?
Economically, China's economic aggregate can be said to stand out from the crowd, with one country dominating, while the other four countries are not at the same level as China.
Especially by 2050, China is most likely to become the next superpower in the world! The reasons are as follows: First, China has a large population. China has not only the largest population in the world, but also the largest military force in the world. Secondly, China's military strength is also very strong, and China's military strength is now the top three in the world. Although there is a gap with the United States in some aspects, it is also developing rapidly and catching up. Thirdly, China's territory is large enough, and China has the third largest territory in the world, with complex and diverse terrain and very broad strategic depth, which is undoubtedly a very important foundation for becoming a superpower.
Also, China's industrial strength is strong enough. China's industrial strength is already the first in the world, and its industrial system is very complete. In fact, there is no shortage of cutting-edge technology in some areas in China. For example, quantum communication, 5G, Beidou Aerospace, supercomputers, artificial intelligence and so on. In some ways, it is the highest level in the world. China is bound to become the next superpower. To sum up, China's economic strength and comprehensive strength deserve to be the first.
On the Russian side, Russia's military strength is second only to the United States in the world, and the number of nuclear warheads ranks first in the world. The US Global Firepower website once ranked the military strength of 136 countries and regions in the world, and Russia ranked second in the world. Even the United States, as the only superpower in the world, dare not underestimate Russia's military strength, from which we can know what level Russia's military strength is in the world. Another example is a Swedish research report in 20 17, which shows that the Russian army can deal with many large-scale battles at the same time. This kind of evaluation has only been enjoyed by the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. So on the whole, Russia still maintains the second level in the world, and its military strength is actually all-round. Its strength worries Americans, that is to say, Americans would rather talk to Russia than fight it, because war is not good for anyone.
Economically, the most prominent thing in Russia is oil and gas, and it is highly dependent on oil and gas. At the same time, Russian agriculture is also a profitable industry. Russia's industrial base is quite good, but it is still in the stage of food and clothing, especially the light industry in Russia is quite backward. Therefore, Russia's economic shortcomings are very prominent.
The equipment of the Indian navy, air force and army is relatively backward, especially the air force is basically "made in various countries", so it is difficult to have outstanding performance in combat effectiveness. Modi's government has a strong "great country ambition", and India has been preparing for war and actively developing its military strength. After nearly 60 years of development, India's military strength has jumped to the top five in the world, and its strength is extraordinary. After Modi took office, he devoted himself to making India a world-class power on an equal footing with China, the United States and Russia. At the same time, India has always wanted to join the ranks of permanent members of the Security Council. To this end, India has been moving closer to the United States and Russia and has almost won the support of both countries. However, in China's view, the permanent members of the Security Council need to have the ability to maintain world order, which Indian countries do not have at present. To sum up, Russia's comprehensive strength, except military, especially economic, lags far behind China.
India is one of the fastest growing emerging economies and one of the top ten economies in the world. Although two-thirds of India's population still depends directly or simply on agriculture for a living, India's service industry has grown rapidly and played an important role in recent years. It is worth mentioning that agriculture accounts for only about 10% of India's economy, industry accounts for about 18%, and service industry accounts for more than 70%.
It is worth mentioning that India has the largest cultivated land area in Asia, exceeding 65.438+0.4 billion hectares. India has the largest number of cattle in the world, is the second largest producer of rice, wheat, sucrose, peanuts and freshwater fish in the world, and is also the third largest producer of tobacco in the world, especially milk, ginger, mango, coconut, tea (quite unexpected) and jute.
In addition to agriculture, India's steel, textile, software and other industries also have a high status in the world. Due to the developed higher education in India, and relying on information technology and a large number of educated young people who know English, India has developed into the center of "logistics process" for global enterprises to outsource customer service and technical support. India has become the world's "exporter" of software and financial technicians, known as the "world office". In particular, IT-related services have become a strong support for India's economic growth. According to statistics, the average annual growth rate of India's software industry has remained above 50% in recent years, which is much higher than the average annual growth rate of the world's software industry (20%).
India's biopharmaceuticals and software industry can be said to be world-famous, and the United States is second to none in the global software industry, followed by India. IT is worth mentioning that India ranks first in the field of IT outsourcing in the world, accounting for more than 50%. For example, among the global 15 IT outsourcing enterprises, Indian enterprises account for 7. In particular, Bangalore, a city in southern India, is known as the "Silicon Valley of India".
Compared with China, India's manufacturing industry is still very backward, but in its capital-intensive and technology-intensive industries, especially the service industry, India has been far ahead of many developing countries by virtue of its policies and innate advantages. In accounting, medicine, tax services, telecommunications and other aspects, India has made itself a world export base. For example, one-third of individual tax forms in the United States are sent to India to be filled out by local service-providing enterprises. Especially biotechnology and software technology, because of the same language and relatively low cost, many multinational companies have also set up some R&D bases in India, which are developed by local researchers. Other industries, such as manufacturing, telecommunications, shipbuilding, aviation and tourism, have great development potential.
India, with a population of1300 million, is a typical populous country. With its cheap labor, India attracted many foreign investors to set up factories and quickly became a manufacturing power. For example, economically affluent cities such as Kolkata and Bangalore in India are also prosperous in manufacturing. Although India's manufacturing industry is only ordinary processing production, it still becomes an indispensable part of India's economy with its huge labor force output. India ranks third among BRICS countries in comprehensive strength, because India and Russia are not at the same level militarily.
Brazil is the largest economy in Latin America with a relatively complete industrial system and the highest industrial output value in Latin America. In particular, steel, automobile, shipbuilding, petroleum, chemical industry, electric power, shoemaking and other industries enjoy a high reputation in the world, and the technical level of nuclear power, communication, electronics, aircraft manufacturing, information and military industry has entered the ranks of advanced countries in the world. Agriculture and animal husbandry in Brazil is very developed, and it is the main producer of sugar, coffee, citrus, corn, chicken, beef, tobacco and soybean in the world. Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer and exporter, known as the "coffee kingdom", and its sugarcane and citrus production also ranks first in the world. Soybean production ranks second in the world and corn production ranks third in the world. Brazil is the third largest candy producer in the world after the United States and Germany.
The analysis shows that the arable land area in China is about 400 million hectares, and it is known as "the world granary in 2 1 century". Pakistan is a big steel country in South America and the sixth largest steel producer in the world, with steel exports reaching120,000 tons, accounting for 54% of China's total steel. It is also the largest automobile manufacturer in Latin America and the ninth largest automobile manufacturer in the world. Brazil's tourism industry has a long reputation, and Brazil is one of the top ten foreign exchange earning countries in the world. The main tourist spots are churches and ancient buildings in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, El Salvador and Brasilia, Iguazu Waterfall and Itaipu Hydropower Station, Manaus Freeport, Black Gold City, Parana Stone Forest and Everglades. To sum up, Brazil's comprehensive strength ranks fourth among BRICS countries.
South Africa has excellent infrastructure, especially rich natural resources. South Africa is one of the five largest mineral countries in the world with a high degree of economic openness. In particular, mining, manufacturing and agriculture are the three pillars of South Africa's economy. The development level and regional distribution of various sectors of South Africa's national economy are unbalanced, and the income distribution is uneven.
The most prominent economic feature of South Africa is its rich mineral resources, with the reserves of gold, platinum group metals, manganese, vanadium, chromium, titanium and aluminosilicate ranking first in the world. The reserves of diamonds, asbestos, copper, vanadium, uranium, coal, iron, titanium, mica and lead are also extremely rich, including gold, diamonds, vanadium, manganese, chromium, antimony and uranium. Abundant resources, cheap labor and advanced management make South Africa the most economically developed country in Africa today. Especially in South Africa's mining, manufacturing, construction and energy industries, the export of mineral products accounts for about 50% of export income, and about 12% of the country's labor force is engaged in mining. Iron and steel industry is an important pillar of South Africa's manufacturing industry, with six iron and steel joint companies and 130 steel enterprises. South Africa has become the largest gold producer and exporter in the world. South Africa's power industry is relatively developed, accounting for 60% of Africa's total power generation.
South Africa's agriculture is also relatively developed, and the main crops are: corn, wheat, sugar cane, barley and so on. The export volume of sucrose ranks among the top in the world. South Africa is the largest gold producer and exporter in the world, and gold exports account for 1 1% of South Africa's total exports in 200 1 year. However, in recent years, due to the falling price of gold in the international market, platinum group metals have gradually replaced gold as the most important export mineral products. South Africa is also a major diamond producer in the world, accounting for about 8.7% of the world's output. South Africa's De Beers Company is the largest diamond production and sales company in the world, with total assets of $20 billion. Its turnover once accounted for 90% of the world diamond supply market, and now it controls 60% of the world rough diamond trade.
The arable land accounts for about 13% of the national territory, but the fertile land only accounts for 22% of the arable land. The main crop is corn. The quality of canned food, cigarettes, wine, coffee and drinks meets international standards, and South African wine enjoys a high reputation in the world. Forest coverage accounts for 6% of the total land area. Animal husbandry is relatively developed. Aquaculture production accounts for 5% in Africa and 0.03% in the world. To sum up, South Africa's comprehensive strength is at the bottom of the BRICS countries.