|
East Germany RESOURCE BASE
East Germany is a resource-poor and relatively small
politico-economic entity. It must import most of the raw
materials it needs, aside from lignite, copper, and potash. Iron
ore deposits are widely scattered in areas unfavorable to mining
and have thin seams with an iron content of only 20 to 35
percent. Most of the iron ore, high-grade coal, and oil needed by
the country and all of its bauxite, chromium, manganese, and
phosphate must be imported. Most cotton and lumber also come from
abroad. According to West German calculations, in the early 1980s
East Germany was exporting 25 to 30 percent of its gross domestic
product
(GDP--see Glossary)
to pay for these basic materials.
Even the country's water supply has been barely sufficient for
its needs. However, East Germany is self-sufficient in a number
of other minerals: rock salt, fluorspar, heavy spar, stone and
earth for building, tin, and raw materials for glass and ceramics
manufacture.
East Germany's agricultural base is not as large as that of
other East European countries; the country has an agricultural
area of only 0.4 hectare per citizen. However, its climate and
soil fertility are adequate for large-scale production of a wide
range of crops and livestock.
By the mid-1980s, East Germany's heavy reliance on lignite,
the only fuel source it possessed in great quantity, was exacting
a heavy price from the country's natural environment, resulting
in a high level of atmospheric pollution, particularly from
sulfur dioxide. In the 1980s, increasing use of nitrate
fertilizers and pesticides was also creating problems. The
country has become one of the most polluted regions of Europe. In
an effort to combat the growing pollution, the East German
government, having long affirmed the importance of environmental
protection, was a party to a number of international agreements
concerning progressive reduction of harmful emissions. Additional
government policies to protect the environment and the country's
resources included recycling of materials, energy conservation,
and enforcement of already existing regulations.
Data as of July 1987
|
