A Study of Cotton Trade and Trade in Africa Essay -- Essays Papers

A Study of Cotton Trade and Trade in Africa History of Cotton The word cotton is derived from the Arabic word ‘qutun’ or ‘kutun’ which is used to describe any textile that is very fine. Cotton is one of the oldest known fibers in the world, which has been found by archeologists during the course of excavating ancient civilizations. Traces of cotton fiber were found to exist over 5000 years ago, when archeologists were excavating a cite in Mohenjo Daro, which lies in the Indus Valley in West Pakistan. Alexander the great and his army brought cotton goods and material to Europe around 300BC. However, the price of these cotton goods was so expensive that only the rich could afford it. The southern states of America started growing cotton in the early 17th century and also making cotton goods and materials out of it. The acquisition of colonies around the world by Great Britain, led to tremendous development of the cotton industry because most of Britain’s colonies were suitable for cotton growth. In the early 19th century the southern American states became the biggest single supplier of cotton to the now thriving English textile mills. In the early 1900s, United States was the producing more then 50% of the total world cotton. Growing conditions for cotton Cotton plants have a growth cycle of about 6 months from the time they germinate to the time they are picked. Cotton seeds are usually planted in spring or as soon as the soil temperature is warm enough to ensure satisfactory seed germination and crop establishment cotton plants grow well in areas that hot summers/dry spells with low humidity and long hours of sunshine. The plant usually requires about 150 days free from frost. Cotton plants also require higher ... ...cts/english.html Mali Economy http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ml.html#Econ Organization of African Union (O.A.U) and African Union (A.U) http://www.oau-creation.com/Part%20One.htm Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) http://www.ecowas.int/ The Objectives of the African Union http://www.africa-union.org/home/Welcome.htm The vision of the African Union http://www.africa-union.org/home/Welcome.htm Cotton facts http://www.icac.org/icac/cotton_info/publications/cotton_facts/english.html World Trade Organization (W.T.O) http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/19/26/34353004.pdf Cotton Plants http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article?tocId=199250 Cotton Industry http://www.cottonaustralia.com.au/LI_whatiscotton.html Brazil Triumphs Over U.S. in WTO Subsidies Dispute http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0304-01.htm