Forest area (hectares) - Ag. & rural development - Development outcomes - African Development Indicators



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Forest area is the land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than 5 metres and a canopy cover of more than 10 percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ. It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use. Forest is determined both by the presence of trees and the absence of other predominant land uses. The trees should be able to reach a minimum height of 5 metres (m) in situ. Areas under reforestation that have not yet reached but are expected to reach a canopy cover of 10 percent and a tree height of 5 m are included, as are temporarily unstocked areas, resulting from human intervention or natural causes, which are expected to regenerate. Includes: areas with bamboo and palms provided that height and canopy cover criteria are met; forest roads, firebreaks and other small open areas; forest in national parks, nature reserves and other protected areas such as those of specific scientific, historical, cultural or spiritual interest; windbreaks, shelterbelts and corridors of trees with an area of more than 0.5 ha and width of more than 20 m; plantations primarily used for forestry or protective purposes, such as: rubber-wood plantations and cork, oak stands. Excludes: tree stands in agricultural production systems, for example in fruit plantations and agroforestry systems. The term also excludes trees in urban parks and gardens. Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, Global Forest Resources Assessment.
Forest area (hectares) - Ag. & rural development - Development outcomes - African Development Indicators (2007)

Rank

Country

Value

1Africa626,231,800
2Sub-Saharan Africa618,141,500
3Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa608,938,500
4Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa and Nigeria598,668,700
5Democratic Republic of the Congo132,970,700
6Sudan66,367,700
7Angola58,854,400
8Zambia41,562,400
9Tanzania34,432,600
10Central African Republic22,695,800
11Republic of the Congo22,437,300
12Gabon21,754,600
13Cameroon20,805,000
14Mozambique19,162,000
15Zimbabwe16,914,000
16Madagascar12,763,700
17Ethiopia12,718,000
18Mali12,371,500
19Chad11,762,600
20Botswana11,706,200
21Ivory Coast10,435,800
22Nigeria10,269,800
23South Africa9,203,000
24Senegal8,583,200
25North Africa8,090,300
26Namibia7,512,200
27Somalia6,977,400
28Burkina Faso6,746,400
29Guinea6,652,200
30Ghana5,286,200
31Morocco4,378,400
32Kenya3,498,000
33Uganda3,454,200
34Malawi3,336,000
35Liberia3,033,600
36Sierra Leone2,715,800
37Algeria2,329,900
38Benin2,221,400
39Guinea-Bissau2,052,300
40Equatorial Guinea1,601,500
41Eritrea1,549,600
42Niger1,241,100
43Tunisia1,094,800
44Swaziland550,400
45Rwanda534,400
46Gambia475,000
47Togo346,000
48Mauritania247,000
49Libya217,000
50Burundi133,600
51Cape Verde84,500
52Egypt70,200
53Seychelles40,000
54Mauritius36,600
55Sao Tome and Principe27,400
56Lesotho8,400
57Djibouti5,600
58Comoros4,400
Country Comparison Graph