Question map
Which of the following countries are well known as the two largest cocoa producers in the world ?
Explanation
Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana in West Africa are the world's largest cocoa producers, together contributing over 60% of global cocoa production volume.[3] More specifically, Côte d'Ivoire is the largest cocoa producer in the world, supplying roughly 40% of global cocoa demand[6], while Ghana is the second largest cocoa producer in the world, contributing to 25% of global cocoa production.[7]
The other options can be ruled out as none of these countries are major cocoa producers. Cocoa is more extensively cultivated in West Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, with Ghana and the Ivory Coast being the two most important producers.[8] Algeria, Morocco, Botswana, Namibia, Madagascar, and Mozambique are not among the leading cocoa-producing nations globally. Therefore, option C is unequivocally correct.
Sources- [1] https://www.wri.org/insights/hidden-benefits-cacao-waste
- [2] https://www.wri.org/insights/hidden-benefits-cacao-waste
- [3] https://www.wri.org/insights/hidden-benefits-cacao-waste
- [4] https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/unido-publications/2023-01/PCP-diagnostics-Ivory-Coast-en.pdf
- [5] https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/unido-publications/2023-01/PCP-diagnostics-Ivory-Coast-en.pdf
- [6] https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/unido-publications/2023-01/PCP-diagnostics-Ivory-Coast-en.pdf
- [7] https://www.undp.org/foodsystems/ghana-sustainable-cocoa
- [8] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 15: The Hot, Wet Equatorial Climate > Life and Development in the Equatorial Regions > p. 153
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis is a classic 'Sitter' from standard static geography (GC Leong). While production numbers fluctuate, the dominance of the West African 'Cocoa Belt' is a decades-old geographic fact found in every basic textbook. If you missed this, you are neglecting the 'Economic Geography' chapters of NCERT/GC Leong.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Are Algeria and Morocco the two largest cocoa producers in the world?
- Statement 2: Are Botswana and Namibia the two largest cocoa producers in the world?
- Statement 3: Are Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Ghana the two largest cocoa producers in the world?
- Statement 4: Are Madagascar and Mozambique the two largest cocoa producers in the world?
- Explicitly names Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana as the world’s largest cocoa producers.
- Says those two countries together contribute over 60% of global cocoa production, which excludes Algeria and Morocco as top producers.
- States Côte d’Ivoire is the largest cocoa producer in the world, supplying roughly 40% of global cocoa demand.
- Identifies a clear leading producer different from Algeria or Morocco.
- Lists Ghana and Indonesia as the second and third-largest producers with specific production figures.
- Provides production ranks/numbers that show the top producers are other countries, not Algeria or Morocco.
Lists the leading cocoa producers as Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon and other tropical American and SE Asian countries — indicating major production centers are not Algeria or Morocco.
A student could compare a world map/climate zones to note Algeria and Morocco lie outside these tropical production regions and thus are unlikely to be top producers.
Gives percentage shares showing West Africa (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria) supplies a large portion of world cocoa — implying top producers are West African, not North African.
Using the percentages, a student could infer the scale required to be 'two largest' and recognize Algeria/Morocco are not listed among those high-share producers.
States cocoa is more extensively cultivated in West Africa with Ghana and Ivory Coast as the two most important producers, reinforcing the West Africa dominance.
A student could combine this with knowledge of Algeria/Morocco's geographic location (North Africa) to judge they are unlikely to outrank West African producers.
Notes cocoa is cultivated in West Africa bordering the Gulf of Guinea and identifies Ghana and Nigeria as most important producers — again pointing to tropical West Africa as core production area.
A student could use this regional pattern to exclude North African Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Morocco) from being top cocoa producers.
States cacao is indigenous to tropical America (Central and parts of South America), indicating cocoa requires tropical conditions.
A student could apply basic climate knowledge (Algeria/Morocco have large non-tropical zones) to conclude they are unlikely major cocoa producers.
- Explicitly names Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana as the world’s largest cocoa producers, which contradicts Botswana/Namibia being the top two.
- Says those two countries together contribute over 60% of global production, implying other countries (like Botswana/Namibia) are not dominant.
- Provides ranked production figures showing Côte d’Ivoire first and Ghana second, with Indonesia third — no mention of Botswana or Namibia as top producers.
- Gives specific tonnage for Ghana and Indonesia, reinforcing the established top producer list that excludes Botswana/Namibia.
- States that Côte d’Ivoire is the largest cocoa producer in the world, supplying roughly 40% of global cocoa demand, which contradicts Botswana/Namibia being the top producers.
- Identifies the dominant producer clearly, further excluding Botswana and Namibia from the top positions.
Lists the leading cocoa producers (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, plus several Latin American and SE Asian countries), omitting Botswana and Namibia.
A student could compare published global producer rankings or check whether Botswana/Namibia appear on major-producer lists to judge the claim.
States cocoa is more extensively cultivated in West Africa and names Ghana and the Ivory Coast as the two most important producers (with explicit world-production percentages).
Using a world map and basic country production data, a student can note Botswana/Namibia are not West African cocoa hubs and are unlikely to match those producers.
Notes cocoa is cultivated in West Africa (Gulf of Guinea) and explicitly names Ghana and Nigeria as the two most important producers in that region.
A student could use this regional-production pattern plus the geographical locations of Botswana and Namibia (southern Africa) to infer climatic and location mismatch for major cocoa production.
Describes cocoa as native to equatorial regions and distinguishes varieties with origins in tropical America and Africa, implying cocoa requires tropical, humid conditions.
A student can check Botswana/Namibia climates (largely arid/semi-arid) against cocoa's tropical/humid cultivation requirements to evaluate plausibility.
- Explicitly identifies Ghana and the Ivory Coast as the two most important cocoa producers.
- Provides numerical world-production shares (22% and 17%) that support their top-two status.
- Lists Ghana and Ivory Coast among the leading global cocoa producers.
- Groups them with other major African producers, reinforcing West Africa's central role in cocoa supply.
- Enumerates leading cocoa-producing countries with Ivory Coast and Ghana at the head of the list.
- Identifies Ivory Coast as a leading exporter, implying large-scale production capacity.
- Explicitly names the world’s largest cocoa producers as Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, contradicting Madagascar and Mozambique being the top two.
- States the combined share (over 60%) of global production held by those two countries, indicating dominance by others.
- Identifies Côte d’Ivoire as the largest cocoa producer, supplying roughly 40% of global cocoa demand — showing at least one of the top producers is not Madagascar or Mozambique.
- Provides a strong quantitative statement about global ranking, useful to refute the claim.
- States Ghana is the second largest cocoa producer and contributes 25% of global production, listing the leading countries as Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana rather than Madagascar and Mozambique.
- Supports the ranking information needed to assess the claim about the top two producers.
Lists the leading cocoa producers (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, and several Latin American countries) — showing which countries are commonly named as top producers.
A student could compare this list to world cocoa production rankings (or a world map of major cocoa regions) to see that Madagascar and Mozambique are not mentioned among top producers and thus are unlikely to be the top two.
Gives percentage shares from West Africa (e.g., Ghana 22%, Ivory Coast 11%, Nigeria 15%) indicating West Africa supplies a large majority of cocoa.
Using these percentages and knowing West Africa's dominance, a student could infer that two top producers would likely be West African countries rather than Madagascar or Mozambique.
States the two most important cocoa producers are Ghana and the Ivory Coast, emphasising specific top countries.
A student could note these named top producers and then check geographic locations (West Africa) to judge the plausibility of Madagascar and Mozambique being the top two instead.
Again identifies major cocoa cultivation as centred in West Africa and names Ghana and Nigeria as the two most important producers.
Combine this pattern (West African dominance, named top producers) with basic country-location knowledge to suspect the statement is unlikely.
Mentions Mozambique as a producer for another crop (sugarcane) but does not list Mozambique among cocoa producers — an absence that can be informative.
A student can treat Mozambique's absence from cocoa producer lists as a clue to check external cocoa-production data; absence suggests Mozambique is not a leading cocoa producer.
- [THE VERDICT]: Sitter. Direct hit from GC Leong (Chapter 15: Equatorial Climate & Chapter 26: Agriculture).
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Global Economic Geography > Major Plantation Crops > Regional Specialisation.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize the 'Top 2' for other plantation giants: Natural Rubber (Thailand, Indonesia), Palm Oil (Indonesia, Malaysia), Coffee (Brazil, Vietnam), and Tea (China, India).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Do not memorize lists in isolation. Overlay crops on climatic maps. Cocoa requires 'Hot & Wet' Equatorial climate. Knowing this instantly eliminates arid regions (North/South Africa) without needing specific data.
Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Cameroon are identified as the leading cocoa producers, making West Africa the dominant cocoa belt rather than North Africa.
High-yield: mastering which world regions dominate specific commodity production helps answer questions on export profiles, regional economies, and trade. Connects to plantation economies, rural livelihoods, and international trade patterns; useful for elimination in MCQs about leading producers.
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 12: Major Crops and Cropping Patterns in India > Cocoa or Cacao (Teobroma Cacao) > p. 48
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 26: Agriculture > World Production and Distribution > p. 256
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 15: The Hot, Wet Equatorial Climate > Life and Development in the Equatorial Regions > p. 153
Cocoa grows in hot, wet equatorial/tropical climates, not in the Mediterranean or arid climates of Algeria and Morocco.
High-yield: understanding crop–climate relationships lets aspirants predict geographical distribution of crops, link climate zones to agricultural outputs, and tackle questions on agro-climatic suitability and regional cropping patterns.
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 15: The Hot, Wet Equatorial Climate > Life and Development in the Equatorial Regions > p. 153
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 12: Major Crops and Cropping Patterns in India > Cocoa or Cacao (Teobroma Cacao) > p. 46
- Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 30: Climatic Regions > Plantation Boom > p. 427
Important cocoa producers also include countries in Latin America and Southeast Asia (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Malaysia, Indonesia), so top producers are not located in North Africa.
Moderately high: knowing alternative major producing regions aids comparative questions on global supply chains, diversification of production, and historical diffusion of crops; useful in questions about commodity geography and export markets.
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 12: Major Crops and Cropping Patterns in India > Cocoa or Cacao (Teobroma Cacao) > p. 48
- Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 30: Climatic Regions > Plantation Boom > p. 427
The world's leading cocoa production is concentrated in West African countries such as Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Cameroon, not in southern African states like Botswana or Namibia.
High-yield: questions often ask which regions or countries dominate production of tropical cash crops; knowing West Africa's dominance for cocoa helps eliminate incorrect options. Connects to topics on regional specialisation, export economies and trade patterns. Enables answering comparative questions on agricultural production and global commodity distribution.
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 12: Major Crops and Cropping Patterns in India > Cocoa or Cacao (Teobroma Cacao) > p. 48
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 15: The Hot, Wet Equatorial Climate > Life and Development in the Equatorial Regions > p. 153
- Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 30: Climatic Regions > Plantation Boom > p. 427
Cocoa's Centre of origin (tropical America) and the existence of distinct varieties (Criollo from the Americas and Forastero from Africa) explain why different regions produce different quantities and qualities of cocoa.
High-yield: mastering crop origin and varietal differences aids in questions about agricultural adaptation, yield and quality differences across regions. Links to disease susceptibility, plantation vs smallholder cultivation, and why certain countries specialise in cocoa production.
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 26: Agriculture > World Production and Dlstribution > p. 256
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 12: Major Crops and Cropping Patterns in India > Cocoa or Cacao (Teobroma Cacao) > p. 46
Cocoa requires hot, wet equatorial climates and is grown on plantations in equatorial regions (West Africa, Central America, parts of SE Asia), explaining geographic concentration of production.
High-yield: knowing climate-crop relationships is critical for geography and economy questions; it helps predict which countries can be major producers and explains why arid or southern African countries are unlikely top producers. Useful for questions on agro-climatic zoning and crop distribution.
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 15: The Hot, Wet Equatorial Climate > Life and Development in the Equatorial Regions > p. 153
- Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 30: Climatic Regions > Plantation Boom > p. 427
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 12: Major Crops and Cropping Patterns in India > Cocoa or Cacao (Teobroma Cacao) > p. 48
West African countries (notably Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon) account for the bulk of global cocoa production.
High-yield topic for physical and economic geography questions because it links regional agro-climates to export earnings and global commodity chains. Mastering this aids answers on regional specialization, trade dependence, and development policy.
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 12: Major Crops and Cropping Patterns in India > Cocoa or Cacao (Teobroma Cacao) > p. 48
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 15: The Hot, Wet Equatorial Climate > Life and Development in the Equatorial Regions > p. 153
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 26: Agriculture > World Production and Distribution > p. 256
In the same GC Leong chapter, Natural Rubber is discussed alongside Cocoa. While Cocoa is West Africa's gold, Rubber is Southeast Asia's dominance (Thailand/Indonesia). Expect a question on the 'Rubber Belt' or the specific climatic requirement of a 'dry spell' for Mango/Cashew vs continuous rain for Rubber.
Apply 'Climatic Determinism'. Cocoa is a delicate equatorial crop requiring high humidity and no frost.
1. Algeria/Morocco (Option A) = Mediterranean/Desert (Too dry/cold).
2. Botswana/Namibia (Option B) = Kalahari Desert (Too dry).
3. This leaves only C and D. Between West Africa (Gold Coast) and East Africa, standard GK favors the West. Options A and B are climatically impossible.
Link this to GS3 (Economy) & IR: The 'EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)' is a hot topic affecting cocoa/coffee exports from these specific countries (Ghana/Ivory Coast). Understanding their economic dependence on this single crop explains their negotiating stance in WTO/EU trade talks.