becau s e scatter recover more t ha n within although k now Foreign trade, the exchange of goods between nations, takes place for many reasons. The first, as it is , is that no nation has all of the commodities that it needs. Raw materials around the world. Large deposits of copper are mined in Peru and Zaire, diamonds are mined in South Africa and petroleum in the Middle East. Countries that do not have these resources their own boundaries must buy from countries that export them. Foreign trade also occurs a country often does not have enough of a particular item to meet its needs. the United States is a major producer of sugar, it consumes it can produce internally and thus must import sugar.