What is the Difference between Import and Export?

collettepf
collettepf Posts: 0 Arc User
edited September 2012 in The Fanatics Forum
International trade is a steady sea of import and export which involves countries all over the world, and people sometimes confuse the difference between exports and imports. Put simply, an import is something which is brought into a country over an international boundary, while an export is something which is shipped out of a country over an international boundary. If an American grocery store chain buys bananas from Mexico, it is said to be importing the bananas, while the Mexican produce company which grows the bananas is exporting them.
Most countries attempt to achieve a trade balance, in which the flow of imports and exports is relatively equal. If a country exports too much, it may not be able to support its domestic needs, while a country which imports excessive amounts of products may not have enough money to support the high volume of imports. In a country with a trade balance, import and export rates are about equal, with nations exporting excess items for sale, and importing the goods that it needs.
The confusion between the two terms can be alleviated by looking at the prefixes and comparing them to other known words. The prefix