Tobacco Area Harvested by Country

This chart shows tobacco area harvested by country in the year 2007.

Tobacco is a product prepared from the leaves of the tobacco plant by curing them. The plant is categorized within the genus Nicotiana of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family. While more than 70 species of tobacco are known, the chief commercial crop is tabacum. Tobacco contains the alkaloid nicotine, a stimulant. Dried tobacco leaves are mainly smoked in cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, and flavored shisha tobacco. They are also consumed as snuff, chewing tobacco, and dipping tobacco.

Tobacco use is a risk factor for many diseases, especially those affecting the heart, liver, and lungs, and several cancers. In 2008, the World Health Organization named tobacco as the world's single greatest cause of preventable death.