Other crops are sweet potatoes, corn, wheat, millet, cotton, ramie, jute, peanuts, and tea. Forestry, fishing, and livestock raising are also major activities. Hunan's mineral wealth is considerable with deposits of coal, iron ore, manganese, antimony, tungsten, lead, and zinc. Industries include iron and steel, electrical machinery, textiles, paper and pulp milling, and food processing. Traditional handicrafts include embroidered clothing, duck-down quilts, leather goods, and pottery.
Waterways are major means of transportation for both goods and people.
Nearly 80 percent of Hunan's goods are moved over waterways. Mostly rural, Hunan's population is largely concentrated in the Dongting Lake basin and river valleys. Village life has changed markedly since the 1949 revolution. Mao Zedong, the revolutionary leader, was born in Hunan. Most villages have civic centers and libraries.