Major Minerals and Producing Countries of the World:
What is a mineral called?
Definition of Mineral: Those physical substances which are dug out from inside the earth (land) are called minerals. Minerals are naturally occurring substances. Some of the useful minerals found in the world include iron, mica, coal, bauxite, salt, zinc, and limestone. There are two types of minerals found in India:- (i) Metallic minerals (ii) Non-metallic minerals.
- Metallic minerals: The minerals from which metals are obtained are called metallic minerals, such as iron, gold and silver.
- Non-metallic minerals: The minerals from which metals are not obtained are called non-metallic minerals, such as potash, graphite and sulfur.
Note: The mineral obtained from the mineral is not obtained pure, first of all they are washed, soil particles and other soluble and insoluble compounds are mixed in the water obtained by washing, this water finally gets mixed in the water, thus the natural water stream is contaminated. A vivid example of this is acid discharge from coal mines. In coal mines, some amount of pyrite (FeS2) is mixed with coal. Sulfuric acid and ferrite are released along with the discharge.
Classification of Minerals: Classification of minerals is very difficult, yet they are classified on the basis of some characteristics-
- Silicate class.
- Carbonate class.
- Sulfate class.
- Halide class.
- Oxide class.
- Sulfide class.
- Phosphate class.
- Element class.
- Organic class.
Names of world's major minerals and their most producing countries: Here is a list of major minerals and their most producing countries. Generally, questions related to the names of the world's major minerals and their most productive countries are asked in competitive examinations.
If you are preparing for various competitive exams like: IAS, Teacher, UPSC, PCS, SSC, Bank, MBA and other government jobs, then you must know about the major mineral and producing country. Let us know which mineral is found the most in which country:-
List of world's major mineral and most producing countries:
| Name of Mineral | Most Producing Countries |
| Iron | China, Australia, Brazil, India, Russia (as of November 2017) |
| Copper | Chile, Peru, China (as of 09 Aug 2018) |
| Bauxite | Australia, China, Guinea (as of August 2017) |
| Vang or Ranga or Tin | China, Indonesia, Peru (as of 2014) |
| Manganese | South Africa, China, Australia (as of 2011) |
| Zinc | China, Australia, Peru (as of 2014) |
| Gold | China, Australia, Russia (as of 2017) |
| Silver | Peru, Bolivia, Mexico (as of August 2017) |
| Diamond | Russia, Botswana, Congo (as of 2013) |
| Mercury | China, Mexico, Kyrgyzstan (as of 2016) |
| Lead | China, Australia, United States (as of 2016) |
| Asbestos | Russia, China, Brazil (as of 2015) |
| Thorium | India, Brazil, Australia (as of 2014) |
| Uranium | Canada, Australia, Niger (as of 2018) |
| Tungsten | China, Vietnam, Russia (as of 2017) |
| Chromium | South Africa, Kazakhstan, Turkey (as of 2017) |
List of countries with highest mineral reserves in the world:
| Name of mineral | Countries With Highest Mineral Conservation |
| Cadmium | India, China, Australia |
| Cobalt | Congo, Australia, Cuba |
| Coal | United States, Russia, China |
| Chromite | Kazakhstan, South Africa, India |
| Graphite | China, India, Mexico |
| Silver | Peru, Poland, Chile |
| Zinc | Australia, China, Peru |
| Tungsten | China, Russia, United States |
| Copper | Chile, Peru, Australia |
| Nickel | Australia, New Caledonia, Brazil |
| Petroleum | Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Iran |
| Natural Gas | Russia, Iran, Qatar |
| Platinum | South Africa, Russia, United States |
| Bauxite | Guinea, Australia, Brazil |
| Manganese | South Africa, Ukraine, Brazil |
| Magnesite | Russia, China, North Korea |
| Uranium | Australia, Kazakhstan, Canada |
| Iron Ore | Australia, Brazil, Russia |
| Gold | Australia, South Africa, Russia |
| Diamond | Congo, Botswana, Australia |
| Feldspar | Italy, Turkey, China |
| Bentonite | United States of America, Turkey, India |
| Nickel | Indonesia, Philippines. Canada |
| Antimony | China, Russia, Bolivia, Tajikistan |
| Salt | China, United States of America, India |
| Sulfur | Canada, United States, Russia |
| Potash | Canada, Russia, Belarus |
| Gypsum | China, United States, Iran |
| Aluminum | China, Russia, Canada |
| Cement | China, India, United States |
| Chromium | South Africa, Kazakhstan, Turkey |
| Platinum | South Africa, Russia, Zimbabwe |
| Asbestos | Russia, China, Brazil |
| Mercury | China, Mexico, Kyrgyzstan |
Now practice related questions and see what you learnt?
☞ Major Minerals of the World GK Questions and Answers 🔗
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Mineral Producing Countries FAQs:
Galena is a major lead mineral and has the chemical formulae name PbS, where "Pb" is the symbol for lead and "S" is the symbol for sulfide. Galena metal is mainly used in the production of lead.
Rhine valley in France is known for bauxite mineral. Bauxite is primarily a metallic mineral, although it is also used as an industrial mineral. It is the only ore used for aluminum production on a large scale.
Switzerland is a country where mineral resources are not found. Two-thirds of this | Part is covered with forests, mountains and lakes. Due to lack of mineral resources, Switzerland imports them, after the manufacturing process, the goods are resold as products to the customers.
Minerals, oil and coal are found in sedimentary rocks. Sedimentary rocks are also known as secondary rocks because they are formed by the condensation of unconsolidated sediments or by chemical precipitation from a solution or organic matter formed from the remains of plants and animals.
India is the largest producer of mica. It holds up to 80% of the world's total mica reserves. Mica is an important non-metallic mineral mainly used in the electrical industry because it has a highly insulating property.