WORLD MINERAL RESOURCES

WORLD MINERAL RESOURCES :-

Minerals constitute one of the most valuable natural resources. They play an important role in our lives and without them it would be impossible to maintain the present standards of living in most parts of the civilised world.

Most minerals are associated with igneous and certain highly matamorphosed rocks. Generally speaking, metals are found in veins and other deposits deep in the earth. Coal, petroleum and building material such as clay, gypsum, phosphate rock are found in sedimentary rocks. Sometimes gold, tin, platinum and precious stones have been moved by running water from one place to another.

An important characteristic of mineral resources is their uneven distribution over the world. Some areas are very rich in a variety of mineral resources, such as the Ural Mts. in the erstwhile U.S.S.R., the Canadian Shield and South Africa, while large areas are comparatively poor. Some minerals are found in great abundance in only a few regions of the world, for example, most of the world's supply of tin seems to be in eastern Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, China). Canada has more than half of the world's reserves of nickel; more than 60 per cent of the world's supply of gold comes from South Africa.

IRON ;-

Iron is the commonest element, nearly 5 per cent of the earth's crust is iron. But the ores must contain at least 30 to 40 per cent of the metal for commercial exploitation. Iron is never found in a pure state. It contains varying amounts of silica, lime, sulphur, phosphorus and other materials.

Iron ore is first melted in a blast furnace which is filled with iron ore, coke and limestone. Heat from the burning coke melts the ore, and the impurities mix with the limestone and are drawn off as "slag". The molten material runs off into molds or "pigs". This pig iron is really the raw material of the iron and steel industry. This is then turned into cast iron, wrought iron and steel.

Iron is Mixed.with carbon to make it very strong. Other metals used are nickel, cobalt,
vanadium, molybdenum, manganese, tungsten and chromium according to the special
purpose for which the steel is required.

The principal iron producing countries are Ukraine, Russia, Australia, China, India, USA, Canada, Great Britain, Malaysia, Sweden, Spain, Japan, Chili, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Africa.

Manganese is used in making good quality steel. The addition of manganese makes the steel tough and hard and it does not rust easily. It is also used in several chemical industries as an oxidiser in the preparation of bleaching powder, disinfectants and other chemical.

The producers are S. Africa, Ukraine, Russia, Australia, Brazil, Gabon and India.

MICA :-

It is a transparent mineral found in most igneous rocks. Mica splits easily into thin plates. The chief use is as in insulating material in electrical goods.

The producing areas are India, USA, Ural, Ukraine, Russia, Brazil, Republic of S. Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Norway, Canada and Malaise.

GOLD:-

Gold differs from other metals in that it is found "native", that is, uncombined with other metals. It occurs as veins running through quartz or other hard rocks. In such a case it is known as "lode" or "reef' gold. This can be exploited only by installing expensive machinery for mining and crushing rock.

The chief producing areas are South Africa, CIS, USA, Canada, Colombia. Peru, Equador, Brazil, Australia, China, Japan, Korea and India.

SILVER :-

Silver often occurs in native form in association with lead and copper ores. The leading producers are Mexico, Canada, USA, Australia, Boliva, Chile, Spain, Germany, Japan, Myanmar, India, Sweden, Italy, France, Finland, Yoguslovia, Romania, etc.

COPPER :-

Copper was probably the first metal used by man. It has a high conductivity and is used in electrical apparatus. It also forms useful alloys such as bronze, brass, German silver and money metal. The production areas are Chile, Peru, USA, Canada, S. Africa, Zambia, Zaire, Angola, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Russia, Siberia, Ukraine, Balarussia, China, Indonesia, India and Australia.

POWER RESOURCES :-

Coal is the major source of power. There are three main varieities of coal : lignite, bituminous and anthracite.

Anthracite or hard coal is jet black in colour and is ideal for domestic use since it bums slowly without smoke or soot. It is clean to handle and has a high heating value. Coke, required for smelting of iron ore, is derived from bituminous coal. Lignite is brown or brownish in colour and is considered inferior although its by-products can furnish several materials for industries.

Coal reserves occur in all the continents and in most of the countries of the world but' they are very unevenly distributed. The leading producers are China, USA, the CIS, Ukraine, lndia, Australia, S. Africa, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Belgium and France.

Petroleum is another important source of power. It has several other uses. The crude oil is used as fuel for steamships and locomotives. Petrol is used for automobiles and aeroplanes. Kerosene is used as oil for lamps. Hundreds of other by-products are made from it, including lubricants, vaselines, tars; waxes, ink, medicine, soap and terylene.

The principal petroleum producing countries are Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Russia, Iran, China, Kuwait, Veneuzela, Iraq and Great Britain.

MAJOR INDUSTRIES OF THE WORLD :-

Manufacturing industries play an important role in modern times. They satisfy a number of man's growing needs and provide employment to more and more people in all countries of the world. Manufacturing contributes significantly to the world economy. More than 50% of the world's total manufactured goods is shared by the USA, Japan and Germany. Iron and steel, textiles, automobiles, petro-chemicals and electronics are some of the world's most important manufacturing industries.

Various factors like availability of raw materials and power sources, good transport facilities, good labour supply, availability of markets, favourable government policies and a good climate lay an important role in the location of industries in a particular place.

Iron and steel industry : The Iron and Steeel industry provides the base for all other industries and therefore it is called as a basic industry. The Great lakes region and the Atlantic coasts in the United States; the Northern, North Eastern and Central parts of the U.K; France - Belgium, Loraine - Luxemburg - Saar and Ruhr in Western Europe; Ukraine; the Ural region of Russia and the Chotanagpur region of India are some of the important iron and steel producing areas of the world.

Petro-Chemical Industries: The development of petro-chemical industries has taken place in North America and Europe after the World War-II. Most of these complexes in the USA are located near the coast as oil is mostly imported from Latin American countries and West Asia. Mineral oil is transported through

pipelines and tankers to inside locations. Chicago, Tolido, Philadelphia, Delaware and Los Angles have large petro-chemical complexes. The European petro-chemical complexes are located mainly near the market. The major complexes are located on the coasts of Southern North Sea and English Channel, Ruhr region in Germany and the Le Havre-Raven-Marseilles region in France. There are a number of petrochemical complexes in the Central Asian Republics, Russia, West Asia and India.

Cotton Textile Industries: This is the oldest among all the manufacturing activities and is widely spread through out the world. USA is one of the front runners among the textile manufacturing countries. The other countries are CIS, Japan, China, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Brazil, Hongkong, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.

Paper Industry: This is essentially a forest based industry. United States of America is the undisputed leader of the paper production in the world. The other countries are Japan, Canada, Germany, CIS, China, Finland, France, Italy and Brazil.

TRANSPORT :-

Transport refers to the carriage of goods and passengers from one place to another using humans, animals and different kinds of vehicles. Such movements take place through land, water, and air. Roads and Railways form part of the land transport. Waterways and Airways are the other two modes. Pipelines are used to carry liquids like water and petroleum and natural gas. The chief modes of transport are given below:

Land Transport: Roads and Railways are the quickest and most efficient means of land transport. For the movement of commodities over relatively short distances, road transport is supposed to be more efficient than the other modes. The table given below indicates the road routes of various countries :

Road Transport

No. Countries Road routs (in km)
1. U.S.A. 62,86,396
2. India 33,20,000
3. Brazil 16,58,677
4. Japan 11,56,000
5. Russia 5,70,719
6. China 12,78,474
7. Canada 9,01,903
8. Australia 8,08,465
9. France 8,93,500
10. Germany 2,30,735

Railways : Railways are comparatively cheaper and a more convenient mode of transport than the roadways in moving goods in bulk over a long distance. Development of the railways commenced in the beginning of 19th Century. The first train was started on 27th September. 1825 in between Stockton to Darlington. Thereafter in 1827 in France, 1830 in U.S.A. in Germany, 1836 in Russia and 1853 in India.

MAIN RAIL ROUTES OF THE WORLD

1. North France Continental Rail Route Seattle (U.S.A.) to Newyork.
2. Mid Trance Continental Rail Route San-Francisco to Newyork.
3. Southern France Continental Rail Route From Los Angeles to Newyork then New Orleans.
4. Canadian Pacific Rail Route Halifex to Vancuvor (Canada).
5. Canadian National Rail Route St. John city to Vancuvor.
6. Trans-Siberia Rail Route grad to Vladivostok via Moscow.
7. Trans Caucasus Rail Route Batur n to Farghana and Krusk.
8. Cape-Cairo Rail Route Longest rail route of Africa running form Cape town (S.A.R.) to Cairo city (Egypt).
9. Oriental Express Rail Route An important rail route of Europe, Running between Paris (France) to Kustuntunia (Turkey).
10. Trans Andean Rail Route The biggest rail route of South America, running form Valperago (Chile) to Buenos Aires (Argentina).
11. Trans-Australian continental Rail Route Perth to Sydney.

LENGTH OF RAIL ROUTES :-

Countries Rail route (km)
U.S.A. 2,22,000
Russia 1,51,000
Canada 65,403
Germany 87,207
China 57,584
India 63,221
U.K. 37,849
Australia 35,780
France 31,821
Brazil 29,706

Water Transport :-

This includes canals, lakes, river, seas and oceans. The trans portion is done inland (nationally as well as internationally). Waters Transport can be divided into three categories:

Inland Water Transport is done by rivers. The following table details the Inland Transportation in the different countries.

Country Transportation
1. Northern Europe River Rhine, Seine, Mayse, Elbe, Weser and Audor.
2. C.I.S. Dnieper, Dnester, Don, Volga, Ob, Yenese, Lena.
3. U.S.A Great Lakes, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio.
4. Asia (a) China-Hawangho and Yangtazekiang, (b) India - Ganga and Brahamputra, (c) Myanmar - Irrawady etc.
5. Tropical Countries Amazon and Congo.

Few Canals of the world are also used. The usage of canals not only reduces the distance among the countries but also made the transportation swift.

LENGTH OF NAVIGABLE CANALS/RIVERS

Countries Length (km)
1. China 1,10,300
2. Russia 89,089
3. Brazil 50,000
4. U.S.A 41,485
5. Indonesia 21,579
6. Vietnam 17,702
7. India 16,180
8. Argentina 10,950

MAIN CANALS OF THE WORLD

1. Suez Canal Jons Meditteranean Sea with Red Sea.
2. Panama Canal Joins Pacific Ocean with Atlantic Ocean.
3. Kiel Canal Joins North Sea with Baltic sea.
4. Soo-St-Mary Canal Joins superior lake with Huron lake.
5. Manchester shipping cannal Joins Manchester with Estham.
6. North-sea-canal Joins North-sea with Amsterdam.
7. New shipping canal Joins North-sea with Rotter Dam.
8. Stalin Canal Known as a Volga-Don Canal. Joins Rostar with Stalingrade of C.I.S.
Gota Canal : Joins Stockholm to Goteburg. All these canals transport iron ore, lime-stone, cereals, cement, pulp and paper coal, petroleum.

IMPORTANT JOINING CANALS :-

Canal Joining station
1. Suez Mediterranean to Red Sea
2. Panama Pacific to Atlantic Ocean
3. Kiel Canal North Sea to Baltic Sea
4. Soo Canal Superior to Huron
5. Manchester Manchaster to Estham
6. North sea North Sea to Amsterdam
7. Stalin or Don-Volga Rostor to Stalin grade
8. New shipping Canal North Sea to Rotterdam

Ocean Transport: Ocean transport .is the cheapest transport by which goods can be transported from one place to another. Normally a ship can Cargo 8000 to 10,000 G.M.T. For loading, unloading the goods ports as well as harbours are constructed. Following are the important ocean routes: * North Atlantic Route * Pacific ocean route * Mediterrranean route * Cape of good hope route * South Atlantic route * Caribbean sea route.

Air Transport: Air transport is the fastest but costliest mode of transport. The development of air transport started after the First World War. But the actual development of this transport took place after the Second World War. Four types of services are performed by Air transport :