Africa is one of the largest continents on the planet. It ranks second in size after Eurasia. In vast territories in the bowels of the earth, valuable mineral resources are hidden, the formation of which occurred mainly during the Precambrian era and at the beginning of the Paleozoic. Today, many African countries are mining ore, diamonds, gold, oil and gas for export to other countries.
Instructions
Step 1
Extraction of mineral resources in northern Africa
In the north of the mainland, the richest countries in mineral resources include: Algeria, Libya, Egypt and Morocco. In each of them, iron, cobalt and zinc are actively mined. Large deposits of gold have been found in Egypt. The formation of minerals in this part of Africa occurred during the Mesozoic era, when the African plate was formed. North Africa is home to manganese and lead mining. Morocco is the center of oil production in this region. Mineral resources such as phosphorites have been found in this country. As a percentage, their production here is about 50% of the global share.
Step 2
Western fields
Some of the largest deposits of coal and oil are concentrated in the west of the mainland. They represent the main wealth of this part of the continent. On the coast in such small countries as Guinea, Liberia, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, iron ore, bauxite, aluminum, gold, copper and other non-ferrous metals are mined. All this has a positive effect on the development of industry in these countries, which rises to a new level every year.
Step 3
Southern Africa is a treasure trove of minerals
Mineral resources of southern Africa made her famous throughout the world. Huge reserves of minerals have been found throughout South Africa, Madagascar, Zambia, Angola, Tanzania, Mozambique and Congo. South Africa is the world's leading producer of tin, cobalt, titanium, manganese, lead and tungsten. Unique uranium ores have been found here, and gold is being actively mined, which plays a significant role for the economy of South African countries. The island of Madagascar is famous for the largest deposits of graphite. Also found here are aluminum, iron and nickel ore. Southern Africa produces half of the world's total diamonds.
Step 4
Almost 90% of the extracted raw materials are exported outside the continent. The search for new deposits is carried out regularly with the participation of foreign investments from many countries. The African continent has great potential for successful development in the future.
Step 5
Approximate reserves of mineral resources in Africa are as follows: oil - about 7000 million tons, tin - 700 thousand tons, nickel - 6, 8 million tons, cobalt reserves are 1.3 million tons, tungsten ores are only 45 thousand tons, copper - 100 million tons, manganese ores - 3.3 billion tons, iron ore reserves - 26.6 billion tons, total reserves of all types of African coal - 274 billion tons.
