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Field Listing :: Natural resources

This entry lists a country's mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other resources of commercial importance, such as rare earth elements (REEs).

Country	Natural resources


Afghanistan	natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones


Albania	petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower


Algeria	petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc


American Samoa	pumice, pumicite


Andorra	hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead


Angola	petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium


Anguilla	salt, fish, lobster


Antarctica	iron ore, chromium, copper, gold, nickel, platinum and other minerals, and coal and hydrocarbons have been found in small uncommercial quantities; none presently exploited; krill, finfish, and crab have been taken by commercial fisheries


Antigua and Barbuda	NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism


Arctic Ocean	sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales)


Argentina	fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium


Armenia	small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite


Aruba	NEGL; white sandy beaches


Ashmore and Cartier Islands	fish


Atlantic Ocean	oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones


Australia	bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, rare earth elements, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum note: Australia is the world's largest net exporter of coal accounting for 29% of global coal exports


Austria	oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower


Azerbaijan	petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, bauxite


Bahamas, The	salt, aragonite, timber, arable land


Bahrain	oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls


Bangladesh	natural gas, arable land, timber, coal


Barbados	petroleum, fish, natural gas


Belarus	timber, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay


Belgium	construction materials, silica sand, carbonates


Belize	arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower


Benin	small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber


Bermuda	limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism


Bhutan	timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbonate


Bolivia	tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower


Bosnia and Herzegovina	coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, timber, hydropower


Botswana	diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver


Bouvet Island	none


Brazil	bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber


British Indian Ocean Territory	coconuts, fish, sugarcane


British Virgin Islands	NEGL


Brunei	petroleum, natural gas, timber


Bulgaria	bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land


Burkina Faso	manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt


Burma	petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower


Burundi	nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone


Cambodia	oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential


Cameroon	petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower


Canada	iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, rare earth elements, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower


Cape Verde	salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum


Cayman Islands	fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism


Central African Republic	diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower


Chad	petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt


Chile	copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower


China	coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, rare earth elements, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)


Christmas Island	phosphate, beaches


Clipperton Island	fish


Cocos (Keeling) Islands	fish


Colombia	petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower


Comoros	NEGL


Congo, Democratic Republic of the	cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber


Congo, Republic of the	petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower


Cook Islands	NEGL


Coral Sea Islands	NEGL


Costa Rica	hydropower


Cote d'Ivoire	petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower


Croatia	oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower


Cuba	cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land


Curacao	calcium phosphates, aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit


Cyprus	copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment


Czech Republic	hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber


Denmark	petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel and sand


Djibouti	potential geothermal power, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum


Dominica	timber, hydropower, arable land


Dominican Republic	nickel, bauxite, gold, silver


Ecuador	petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower


Egypt	petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, rare earth elements, zinc


El Salvador	hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land


Equatorial Guinea	petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum, sand and gravel, clay


Eritrea	gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish


Estonia	oil shale, peat, rare earth elements, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud


Ethiopia	small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower


European Union	iron ore, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc, bauxite, uranium, potash, salt, hydropower, arable land, timber, fish


Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)	fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss


Faroe Islands	fish, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas


Fiji	timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower


Finland	timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, limestone


France	metropolitan France: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, fish French Guiana: gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium, tantalum, clay


French Polynesia	timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower


French Southern and Antarctic Lands	fish, crayfish note: Glorioso Islands and Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses) have guano, phosphates, and coconuts


Gabon	petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower


Gambia, The	fish, clay, silica sand, titanium (rutile and ilmenite), tin, zircon


Gaza Strip	arable land, natural gas


Georgia	timber, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron ore, copper, minor coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils allow for important tea and citrus growth


Germany	coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land


Ghana	gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone


Gibraltar	none


Greece	lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential


Greenland	coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, diamonds, gold, platinum, niobium, tantalite, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas


Grenada	timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors


Guam	aquatic wildlife (supporting tourism), fishing (largely undeveloped)


Guatemala	petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower


Guernsey	cropland


Guinea	bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt


Guinea-Bissau	fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum


Guyana	bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish


Haiti	bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower


Heard Island and McDonald Islands	fish


Holy See (Vatican City)	none


Honduras	timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower


Hong Kong	outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar


Hungary	bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land


Iceland	fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite


India	coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, rare earth elements, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land


Indian Ocean	oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules


Indonesia	petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver


Iran	petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur


Iraq	petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur


Ireland	natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite


Isle of Man	none


Israel	timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand


Italy	coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land


Jamaica	bauxite, gypsum, limestone


Jan Mayen	none


Japan	negligible mineral resources, fish note: with virtually no energy natural resources, Japan is the world's largest importer of coal and liquefied natural gas, as well as the second largest importer of oil


Jersey	arable land


Jordan	phosphates, potash, shale oil


Kazakhstan	major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium


Kenya	limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, gypsum, wildlife, hydropower


Kiribati	phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)


Korea, North	coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower


Korea, South	coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential


Kosovo	nickel, lead, zinc, magnesium, lignite, kaolin, chrome, bauxite


Kuwait	petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas


Kyrgyzstan	abundant hydropower; significant deposits of gold and rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas; other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc


Laos	timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones


Latvia	peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, timber, arable land


Lebanon	limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land


Lesotho	water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone


Liberia	iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower


Libya	petroleum, natural gas, gypsum


Liechtenstein	hydroelectric potential, arable land


Lithuania	peat, arable land, amber


Luxembourg	iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land


Macau	NEGL


Macedonia	low-grade iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, manganese, nickel, tungsten, gold, silver, asbestos, gypsum, timber, arable land


Madagascar	graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, rare earth elements, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower


Malawi	limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite


Malaysia	tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite


Maldives	fish


Mali	gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, gypsum, granite, hydropower note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited


Malta	limestone, salt, arable land


Marshall Islands	coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals


Mauritania	iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish


Mauritius	arable land, fish


Mexico	petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber


Micronesia, Federated States of	timber, marine products, deep-seabed minerals, phosphate


Moldova	lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land, limestone


Monaco	none


Mongolia	oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron


Montenegro	bauxite, hydroelectricity


Montserrat	NEGL


Morocco	phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt


Mozambique	coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite


Namibia	diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, silver, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, tungsten, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore


Nauru	phosphates, fish


Navassa Island	guano


Nepal	quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore


Netherlands	natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land


New Caledonia	nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper


New Zealand	natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone


Nicaragua	gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish


Niger	uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum


Nigeria	natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land


Niue	fish, arable land


Norfolk Island	fish


Northern Mariana Islands	arable land, fish


Norway	petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower


Oman	petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas


Pacific Ocean	oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish


Pakistan	land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone


Palau	forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals


Panama	copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower


Papua New Guinea	gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries


Paracel Islands	none


Paraguay	hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone


Peru	copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas


Philippines	timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper


Pitcairn Islands	miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore


Poland	coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land


Portugal	fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land, hydropower


Puerto Rico	some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil


Qatar	petroleum, natural gas, fish


Romania	petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt, arable land, hydropower


Russia	wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, reserves of rare earth elements, timber note: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of natural resources


Rwanda	gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land


Saint Barthelemy	has few natural resources, its beaches being the most important


Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha	fish, lobster


Saint Kitts and Nevis	arable land


Saint Lucia	forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential


Saint Martin	salt


Saint Pierre and Miquelon	fish, deepwater ports


Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	hydropower, cropland


Samoa	hardwood forests, fish, hydropower


San Marino	building stone


Sao Tome and Principe	fish, hydropower


Saudi Arabia	petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper


Senegal	fish, phosphates, iron ore


Serbia	oil, gas, coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, chromite, gold, silver, magnesium, pyrite, limestone, marble, salt, arable land


Seychelles	fish, copra, cinnamon trees


Sierra Leone	diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite


Singapore	fish, deepwater ports


Sint Maarten	fish, salt


Slovakia	brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt; arable land


Slovenia	lignite coal, lead, zinc, building stone, hydropower, forests


Solomon Islands	fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel


Somalia	uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves


South Africa	gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas


South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands	fish


Southern Ocean	probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin; manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fish


Spain	coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land


Spratly Islands	fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential


Sri Lanka	limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower


Sudan	petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold; hydropower


Suriname	timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore


Svalbard	coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, phosphate, wildlife, fish


Swaziland	asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc


Sweden	iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower


Switzerland	hydropower potential, timber, salt


Syria	petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower


Taiwan	small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos


Tajikistan	hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold


Tanzania	hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel


Thailand	tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land


Timor-Leste	gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble


Togo	phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land


Tokelau	NEGL


Tonga	fish, fertile soil


Trinidad and Tobago	petroleum, natural gas, asphalt


Tunisia	petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt


Turkey	coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower


Turkmenistan	petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt


Turks and Caicos Islands	spiny lobster, conch


Tuvalu	fish


Uganda	copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land, gold


Ukraine	iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land


United Arab Emirates	petroleum, natural gas


United Kingdom	coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land


United States	coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, rare earth elements, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber note: the US has the world's largest coal reserves with 491 billion short tons accounting for 27% of the world's total


United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges	terrestrial and aquatic wildlife


Uruguay	arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fish


Uzbekistan	natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum


Vanuatu	manganese, hardwood forests, fish


Venezuela	petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds


Vietnam	phosphates, coal, manganese, rare earth elements, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, timber, hydropower


Virgin Islands	sun, sand, sea, surf


Wake Island	none


Wallis and Futuna	NEGL


West Bank	arable land


Western Sahara	phosphates, iron ore


World	the rapid depletion of nonrenewable mineral resources, the depletion of forest areas and wetlands, the extinction of animal and plant species, and the deterioration in air and water quality (especially in some countries of Eastern Europe, the former USSR, and China) pose serious long-term problems that governments and peoples are only beginning to address


Yemen	petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west


Zambia	copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower


Zimbabwe	coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals

The online Factbook is updated weekly. ISSN 1553-8133
For additional information on government leaders in selected foreign countries, go to World Leaders.