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Natural resources (Country profile category: Geography)

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

Albania:
petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel, 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:
none presently exploited; iron ore, chromium, copper, gold, nickel, platinum and other minerals, and coal and hydrocarbons have been found in small, uncommercial quantities

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, alumina

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, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum

Austria:
iron ore, oil, timber, magnesite, lead, coal, lignite, copper, hydropower

Azerbaijan:
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina

Bahamas, The:
salt, aragonite, timber

Bahrain:
oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish

Baker Island:
guano (deposits worked until 1891)

Bangladesh:
natural gas, arable land, timber

Barbados:
petroleum, fish, natural gas

Bassas da India:
none

Belarus:
forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas

Belgium:
coal, natural gas

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 carbide

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

Bosnia and Herzegovina:
coal, iron, bauxite, manganese, forests, copper, chromium, lead, zinc, 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, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber

British Indian Ocean Territory:
coconuts, fish

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, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver

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

Burundi:
nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium, arable land, hydropower

Cambodia:
timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential

Cameroon:
petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower

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

Cape Verde:
salt, basalt rock, pozzuolana (a siliceous volcanic ash used to produce hydraulic cement), limestone, kaolin, fish

Cayman Islands:
fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism

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

Chad:
petroleum (unexploited but exploration under way), uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad)

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, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)

Christmas Island:
phosphate

Clipperton Island:
none

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, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower, timber

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

Cook Islands:
NEGL

Coral Sea Islands:
NEGL

Costa Rica:
hydropower

Cote d'Ivoire:
petroleum, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, hydropower

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

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

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, stone, gravel and sand

Djibouti:
geothermal areas

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, zinc

El Salvador:
hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land

Equatorial Guinea:
oil, petroleum, timber, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese, uranium

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

Estonia:
shale oil (kukersite), peat, phosphorite, amber, cambrian blue clay, limestone, dolomite, arable land

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

Europa Island:
NEGL

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas):
fish, wildlife

Faroe Islands:
fish, whales, hydropower

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

Finland:
timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver

France:
coal, iron ore, bauxite, fish, timber, zinc, potash

French Guiana:
bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish

French Polynesia:
timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower

French Southern and Antarctic Lands:
fish, crayfish

Gabon:
petroleum, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower

Gambia, The:
fish

Gaza Strip:
arable land

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

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

Ghana:
gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower

Gibraltar:
NEGL

Glorioso Islands:
guano, coconuts

Greece:
bauxite, lignite, magnesite, petroleum, marble, hydropower

Greenland:
zinc, lead, iron ore, coal, molybdenum, gold, platinum, uranium, fish, seals, whales

Grenada:
timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors

Guadeloupe:
cultivable land, beaches and climate that foster tourism

Guam:
fishing (largely undeveloped), tourism (especially from Japan)

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

Guernsey:
cropland

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

Guinea-Bissau:
fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, 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:
none

Holy See (Vatican City):
none

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

Hong Kong:
outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar

Howland Island:
guano (deposits worked until late 1800s)

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

Israel:
copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, asphalt, manganese, small amounts of natural gas and crude oil

Italy:
mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, dwindling natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal, arable land

Jamaica:
bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Jan Mayen:
none

Japan:
negligible mineral resources, fish

Jarvis Island:
guano (deposits worked until late 1800s)

Jersey:
arable land

Johnston Atoll:
NA; guano deposits worked until depletion about 1890

Jordan:
phosphates, potash, shale oil

Juan de Nova Island:
guano deposits and other fertilizers

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

Kenya:
gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barites, rubies, fluorspar, garnets, wildlife, hydropower

Kingman Reef:
none

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

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:
minimal; amber, peat, limestone, dolomite, hydropower, arable land

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

Lesotho:
water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals

Liberia:
iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower

Libya:
petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

Liechtenstein:
hydroelectric potential, arable land

Lithuania:
peat, arable land

Luxembourg:
iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land

Macau:
NEGL

Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of:
chromium, lead, zinc, manganese, tungsten, nickel, low-grade iron ore, asbestos, sulfur, timber, arable land

Madagascar:
graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, 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, hydropower
note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited

Malta:
limestone, salt, arable land

Man, Isle of:
none

Marshall Islands:
phosphate deposits, marine products, deep seabed minerals

Martinique:
coastal scenery and beaches, cultivable land

Mauritania:
iron ore, gypsum, fish, copper, phosphate

Mauritius:
arable land, fish

Mayotte:
NEGL

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

Micronesia, Federated States of:
forests, marine products, deep-seabed minerals

Midway Islands:
wildlife, terrestrial and aquatic

Moldova:
lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land

Monaco:
none

Mongolia:
oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, wolfram, fluorspar, gold

Montserrat:
NEGL

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

Mozambique:
coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower

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

Nauru:
phosphates

Navassa Island:
guano

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

Netherlands:
natural gas, petroleum, arable land

Netherlands Antilles:
phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)

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, petroleum

Nigeria:
petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, natural gas, hydropower, arable land

Niue:
fish, arable land

Norfolk Island:
fish

Northern Mariana Islands:
arable land, fish

Norway:
petroleum, copper, natural gas, pyrites, nickel, iron ore, zinc, lead, 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

Palmyra Atoll:
none

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

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, arable land

Portugal:
fish, forests (cork), tungsten, iron ore, uranium ore, marble, arable land, hydro power

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

Qatar:
petroleum, natural gas, fish

Reunion:
fish, arable land, hydropower

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

Russia:
wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, 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 Helena:
fish

Saint Kitts and Nevis:
arable land

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

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 and Montenegro:
oil, gas, coal, antimony, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, gold, pyrite, chrome, hydro power

Seychelles:
fish, copra, cinnamon trees

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

Singapore:
fish, deepwater ports

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

Slovenia:
lignite coal, lead, zinc, mercury, uranium, silver, hydropower

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

Somalia:
uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt

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

South Georgia and the 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, fishes

Spain:
coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, 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, copper, iron ore, phosphate, zinc, wildlife, fish

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

Sweden:
zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber, uranium, hydropower

Switzerland:
hydropower potential, timber, salt

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

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

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

Togo:
phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land

Tokelau:
NEGL

Tonga:
fish, fertile soil

Trinidad and Tobago:
petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

Tromelin Island:
fish

Tunisia:
petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt, arable land

Turkey:
antimony, coal, chromium, mercury, copper, borate, sulfur, iron ore, arable land, hydropower

Turkmenistan:
petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulfur, salt

Turks and Caicos Islands:
spiny lobster, conch

Tuvalu:
fish

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

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, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica, arable land

United States:
coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber

Uruguay:
arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries

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, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, 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 using up 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 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

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

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