The continent of Africa has an abundance of natural resources.
What were the natural resources found in Africa?
They include beautiful scenery, minerals, forests, and arable land.
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Many decades ago, South Africa economy predominantly relied on natural resources.
Today, the service and manufacturing industries have significantly grown.
What are natural resources?
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Similar to many other countries in the continent, these resourcesare not fully exploited.
Some reports indicate that some of the natural resources are yet to be discovered.
There is limitless potential for the use of these natural resources in South Africa.
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Minerals in South Africa are among the naturally occurring resources that the world cannot do without.
According toBuzz South Africa, the top South African minerals are:
1.
Gold
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Gold is anessential natural resource, especially in this country.
The gold exports from this country are worth billions of dollars.
Today, the country has more than 30 large-scale gold mines.
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Miners first discovered the existence of gold in the country in the late 1800s.
The precious metal is predominantly mined in Free State and Rand.
Diamonds
What is South Africa’s most abundant natural resource?
Image: facebook.com, @GlencoreSource: Facebook
The country produces large amounts ofsugar and timberthat can be exported.
However, many people know that diamonds are among the top minerals mined in South Africa.
Today, most of the world’s diamonds are from this country.
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Many of the established diamond mines in the country export millions of carats annually.
Diamond mining has created plenty of job opportunities for this country’s citizens.
The precious item contributes significantly to the economy of the country.
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Ferrochrome
Ferrochrome is an essential alloy of chromium and iron.
It is widely used in the manufacturing industry.
This nation is one of the top sources of this vital alloy.
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It is exported in its raw form to other countries.
Locally, ferrochrome creates numerous jobs for local citizens and residents.
About 4.8 million tons of this mineral are exported from the country each year.
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The country has already invested in highly advanced machinery and equipment for the production of ferrochrome.
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4.
Platinum
Did you know that our country has up to 80% of the world’s platinum reserves?
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Well, now you do.
Russia and South Africa are the sources of 90% of the platinum in the world today.
Most of thismineral is mined atMerensky Reef, Platreef, Rustenburg and Pretoria.
Rustenburg Platinum Mines and Bafokeng Rasimone Mines are two of the largest platinum mines in the country.
Platinum is a valuable item, especially in the automotive industry.
It is utilised in catalytic converters that convert harmful gases in cars to carbon dioxide and water vapour.
In recent years, there has been an increasing concern about global warming and how it can be mitigated.
Today, the country earns a significant amount of its foreign exchange from exporting platinum.
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5.
Vanadium
Vanadium is one of the most abundant natural resources globally.
The country produces about 23% of the world’s vanadium and is the third-largest producer.
China is the largest producer now, while Russia is on the second place.
Vanadium is needed in the manufacturing industry for the production of steel.
It reinforces the strength of steel.
Vanadium is also used to manufacture ceramics and colour televisions.
There are numerous natural resources in South Africa.
Some of them are well utilised, while others are underutilised.
They contribute significantly to the economic development of the nation.
She has a Bachelor of Commerce & IT from the University of Nairobi and joined Briefly.co.za in November 2019.
The writer completed a Google News Initiate Course.
you could email her at perisrodah254@gmail.com.
