Category: Natural Resources
Oceania Natural Resources: Iron, Lithium and Coral Reefs
Oceania holds some of the most strategic natural resources on the planet: Australia produced around 930 million tonnes of iron ore in 2024 and was the world’s largest lithium producer with 88,000 tonnes, while the region is home to close to 185 million hectares of forest and to the Great Barrier Reef, covering some 344,400…
Latin America Natural Resources: Copper, Lithium and Oil
Latin America is one of the richest regions on Earth in natural resources: it holds the world’s largest tropical rainforest (the Amazon, home to at least 10% of all known species), the largest proven oil reserves (Venezuela, some 303 billion barrels), more than half of the world’s identified lithium resources in the Chile-Argentina-Bolivia “triangle”, and…
Amazon Rainforest Natural Resources: Water and Wildlife
The Amazon holds the most valuable natural resources on the planet: more than half of the world’s remaining tropical rainforest (some 5.5 million km²), close to one in every ten known species on Earth, roughly 56.8 billion tonnes of above-ground carbon, and a river that discharges around 15% of all the fresh water reaching the…
North America Natural Resources: Oil, Silver and Forests
North America holds exceptional natural wealth: Mexico is the world’s largest silver producer with 6,300 tonnes in 2024 (USGS), the United States leads global oil production at 13.2 million barrels a day (EIA) and Canada holds 369 million hectares of forest, close to 9% of the world total (NRCan). Add the Great Lakes, which hold…
Europe Natural Resources: Forests, Gas and Minerals
Europe holds around 25% of the world’s forest area, the largest share of any region (FAO 2025), is home to the planet’s largest natural gas reserves in Russia, and protects more than 1.29 million km² through the Natura 2000 network. Its natural resources span strategic minerals, North Sea hydrocarbons, rivers such as the Volga, and…
Asia Natural Resources: Oil, Rare Earths, Rice and Water
Asia, the largest continent on the planet with its 48 countries, holds the world’s greatest concentration of natural resources: close to 48% of oil reserves (Saudi Arabia alone accounts for 267 billion barrels) and more than 50% of natural gas reserves, it produces around 70% of the world’s rare earths and grows more than 90%…
Africa Natural Resources: Cobalt, Platinum, Gold and Oil
Africa holds close to 30% of the world’s critical mineral reserves, including 76% of cobalt (DR Congo) and around 70% of phosphates (Morocco), along with the second-largest rainforest on the planet: the Congo Basin. What are Africa’s main natural resources? The continent stands out for its strategic minerals (cobalt, platinum, gold, diamonds, bauxite), its oil…
Spain Natural Resources: Copper, Forests and Solar Power
Spain’s natural resources stand out for its minerals, with copper output of 425,000 tonnes in 2020 placing it twelfth in the world, alongside notable forest and water wealth. Which natural resources in Spain matter most? Forests cover 37.19% of the territory, and emblematic species such as the Iberian lynx are part of its biodiversity. Spain…
Colombia Natural Resources: Water, Birds, Coal and Emeralds
Colombia’s natural resources span water, biodiversity, minerals and hydrocarbons: it is the sixth country in the world by freshwater reserves, with 2,132 km³, and annual rainfall above 3,000 mm. It hosts close to 10% of the world’s biodiversity and ranks first for bird diversity, with 1,969 species. What are Colombia’s main natural resources? Thanks to…
Chile Natural Resources: The World’s Top Copper Producer
Chile’s natural resources revolve around copper, of which it is the world’s leading producer, at some 5,300 thousand tonnes in 2024. Silver also stands out, where it ranks sixth in the world, along with a freshwater reserve of 922 km³, the thirteenth largest on the planet. What are Chile’s main natural resources besides copper? Chile,…
