The US Geological Survey (USGS) announced that Iran was the 10th world iron ore producer in 2012, extracting some 28 million tons of the strategic mineral in the said period.
According to a report released Sunday by the Information Network for Iran Production and Trade (SHATA), the USGS also referred to Iran as the only country in the Middle East region which possessed the most iron ore reserves.
The strategic mineral was significant source for Iran's steel industry, the USGS stressed.
World Mine Production and Reserves
Mine Production
Reserves
2011
2012e
Crure Ore
Iron Content
United States
55
53
6,900
2,100
Australia
488
525
35,000
17,000
Brazil
373
375
29,000
16,000
Canada
34
40
6,300
2,300
China
1,330
1,300
23,000
7,200
India
240
245
7,000
4,500
Iran
28
28
2,500
1,400
Kazakhstan
25
25
2,500
900
Mauritania
12
12
1,100
700
Mexico
15
13
700
400
Russia
100
100
25,000
14,000
South Africa
60
61
1,000
650
Sweden
25
25
3,500
2,200
Ukraine
81
81
76,500
72,300
Venezuela
17
20
4,000
2,400
Other countries
59
61
12,000
6,000
World total (rounded)
2,940
3,000
170,000
80,000
According to the Virginia-based organization, China was the world's biggest iron ore producer in 2012, extracting some 1.3 billion tons of the strategic mineral followed by Australia (525 million tons) and Brazil (375 million tons).
It referred to other major world producers of iron ore in 2012 as India (fourth with 245 million tons), Russia (fifth with 100 million tons), Ukraine (sixth with 81 million tons), South Africa (seventh with 61 million tons), the US (eighth with 53 million tons) and Canada (ninth with 40 million tons).
The total production of the strategic mineral was estimated by USGS at about three billion tons in 2012.
The USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility. The motto of the USGS is ˈScience for a changing world."
