Mining is the industry associated with the extraction and primary processing of minerals. Primary processing is often also called beneficiation, which increases the percentage of useful elements in raw materials and reduces ballast.
The largest mining countries in the world are the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and China. Mining is an internationally specialized industry in this group of countries, as well as in many developing countries, including India, Indonesia, Congo, Zambia, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, and Zambia. As in the past, developing countries are now suppliers of minerals to industrialized countries. In many developing countries, raw materials are extracted in volumes that are several times higher than their domestic needs. Consequently, a significant amount of extracted raw materials is exported.
Despite the fact that the mining industry is one of the leading industries in developed countries, they meet a third of their needs for ore products through imports from economically backward countries.
In addition to the oil crisis in the West in October 1973, the industrialized countries of the world also experienced a raw materials crisis. However, it was not as severe. How did the West respond to the commodity crisis?
First, developed countries have taken measures to increase the economy of consumption of ore resources. Secondly, they intensified the development of their own mining industry. For example, Australia and Canada retain no more than 20% of their mineral resources in the country, and sell the rest on the international market.
There are many consumers of minerals in the world. This is due, among other things, to the fact that rare minerals are mined in one (or more) country, while many countries are in demand. Some countries rich in minerals lack certain types of raw materials. Countries that consume extracted minerals differ in the volume of imported minerals, which is explained by the economic potential of the respective country. Japan is the world’s largest importer of minerals, and Western Europe is also a major consumer.