Countries and their Natural Resources: The Natural Wealth of Countries

Natural resources are naturally occurring (renewable and nonrenewable) substances of the environment that are considered valuable in their natural form. Nonrenewable includes for example fossil fuel (coal and oil) and renewable can be unconditionally renewable (e.g. solar, geothermal, tidal or wind energy) and conditionally renewable (e.g. fish, cattle, forest goods, vines). These are naturally occurring materials from the environment that have value in serving human needs and therefore have economic value. These material source of wealth are primary factors of production and the availability of particular natural resources gives that country a comparative advantage in trade.

Some of these natural resources (material source of wealth) are: timber (forest), natural gas, petroleum (oil), coal, barites, copper, chromite, sulfur, talc, lead, zinc, iron ore, precious and semi-precious stones, salt, fresh water, seeds, grains, fruits, animals (e.g fish, shrimp and cattle), sand and gravel all occurs in a natural state and has economic value. It is important to note also that natural resources can have "noneconomic" value such as being; ecological, recreational (scenic beauty), educational or aesthetic value in nature, apart from those that could be classified under economic value.

Thus, most countries have a particular natural resource(s) (biological and geological sources) that meet human needs and as such, have an economic value whereby it can be exploited and used by that country or in trade with other countries. The list below shows each country’s nature resources or its natural wealth.

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Countries and their Natural Resource - The Natural Wealth of Countries around the World

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Country	Natural resources
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, hydro-power
Algeria	petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc
American Samoa	pumice, pumicite
Andorra	hydro-power, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead
Angola	petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium
Anguilla	salt, fish, lobster
Antarctica	iron ore, chromium, copper, gold, nickel, platinum and other minerals, and coal and hydrocarbons have been found in small noncommercial quantities; not presently exploited; krill, finfish, and crab have been taken by commercial fisheries
Antigua and Barbuda	Has a pleasant climate and 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	Negligible; 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, gold, 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, arable land
Bahrain	oil, associated and non-associated natural gas, fish, pearls
Baker Island	guano (deposits worked until 1891), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
Bangladesh	natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
Barbados	petroleum, fish, natural gas
Bassas da India	none
Belarus	forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay
Belgium	coal, natural gas
Belize	arable land potential, timber, fish, hydro-power
Benin	small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Bermuda	limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism
Bhutan	timber, hydro-power, gypsum, calcium carbide
Bolivia	tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydro-power
Bosnia and Herzegovina	coal, iron, bauxite, manganese, forests, copper, chromium, lead, zinc, hydro-power
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, hydro-power, timber
British Indian Ocean Territory	coconuts, fish, sugarcane
British Virgin Islands	Negligible
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, hydro-power
Burundi	nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium, arable land, hydro-power
Cambodia	timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydro-power potential
Cameroon	petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydro-power
Canada	iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydro-power
Cape Verde	salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish
Cayman Islands	fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism
Central African Republic	diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydro-power
Chad	petroleum (unexploited but exploration under way), uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad)
Chile	copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydro-power
China	coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydro-power potential (world's largest)
Christmas Island	phosphate, beaches
Clipperton Island	fish
Cocos (Keeling) Islands	fish
Colombia	petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydro-power
Comoros	Negligible
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, hydro-power, timber
Congo, Republic of the	petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, natural gas, hydro-power
Cook Islands	Negligible
Coral Sea Islands	Negligible
Costa Rica	hydro-power
Cote d'Ivoire	petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, hydro-power
Croatia	oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydro-power
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, hydro-power, arable land
Dominican Republic	nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
East Timor	gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble
Ecuador	petroleum, fish, timber, hydro-power
Egypt	petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc
El Salvador	hydro-power, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land
Equatorial Guinea	oil, petroleum, timber, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese, uranium, titanium, iron ore
Eritrea	gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish
Estonia	oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud
Ethiopia	small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydro-power
Europa Island	Negligible
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)	fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss
Faroe Islands	fish, whales, hydro-power
Fiji	timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydro-power
Finland	timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver
France	coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, potash, timber, fish
French Guiana	bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish
French Polynesia	timber, fish, cobalt, hydro-power
French Southern and Antarctic Lands	fish, crayfish
Gabon	petroleum, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydro-power
Gambia, The	fish
Gaza Strip	arable land, natural gas
Georgia	forests, hydro-power, 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, hydro-power
Gibraltar	Negligible
Glorioso Islands	guano, coconuts
Greece	bauxite, lignite, magnesite, petroleum, marble, hydro-power potential
Greenland	zinc, lead, iron ore, coal, molybdenum, gold, platinum, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydro-power, possible oil and gas
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	fish
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), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
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	timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
Italy	mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, 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), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
Jersey	arable land
Johnston Atoll	guano deposits worked until depletion about 1890, terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
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, rubies, fluorspar, garnets, wildlife, hydropower
Kingman Reef	terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
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	peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, 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	arable land, iron ore (no longer exploited),
Macau	Negligible
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 mineral deposits unexploited: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper
Malta	limestone, salt, arable land
Man, Isle of	none
Marshall Islands	coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals
Martinique	coastal scenery and beaches, cultivable land
Mauritania	iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish
Mauritius	arable land, fish
Mayotte	Negligible
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, limestone
Monaco	none
Mongolia	oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, wolfram, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron, phosphate
Montserrat	Neglible
Morocco	phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt
Mozambique	coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite
Namibia	diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, hydropower, fish (with the possiblity exist for: oil, coal, and iron ore)
Nauru	phosphates, fish
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	natural gas, petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, 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	terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
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, natural gas
Philippines	timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper
Pitcairn Islands	miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish offshore: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered
Poland	coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land
Portugal	fish, forests (cork), tungsten, iron ore, uranium ore, marble, arable land, hydropower
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, hydropower
Russia	Timber, oil, natural gas, coal, and many other minerals that are not exploited due mainly to the country's climate and terrain.
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, hydropower, arable land
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, forests
Solomon Islands	fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
Somalia	uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves
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	manganese nodules, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales, and seals - not exploited; krill, fishes; possibility of oil and natural gas
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
Taiwan	small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos
Tajikistan	hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
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	Negligible
Tonga	fish, fertile soil
Trinidad and Tobago	petroleum, natural gas, asphalt
Tromelin Island	fish
Tunisia	petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
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	Negligible
West Bank	arable land
Western Sahara	phosphates, iron ore
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

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