Natural resources, or commodities,
are the raw inputs that are used to manufacture and produce all of the
products in the world. Commodities themselves, which include those
extracted from the earth and those that have yet to be extracted, are
worth trillions of dollars. Here are the top 10 countries with the most
natural resources, the resources they have and their total estimated
value.
10 : Venezuela
This South American country has an estimated $14.3 trillion worth of natural resources. The country’s main resources are iron, natural gas
and oil. This country ranks eighth in the world for natural gas
reserves, accounting for 2.7% of the global supply, and ranks sixth in
oil reserves, accounting for 7.4% of the global supply. Venezuela is
about the same size as Texas.
9 : Iraq
Number nine on the list is Iraq, which holds an estimated $15.9
trillion worth of natural resources. The country has 9% of the total
world’s oil deposits, accounting for most of its resources. Iraq is also
among the top countries for reserves of phosphate rock. This country is
about the same size as California.
8 : Australia
Australia, with $19.9 trillion in natural resources, comes in at
number eight on the list. Australia is known for its large reserves of
coal, timber, copper and iron ore. But the country also is the leader
for two important metals : gold and uranium. As for the precious metal
gold, Australia has the world’s largest supply and meets 14.3% of
global demand. As for uranium, about 46% of the global supply comes from
Australia. The country is about 80% the size of the United States.
7 : Brazil
The seventh-ranked country in terms of total natural resources is
Brazil. This country, only a little smaller than the United States, is
estimated to have $21.8 trillion in commodities. Brazil has large
deposits of gold and uranium and is the world’s second-largest producer
of iron. While the country also has sizable oil deposits, its most
valuable natural resource is timber. About 12.3% of the world’s timber
supply comes from Brazil.
6 : China
China is number six on the list. The country has an estimated $23
trillion worth of natural resources, 90% of which are coal and rare
earth metals. However, timber is another major natural resource of
China. The country has a land area roughly equal to the United States.
5 : Iran
With $27.3 trillion in natural resources, Iran is the fifth country
on the list. The country’s main natural resources are oil and natural
gas. Iran has about 10% of the world’s oil supply and 16% of the world’s
natural gas supply, and is about the same size as Alaska.
4 : Canada
Fourth on the list of countries with the most natural resources is
Canada. Overall, the country has an estimated $33.2 trillion worth of
commodities. Canada has 17.8% of the world’s oil supply, which is the
highest after Saudi Arabia. It also has the world’s second-largest
reserves of uranium and is the third-largest timber producer worldwide.
It also has large reserves of natural gas and phosphate. Canada is about
the same size as the United States.
3 : Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has 20% of the world’s oil reserves, the fifth-largest
natural gas reserves and large amounts of timber. Overall, the country
has about $34.4 trillion worth of natural resources. Saudi Arabia is
about the size of Alaska.
2 : The United States of America
With about $45 trillion in natural resources, the U.S. is number two
on the list. The U.S. has over 31% of the world’s coal, but also has
large amounts of timber. A total of 89% of the country’s natural
resources are from coal and timber, but it also has sizable deposits of
natural gas, oil, gold and copper.
1 : Russia
Russia is number one on the list by far. Its total estimated natural
resources are worth $75 trillion. The country has many different natural
resources, but its main deposits include coal, oil, natural gas, gold
and timber. The country also has the second-largest supply of rare earth metals in the world. Russia is about twice as large as the United States.
