Investopedia/Craig Anthony: 10 Countries With The Most Natural Resources

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10 Countries With The Most Natural Resources

By Craig Anthony | Updated September 12, 2016 — 5:19 PM EDT
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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.
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