The Mineral Industry of South Africa in 2000
THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF SOUTH AFRICA By George J. Coakley The Republic of South Africa holds a major economic and the primary mining sector, however, declined to 437,000 in physical presence on the African continent. In 2000, it ranked 1999 from 466,700 in 1998 and from more than 778,000 in second after Libya in per capita gross domestic product (GDP) 1990 (South Africa Department of Minerals and Energy, 2001, based on purchasing power parity data for 2000 at $8,5001 per p. 9). capita and fifth in population and land area with 43.6 million The most important mineral commodities produced in South people and 1,219,912 square kilometers, respectively; by Africa, in terms of value, were PGMs, gold, coal, ferroalloys comparison, the land area of South Africa is slightly more than (ferrochromium, ferromanganese, ferrosilicon, and twice the size of Texas. The GDP grew at a rate of 3.1% in ferrovanadium), aluminum, steel, titanium, iron ore, diamond, 2000; this was its highest growth in 3 years. Of total exports of vanadium, and copper. Additionally, important output of all goods, which were valued at $30.8 billion, mineral metallic commodities included antimony, chromite, cobalt, lead, commodities accounted for about 47%. The minerals industry manganese, nickel, silver, uranium, zinc, and zirconium. contributed about 25% to 31% of the GDP, of which 6.5% came Significant industrial minerals production included andalusite from primary mined products and 20% to 25% from value- (aluminum silicate), aggregate and sand, asbestos, dimension added processed mineral products, such as aluminum, stone, fluorspar, limestone and lime, phosphate rock, sulfur, and ferroalloys, and steel.
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