Why is mining important?
1 Answer
Mining provides all of the metallic, non-metallic and gemstones products we use in society today.
Explanation:
Mining provides metallic mineral products including steel, copper, zinc, aluminum and many others. If you look around just about any room or building you are in, you will be able to count many metallic products that are from metal mining.
Non-metallic mining includes phosphate for fertilizers, aggregate for rods, limestone for cement production and many others.
Gemstones include diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds most of which are for "human decoration" but this is still a multi-billion dollar industry. Some rebels in African countries unfortunately have used gems as a source of revenue for purchasing weapons - so called conflict diamonds and gems.
For resource rich countries like Canada, Australia and the U.S. the mining industry contributes quite a lot to economic activity (GDP) in these countries as well as considerable employment.
