Natural re­sources facts

It is gypsum. White Sands, having 442 total square kilometers of dune fields, is the world's largest surface deposit of gypsum. Unlike other desert sands, it is cool to the touch, due to the high rate of evaporation of surface moisture and the fact that the sands reflect, rather than absorb, the sun's rays.

Sweet crude oil contains small amounts of hydrogen sulfide (in contrast to sour crude oil). Low-sulfur crude oil is in high demand as it is used to produce high-quality gasoline without the need for expensive processes of removing sulfur impurities. The term "sweet" originates from the fact that a low level of sulfur provides the oil with a mildly sweet taste and pleasant smell. Nineteenth century prospectors would taste and smell small quantities of oil to determine its quality.

In Colombia. Colombia is by far the world's largest producer of emeralds, constituting 50–95% of the world production. The Colombian emeralds are also the purest. The emerald trade is at the center of funding of ongoing civil conflict in Colombia, second to drug trade.

Lignite (brown coal). Coal forms when the dead plant matter is converted into peat, which in turn is converted into lignite, then sub-bituminous coal, then bituminous coal, and lastly anthracite.

The Netherlands. 50% of the natural gas production in the Netherlands comes from the Groningen Gas Field, being the largest natural gas field in Europe and the tenth largest in the world. The other 50% being supplied by around 300 smaller fields, mostly in the North Sea.

Chile outranks all other producers of copper, having at least one-third world share. The copper industry is located in the Atacama Desert in northern part of the country.

China. People's Republic of China is the top producer of aluminium with almost a one-fifth world share. It heavily outranks other countries, producing five times as much as the second place holder - Russia.