Minerals yearbook. Area reports: international 2005. Latin America and Canada. Volume III / Ежегодник полезных ископаемых. Региональные отчеты: международный 2005 год. Латинская Америка и Канада. Том III

The 33 independent countries and 13 territories in Latin America (which includes the Caribbean) and Canada covered in this volume encompass an area of 30.5 million square kilometers. The region, which is three times the size of the United States, had a population of 598 million, or 9% of the world total, in 2005 (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 2006§'; World Bank, The, 2006§).
A number of countries in Latin America and Canada were major producers and exporters of mineral and fuel commodities. Such countries as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela derived a significant portion of their economic strength, export revenues, and direct foreign investment from the production and export of mineral and/or fuel commodities. In 2005, Latin America and Canada accounted for about 53% of the world’s total mine output of copper and about 45% of the mine output of silver. The region also contributed about one-third of the world’s mine production of nickel and zinc and 23% of the mine output of iron ore and lead. The region was rich in mineral resources and continued to attract a significant portion of the world’s exploration capital. <...>