Turkey’s Biggest Industries – Mining
Alongside agriculture and tourism, mining is another of Turkey’s biggest industries. When you consider the sheer size of the country, it’s location, and the type of terrain it owns, it’s no surprise that there are many minerals and coal within the land, which can be used to export and sell, bringing money into the national economy.
Over the last few years, Turkey has encouraged foreign investment in businesses within the country, relaxing regulations and making it easier to set up businesses and do business with existing Turkish companies. This has brought more mining companies to the country, and at present, there are around 60 different types of mining facilities within Turkey overall.
To give you an idea of the sheer scale of things here, Turkey is 10th for mineral variety in the world, and 28th for underground resource production. The 60 different type of minerals which are found under Turkish ground, as well as many raw materials which can be extracted and used in various different industries, such as agriculture, cosmetics, and also construction.
The problem with mining in Turkey has always been a lack of up to date technology and knowledge, but more investment from foreign businesses is slowly beginning to change of all of that. Over the last few years, mining has become more of a business boom for Turkey, and now brings in a large amount of income for the country.
The following minerals and materials can be found abundantly in Turkey:
- Copper
- Chrome
- Coal
- Marble
- Boron
- Gold
- Iron
- Lead
- Silver
- Tin
- Mercury
Boron in particular is big business, with Turkey owning three quarters of the planet’s reserves.
Different parts of the country are rich in different types of minerals and materials, so it makes sense that these are targeted by specific countries. For instance, western Turkey has an abundance of brown coal, or lignite, and the Black Sea region, particularly the western portion of the region has a large amount of coal to be mined. We know that the eastern part of Turkey is quite mountainous and it is less developed compared to the western and central regions, but here you will find precious minerals. Over the country’s entire span, iron is abundant.
Eastern Turkey is quite untapped in terms of mining, and this is something which may change in the future. The reason for this is becuase of the political situation in this part of the country, with a mainly Kurdish population, and clashes with Turkish forces. This has led many international companies to be a little put off investing in this area, but local businesses are quite active in terms of mining here, and it is hoped that more work can be done to encourage international investment in this part of the country in the years to come. The eastern portion is however quite energy rich, and a lot of work in that sector is done here.
Turkey’s mining industry really does grow year on year, with gold mining in particular showing a huge increase every single year that goes by. With more jobs being produced for locals, this is also a huge boost for the economy, and with more and more foreign investment, the sector looks set to grow continually into the next decade or so.
