6.Chromium ore

Chromium: some 99 percent of the world’s chromite is found in southern Africa and Zimbabwe. In the western hemisphere, chromite ore is produced only in Brazil and Cuba; the United States, Mexico and Canada do not produce chromite. By comparison, about 80% of world production of chromite comes from India, Kazakhstan, Turkey and southern Africa. Southern Africa itself produces about half of this.

Chromium is alloyed (that is, mixed) with steel to make it corrosion resistant or harder. An example is its use in the production of stainless steel, a bright, shiny steel that is strong and resistant to oxidation (rust). Chromium is also used to make heat-resisting steel. So-called “superalloys” use chromium and have strategic military applications.