A Map to Gold and Silver

The team at Kylar Mack have created a treasure trove of information in this map of the world marking the places where the most gold and silver is found. Delving into the world’s gold and silver sources is a fascinating way to get a greater understanding of world economies and even politics. The map’s main focus is gold and silver, but you’ll also discover the sources of other precious metals like palladium and platinum.

Click below to zoom

Gold is precious because it’s useful, beautiful, and finite. The U.S. Department of the Interior estimates that 244,000 metric tons of gold have been discovered (not all of it has been mined.) Out of all the gold that’s already been mined, 45% exists in jewelry. Experts guess that only 20% of the world’s gold still waits to be mined below ground. It’s possible that technology will help us discover more in the future.

The country with the most gold is China, which accounts for 11.8% of the world’s gold mining. After China, Australia ranks at number two followed by the United States. As for silver, 19% of the world’s stock has been mined or still exists in Mexico, followed by Peru and China. There’s actually a silver shortage due to its use in solar panels.

Explore the whole map to find out where in the world gold and silver is mined, along with the top sources for palladium and platinum. Russia is the palladium leader and South Africa has the most platinum (as well as the largest gold mine.)