The World's Treasures

There may be lost pirate treasure buried in the coves of the Caribbean Islands. There are certainly lost treasures of gold and jewels aboard early Spanish sailing ships sunk at sea. But not all treasure is lost. The earth is full of found treasures. Here are just a few of them.

Bauxite: This mineral is used to make aluminum. Guinea in Africa is rich with it.

Cashews: These delicious nuts grow on trees in Mozambique, a country in southeast Africa.

Chewing Gum: The sapodilla tree of Central America is the source of chicle, which is what puts the chew in chewing gum.

Chocolate: The seed of the cacao tree, which is found on many Caribbean islands, is used to make chocolate.

Chromium: This metal is used to make stainless steel. There is plenty of chromium in Zimbabwe, Africa.

Copper: One of the richest “copper belts” in the world is in Zambia, Africa.

Cork: Bulletin boards and stoppers in wine bottles are both made of cork, which is the bark of the cork oak tree in Spain.

Diamonds: Namibia, Africa, supplies the most valuable diamonds of the 18 countries in southern Africa rich with diamonds.

Emeralds: Colombia produces the most emeralds of any country in South America.

Gold: The world's largest gold mine is in Irian Jaya, Indonesia.

Mahogany: The trees that supply this beautiful wood grow in Central America.

Nitrates: This mineral used to preserve foods is found in the desert of Chile.

Perfume: In the south of France, flowers are grown for their oils, which are used in making perfumes.

Seaweed: Off the coast of Japan, seaweed is harvested to eat or to flavor foods.

Sugar: Sugarcane is grown in many countries in Central America and the Caribbean Islands.

Vanilla: There wouldn't be vanilla ice cream without the vanilla bean. More than half the world's vanilla is grown in Madagascar.

Wool: Most of the world's wool is supplied by the sheep of Australia.