The Mining Industry 
117 
two fifths of what is mined in the whole world. Six sevenths of the 
supply for the United States is taken from the deposits around the 
western end of Lake Superior, principally in Minnesota and Michigan 
(Fig. 88). One twelfth comes from mines near Birmingham, Alabama, 
and the rest is produced in New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, 
Virginia, and a dozen other states. No state west of the Mississippi 
River produces more than a few thousand tons. This is because the 
western states are distant from the great markets for iron goods. 
What they mine is for local uses. 
How iron and coal underlie civilization. Our modern civilization is 
built upon iron and coal. The machinery, tools, and means of trans- 
portation used by civilized people are made almost entirely of iron, 
and iron is taken from its ore by means of coal. Practically everything 
used in our daily lives is produced with the help of iron and coal. 
The stony products. The table on page 113 shows the importance 
of cement, stone, and sand. Besides their use in buildings, road con- 
struction, and street paving, they have many uses in industry, also; 
for example. limestone in smelting iron, and sand in making glass. 
QUESTIONS, EXERCISES, AND PROBLEMS 
A. Where iron is mined. 
Where are the world’s two great iron-mining regions? State two facts 
that partly explain the concentration of iron mining in these two regions. 
Good iron ores occur in many countries. Nevertheless Figure 86 shows 
that little iron is produced except where much coal is produced. What 
climatic condition has something to do with this? 
Name the six leading iron-mining countries. Compare the iron-ore pro- 
duction of the United States with that of the others. 
What continents mine practically no iron ore? Why? What is the 
only tropical country that mines iron ore in appreciable quantities ? 
England takes most of the iron ore mined in Spain and much of that 
mined in Sweden; this ore is smelted in the English foundries. The 
ore mined in Cuba is carried to the United States to be smelted. How 
can you account for these movements of the ore? 
B. The use of iron. 
1. About half a ton of iron and steel goods is made annually in this country 
for every inhabitant within our boundaries. Make a list of the iron and 
steel goods that account in a general way for your share. Put ten 
items under the following headinr 
BuiLpiNg HOUSEKEEPING 
A House 
nails 
) 
PRESERVING 
OR PREPARING 
Foop 
Examples: tin can