The total coal reserves in the U.K. have been estimated at 172.2 billion metric tons of about 3.4 per cent of world total. Production in 1984-85 was 134 million metric tons. The coal is mainly bituminous and only a small portion in South Wales is anthracite. The gradual depletion of coal has resulted in the mines becoming deeper and coal price going up.
The coal-field of central Europe come next in importance to the coal-fields of the U.S.A. Of the coal-fields of central Europe, the Ruhr district is by far the most important field. It ranks second only to the Pittsburgh district of the U.S. Its excellent quality formed the basis of European chemical and metallurgical industries. Its location is most advantageous from the standpoint of transport facilities.
The upper Silesian coalfield, next to the Ruhr, the largest and best in Europe is now in Poland. Saxony coalfield, is in East Germany. The Westphalia fields (where lies Ruhr valley) containing 90% of coal reserves of Germany are in West Germany. Besides bituminous coal, Germany was the important producer and user of lignite mined at Cologne. The production of coal in West Germany amounted to 203 million metric tons in 1984-85 and 200 million metric tons in 1987-88.
Another major coalfield of central Europe extends from Valenciennes in northern France to the Namur basin in Belgium and then along the northern border of Belgium as the Campine coalfield. The coal is of bituminous type used in metallurgical and textile industries along the belt. France produced 53 million metric tons in 1984-85. Production also came from the Lorraine and the Rhone delta.
Asia including Russia has about 46 per cent coal reserves of the world.
Russia. The total coal reserves of Russia are estimated at 1200 billion metric tons, or about 24 percent of the world's coal reserves. Bituminous coal accounts for 85 percent of Russian reserves. Its anthracite reserves are the largest in the world.
In 1987-88 U.S.S.R. produced 732 million metric tons of coal occupying second position in the world as a producer of coal. The Donetz basin located in the southeastern part of the Ukraine is the most important from the standpoint of excellent location being close to the iron ore deposits of Krivoi Rog and manganese deposits of nearly Nikopol. More than 55% of the Soviet output came from the Donetz basin.
Kuznetsk in western Siberia having a reserve of 4,50,00 million metric ton is the greatest coalfield nowadays in Russia. The other important producing districts include the Ural and Tula coalfield, Pechora and Vorkuta in the north, Karaganda in Kazakhstan, Cheremkhovo in Siberia.
China (mainland). The People's Republic of China has vast reserves of coal. She has 1011.6 million metric tons of coals or about 20.2 per cent of world's coal reserves including lignite, with all production amounted to 628 million metric tons in 1987-88. Chinese coal is mainly of anthracite type widely scattered with all over the country. Shansi, Shensi, Kanshu and Honan contain the greatest deposits of coal.
Shansi and Shensi in the middle Hwang Ho basin are especially rich in high quality anthracite and bituminous coal. China is the world's fourth largest producer and third largest consumer of this commercial energy. Coal and oil have been the most important sources, accounting for over 90 per cent of total domestic production.
Japan: Total coal reserves in Japan have been estimated at 16.7 billion metric tons, or about 0.3 per cent of world's total reserves. Her mines are situated in Kyushu Island. Another field at Yubari is in Hokkaido Island. The Kyushu fields supply about 50 per cent of country's coal and Hokkaido fields supply 40 per cent. Coal production in 1987-88 amounted to 50 million metric tons. More than 90 per cent of her coal is either low bituminous or sub-bituminous and not suitable for coke of high quality. Japan has to depend on imported coal for industrial use.
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