The largest gold mines in the world

Which country holds the distinction for the largest gold producing mine? Who owns these mines? And how much gold does each contain? Let’s take a look!

1. Muruntau Gold Deposit, Uzbekistan, Asia

   In 2016, this gold mine produced more than 60 tonnes of gold, making it the largest one in the world. Operated by the Uzbek government and co-owned by Navoi Mining, the mine is reported to have more than 5000 tonnes of gold reserves yet to be mined- that’s the weight of 25 blue whales!

   

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2. Pueblo Viejo, Dominican Republic, South America

   The Pueblo Viejo mine not only holds gold reserves but silver as well. Currently, it is jointly owned by Canadian companies, Barrick Gold Corporation and Goldcorp Inc. The mine’s latest reported gold output was 36 tonnes.

   

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3. Goldstrike, USA, North America

   Located in the state of Nevada, this mine is also owned by Canada’s Barrick Gold Corp and produced an output of 34 tonnes of gold in 2016.

   

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4. Grasberg, Indonesia, Asia

   The largest gold mine in the world by area, Grasberg holds gold, copper, and silver reserves as well. This mine employs almost 20,000 people and is jointly owned by the American company Freeport McMoRan and the Indonesian government. 33 tonnes of gold was mined here as per latest available data.

   

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5. Cortez, USA, North America

   Another Barrick Gold Corp owned mine from Nevada, Cortez gold mine is the largest gold producer for both the company and the state. Last year, almost 33 tonnes of gold was produced here.

   

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6. Carlin Trend, USA, North America

   This mine has multiple locations across Nevada and was first explored in 1983 by America’s Newmont Mining Corporation. The latest reported gold output from the mine stands at a little less than 30 tonnes

   

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7. Olimpiada, Russia, Asia/Europe

   One of the largest gold mines in the country, this mine started production in 1996, and produced 29.3 tonnes of gold in 2016

   

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8. Lihir, Papua New Guinea

   Located in Oceania, a region centred on the islands of the central Pacific Ocean, the Lihir mine belonged to the company Lihir Gold Limited which had operations in neighbouring Australia and West Africa as well. Now owned by Australia’s Newcrest Mining, the mine produced a total of 28 tonnes of gold in 2016.

   

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9. Batu Hijau, Indonesia, Asia

   Mined by the domestic company Amman Minerals, the Batu Hijau mine in Indonesia produced 26.7 tonnes of gold last year.

   

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10. Boddington, Australia

    The mine was first mined in 1987 but shut down in 2001. However, mining here was reopened in 2010 and this is now Australia’s largest gold mine. Owned by America’s Newmont, almost 25 tonnes of gold was produced here in 2016.

    

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