Bauxite in India
India is ranked 6th in the world in terms of Bauxite Reserves. Bauxite is the ore of aluminium. A light durable, rust free metal called aluminium is extracted from Bauxite. Aluminium is also good conductor of electricity.
Uses:
Aluminium is extracted from Bauxite. It is used widely in the manufacturing of:
- Automobiles,
- Air crafts,
- Building construction,
- Electric wire and equipment’s,
- Furniture and utensils,
- Scientific accessories, and,
- Aluminium mixed with copper produces Duralumin, a metal much stronger than steel.
Bauxite Producing areas in India
Large amount of bauxite comes from:
- Orissa (ranks first): Sambalpur, Koraput, Kalahandi and Ganjam,
- Jharkhand (ranks 3rd): Lohardaga near Ranchi and Palamau districts,
- Maharashtra: Ratnagiri and Kolaba, Thane, Satara of Kolhapur district,
- Madhya Pradesh: Chhattisgarh – Balaghat, Rajgarh and Bilashpur,
- Gujarat (ranks 2nd): Bhavanagar, Junagarh and Amreli,
- Karnataka: Belgaum and Bababudan hills,
- Tamil Nadu: Salem.
Next to Orissa, Gujarat ranks second and Jharkhand third in Bauxite production in India.
Trade: For a long time India had to export large quantities of bauxite. But with the development of aluminium factories the domestic demand for bauxite has been increased.