Are you reading this from your phone right now? If so, you are handling gold! One of the most expensive materials used to construct smartphones is gold. Due to its excellent conductivity, gold is commonly used on the printed circuit boards as well as wiring and other components in electronics. Precious metals serve far more purposes than just jewelry and decoration. Gold, silver, platinum, and palladium are crucial components in industries such as dentistry, medicine, aerospace, automotive, and manufacturing. If you drive a car, platinum and palladium make it possible because 50% of their demand goes towards building catalytic converters. This infographic is a visualization of the countries that produce the most gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. China is the top producer of gold, Mexico is the top producer of silver, and South Africa is the top producer of both platinum and palladium. Without these naturally-occurring materials, life on Earth would look much different.
