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Q7·GS Paper 1 · Prelims 2023

Three-fourths of world's cobalt production — which country

GeographyWorld Economic & Political GeographyFactual singleMediumCurrent-affairs-linked

Question

About three-fourths of world's cobalt, a metal required for the manufacture of batteries for electric motor vehicles, is produced by

Options

a

Argentina

b

Botswana

c

the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Answer
d

Kazakhstan

Explanation

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the undisputed global giant in cobalt production, accounting for roughly 70-75% of the world's supply. This critical mineral is primarily mined in the Katanga region and is essential for the lithium-ion batteries powering modern electric vehicles.

Global supply chains for EV batteries are overwhelmingly dependent on the DRC for Cobalt and South America/Australia for Lithium.

Answer: (c).

Question details

Year

2023

Paper

GS Paper 1

Question

Q7

Subject

Geography

Sub-topic

World Economic & Political Geography

Type

Factual single

Difficulty

Medium

Nature

Current-affairs-linked

Source hint

USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries / EV Battery Cobalt Supply 2022

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