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Copper has been mined and used for well over 10,000 years. The Island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean was a major source of copper for the ancient world. The word "copper" originates from the Roman name for Cyprian metal - cuprum. The abbreviation of cuprum and the symbol on the Periodic Chart of Elements is Cu.
Copper, one of the oldest metals used, has been important throughout the development of civilization and it continues to play a crucial role in our global economy today. Copper consumption continues to grow - due in part to its physical properties of high ductility, malleability, thermal and electrical conductivity, and resistance to corrosion. It is a major industrial metal ranking third after iron and aluminum in terms of quantities consumed.
Building construction is the single largest market accounting for about 46% of total copper use, followed by electronics and electronic products (23%), transportation equipment (10%), industrial machinery and equipment (10%) and consumer and general products (11%). Copper is also used in power stations and deep-sea oil platforms as it can withstand extreme environments, and is non-magnetic and corrosion-resistant. Copper byproducts from manufacturing and obsolete copper products are readily recycled and contribute significantly to copper supply.
Copper is primarily found in minerals associated with sulfur or in the oxidized products of these minerals. Copper easily combines with a number of other elements and ions to form a wide variety of copper minerals and ores. Large deposits, relatively close to the surface are amenable to relatively low cost bulk mining methods.
Known worldwide resources of this important and valuable metal are estimated at nearly 5.8 trillion pounds of which only about 0.7 trillion (12%) have been mined throughout history. Nearly all of that 0.7 trillion (or 700 billion) pounds is still in circulation because copper's recycling rate is higher than that of any other engineering metal. Almost half of all recycled copper scrap is old post-consumer scrap, such as discarded electric cable, junked automobile radiators and air conditioners. The remainder is new scrap, such as chips and turnings from screw machine production.
The largest producers of copper ore are Chile, the United States, Canada, Zaire, Zambia, and Poland. Russia, Kazakhstan, and Armenia also produce significant amounts of copper. Many producing regions ship the ore elsewhere or smelt it without refining. Considerable amounts of ore and unrefined copper are processed in Japan, Peru, and Serbia.
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