About three-fourths of world's cobalt, a metal required for the manufacture of batteries for electric motor vehicles, is produced by
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo dominates cobalt mining, supplying roughly 70 per cent or more of the world's mined cobalt, most of it from its copper-cobalt belt in the south-east. Much of this is refined in China and used in rechargeable batteries.
- ✓ (c) The US Geological Survey reported that Congo (Kinshasa) remained the world's leading source of mined cobalt in 2022, with about 70% of world mine production.
- ✗ (a) Argentina is known for lithium brines, another battery mineral, not cobalt.
- ✗ (d) Kazakhstan is the world's largest uranium producer; it is not a major cobalt source.
Remember · Cobalt: DR Congo mines about 70–75% of world output, mostly as a by-product of copper; China leads in refining and battery use.
Sources
- US Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2023: Cobalt ↗ “Congo (Kinshasa) continued to be the world’s leading source of mined cobalt, accounting for about 70% of world cobalt mine production.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·