Consider the following pairs:
| Country | Resource-rich in | |
|---|---|---|
| I. | Botswana | Diamond |
| II. | Chile | Lithium |
| III. | Indonesia | Nickel |
In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) All the three
All three rows are correct: Botswana's economy is built on diamonds, Chile holds the largest lithium reserves in Latin America and is a leading lithium producer, and Indonesia has the world's largest nickel reserves.
- ✓ I Botswana is a diamond economy; the World Bank says its diamond wealth has driven decades of economic and social progress, and diamonds are still dominant in its economy.
- ✓ II Chile is first in order of size among the three Latin American countries (Chile, Argentina, Brazil) that hold large lithium reserves, and the World Bank puts it second among lithium miners, after Australia.
- ✓ III Indonesia holds the world's largest nickel reserve and is the world's largest nickel producer; it banned nickel ore exports in 2014 to build domestic processing.
Remember · Botswana: diamonds. Chile: lithium. Indonesia: nickel, the world's largest reserve, used in steel and EV batteries.
Sources
- Botswana country page, World Bank Group ↗ “Botswana’s diamond wealth has supported decades of economic and social progress, but the country’s traditional growth model is under increasing pressure.”
- Latin America and the Caribbean in a Greening World: Critical Minerals, World Bank (2024) ↗ “Of the 8 countries with the largest lithium reserves, 3 are in LAC (Chile, Argentina, and Brazil in order of magnitude) and account for 47% of the world total.”
- Nickel, Steel and Cars: Export Ban and Domestic Value-Added in Indonesia, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 11249 (2025) ↗ “Indonesia has the world’s largest reserve of nickel, which is a crucial input to produce iron and steel, and a primary ingredient for batteries that are essential for the production of electric vehicles (EVs).”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·