Infographic: Copper spheres of control

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MINING.COM and The Northern Miner mapped global copper production through a geopolitical lens, dividing the world into five “spheres of control”: American, Chinese, Russian, Coalition of the Willing, and Undrafted.

These groupings reflect geographic, social, cultural, and economic ties—and possible alignments in a more polarized world.

America still ahead

The American Sphere leads with 48.7% of global copper output over the past five years, followed by the Chinese Sphere at 29.9%.

The Russian Sphere and the Coalition of the Willing each account for just under 10%, while 1.9% remains undrafted.

The bottom panel ranks top-producing countries, led by Chile, the DRC, and Peru.

(By Anthony Vaccaro; Files from: Ali Ravaghi; Creative: James Alafriz)