Rio Tinto facts for kids

Rio Tinto Group is one of the world's largest companies that digs up metals and minerals. They mainly focus on mining. They find and sell important things like iron ore, copper, diamonds, gold, and uranium.

The company also works on making these raw materials more useful. For example, they refine (clean and process) bauxite and iron ore. Rio Tinto has two main offices: one in London, England, and another in Melbourne, Australia.

History of Rio Tinto

The company started a long time ago, in 1873. A group of investors bought a big mine complex in Spain. This mine was located near the Rio Tinto river in a place called Huelva. They bought it from the Spanish Government.

Since then, Rio Tinto has grown a lot. They grew by joining with other companies or buying them. This helped them become one of the biggest mining companies in the world.

What Rio Tinto Mines

Rio Tinto digs up many different kinds of valuable materials from the Earth. These materials are used to make countless products we use every day.

Key Minerals and Metals

• Iron Ore: This is a rock from which iron can be extracted. Iron is a main ingredient in steel, which is used to build everything from cars to skyscrapers.
• Copper: This metal is great at conducting electricity. It's used in electrical wires, plumbing, and even in computers.
• Diamonds: These are famous for being beautiful gemstones. They are also super hard, so they are used in tools for cutting and drilling.
• Gold: A precious metal, gold is used in jewelry, coins, and electronics because it doesn't rust or tarnish.
• Uranium: This element is used as fuel in nuclear power plants to create electricity.

In 2020, Rio Tinto was actively producing and selling these minerals. They also produce and sell aluminium, which is a light but strong metal used in planes, cars, and drink cans.

Beyond Mining

Even though digging up minerals is their main job, Rio Tinto also does other important things. They have big operations in refining. Refining means taking the raw materials they dig up and processing them. This makes them purer and ready to be used by other industries.

For example, they refine bauxite to make aluminium. They also refine iron ore. This step is important because it turns the raw rock into a material that can be easily used to make steel.

Where Rio Tinto Works

Rio Tinto is a global company, meaning they have operations all over the world. Their main offices are split between two different countries.

One of their main offices is in London, England. This office handles many of the company's global decisions. The other main office is in Melbourne, Australia. This office manages a lot of their business in Australia and nearby regions.