This Chapter contains basic information about the coal resources of most of the world’s major coalproducing counties. The concept is not to provide a definitive and detailed breakdown of world coal resources, but rather to establish an appropriate overview as a foundation for subsequent, more technologically orientated chapters.

The Chapter firstly reviews the processes of formation of both hard coal and lignite deposits, noting the differences in physical and chemical characteristics that may be encountered with coals formed at different time periods. It then introduces the topic of coal macerals, variations in which are fundamental to understanding these coal-specific behaviour characteristics, and which have an important bearing on utilisation practice.

The bulk of the Chapter is given over to descriptions of the coal resources of individual countries. The level of information included varies from country to country, reflecting both the relative importance of each in terms of production or potential production, and the accessibility of reliable data on individual coal resources. In each case, the quantification of accessible coal is based on a consideration of geological, mining and economic criteria pertaining to the specific coalfield or country. The amount of coal in place (the resource base), and in some cases the amount of mineable coal (the reserve), as quoted for each of the countries reviewed, has been provided by relevant local sources, accompanied by corresponding definitions. It should be remembered that, despite international moves towards commonly accepted practice, these definitions can still vary substantially, depending on the structural complexity of a deposit, amongst other criteria.

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