WORLD PRODUCTION OF PHOSPHATE ROCK. 95 



nisie; Societe de Phosphates de Maknassy; Societe Franc, 

 des Phosphates de Gouraya; La Ploridienne, J. Buttgenbach 

 & Co. Of these companies, the first named, Compagnie des Phos- 

 phates de Gafsa, is by far the largest, having produced during 1912, 

 1,312,378 tons. This company at the present time is without doubt, 

 in point of production, the largest phosphate company in the world. 

 The other seven companies named produced 578,359 tons, making 

 a total of 1,890,737 tons exported from Tunis during 19 12, almost 

 all of which is shipped to the European countries. 



ALGERIA. 



Algeria is also a French province in northern Africa bordering 

 the Mediterranean Sea immediately west of Tunis. The phos- 

 phates of Algeria are found in the vicinity of Setif and Tebessa. 

 The deposits of Kouif at Tebessa near the Tunis border include 

 five beds from 60 centimeters to 3 meters thick ( approximately 2 to 

 10 feet), separated by lime strata. Of these beds three are worked, 

 the mining being done in part by open pit and in part by drift min- 

 ing. The phosphate rock from these beds grades 63 to 70 per 

 cent tricalcium phosphate, iron and aluminum i per cent. Among 

 the companies operating in Algeria during 191 3 are the following: 

 Compagnie des Phosphates de Constantine; Compagnie des Phos- 

 phates du M'Zaita; Compagnie Centrale des Phosphates; Com- 

 pagnie Algerienne des Phosphate de Tocqueville. The total ship- 

 ments of phosphate from Algeria during 19 13 amounted to 461,- 

 030 tons^ all of which, aside from a small amount sent to Japan, 

 were consigned to European countries. 



EGYPT. 



Phosphate is known in a number of localities in Eg)^t, although 

 actual mining is being carried on at present in only two districts, 

 namely, the Safaga and the Sibaia Deserts. The phosphates are 

 found in sedimentary strata belonging to the uppermost part of the 

 Cretaceous system. The total shipments from Egypt during 19 13 

 amounted to 96,958 tons, all of which was exported, going chiefly 

 to China and Japan.* The exports for 19 13 were 64,160 tons. 



*A brief note on The Phosphate Deposits of Egypt, by John Ball, D. Sc. 

 F. G. S. Survey Department Paper No. 30, Government Press, Cairo, Egypt, 

 1913. 



