Production
The world's oceans are a virtually inexhaustible source of salt and this abundance of supply means that reserves have not been calculated. The evaporation of seawater is the method of choice in areas of high evaporation and low precipitation. Elsewhere salt is extracted from the vast sedimentary deposits which have been laid down over the millennia from the evaporation of seas and lakes. These are either mined direct, producing rock salt (halite), or are extracted in solution by pumping water into the deposit. In either case the salt may be purified by mechanical evaporation in pans under vacuum.
In 2002, total world production (of sodium chloride in general, not just table salt) was estimated at 210 million tonnes, the top five producers being the United States (40.3 million tonnes), China (32.9), Germany (17.7), India (14.5), and Canada (12.3). During the period 2003 to 2008, global production of salt increased by 12% per year, and China took over as the largest producing nation as its chemical industry expanded.
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