German minerals finding a niche

摘要

Located in the centre of Europe,Germany has a long tradition of mineral mining,processing,and trading.Its export sector is one of Europe's strongest with foreign trade,mainly in vehicles,machinery,chemicals and heavy electrical equipment,accounting for over a third of national output.At the root of this is mineral extraction,built upon large lignite and hard coal deposits which have always been,and to this day still are,crucial to Germany's industrial sector.