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15 countries with biggest gas reserves in the world

Last updated on: June 7, 2012 09:57 IST

Image: A worker checks the valve gears in a natural gas control centre of Turkey's Petroleum and Pipeline Corporation.
Photographs: Umit Bektas/Reuters

Natural gas is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, with up to 20 per cent of other hydrocarbons as well as impurities in varying amounts such as carbon dioxide.

Natural gas is widely used as an important energy source in many applications including heating buildings, generating electricity, providing heat and power to industry, as fuel for vehicles and as a chemical feedstock in the manufacture of products such as plastics and other commercially important organic chemicals.

Let's take a look at countries that have most natural gas in the world.

Source: The Economist

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Image: A view of the Moscow River.
Photographs: Denis Sinyakov/Reuters

Russia

Conventional: 105 trillion cubic metres

Tight: 112 trillion cubic metres

Shale: 114 trillion cubic metres

Coal-bed methane: 141 trillion cubic metres

Global rank: 1

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Russia

Image: The Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge is seen from the 90th storey of One World Trade Center in New York.
Photographs: Lucas Jackson/Reuters

The United States

Conventional: 36 trillion cubic metres

Tight: 45 trillion cubic metres

Shale: 71 trillion cubic metres

Coal-bed methane: 73 trillion cubic metres

Global rank: 2

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United States

Image: Horse-drawn carriages pass in front of ice sculptures at the 12th Harbin Ice and Snow World display in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China.
Photographs: David Gray/Reuters

China

Conventional: 3 trillion cubic metres

Tight: 5 trillion cubic metres

Shale: 42 trillion cubic metres

Coal-bed methane: 51 trillion cubic metres

Global rank: 3

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China

Image: A view of residential buildings in north western Tehran.
Photographs: Morteza Nikoubazl/Reuters

Iran

Conventional: 37 trillion cubic metres

Tight: 41 trillion cubic metres

Shale: N/A

Coal-bed methane: N/A

Global rank: 4

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Iran

Image: The Kingdom Tower stands in the night above the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Photographs: Ali Jarekji/Reuters

Saudi Arabia

Conventional: 36 trillion cubic metres

Tight: 38 trillion cubic metres

Shale: 39 trillion cubic metres

Coal-bed methane: N/A

Global rank: 5

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Saudi Arabia

Image: Shoppers walk through a shopping complex in Melbourne.
Photographs: Mick Tsikas/Reuters

Australia

Conventional: 5 trillion cubic metres

Tight: 13 trillion cubic metres

Shale: 26 trillion cubic metres

Coal-bed methane: 28 trillion cubic metres

Global rank: 6

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Image: An aerial view of Doha skyline.
Photographs: Fadi Al Assaad/Reuters

Qatar

Conventional: 26 trillion cubic metres

Tight: 27 trillion cubic metres

Shale: N/A

Coal-bed methane: N/A

Global rank: 7

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Image: A view of Buenos Aires' 9 de Julio Avenue with the Obelisk in the background.
Photographs: Enrique Marcarian/Reuters

Argentina

Conventional: 2 trillion cubic metres

Tight: 3 trillion cubic metres

Shale: 25 trillion cubic metres

Coal-bed methane: N/A

Global rank: 8

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Argentina

Image: A hot air balloon floats past people watching the sunrise at the Sun pyramids of Teotihuacan outside Mexico City.
Photographs: Henry Romero/Reuters

Mexico

Conventional: 3 trillion cubic metres

Tight: 4 trillion cubic metres

Shale: 22 trillion cubic metres

Coal-bed methane: N/A

Global rank: 9

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Mexico

Image: People play volleyball on the front lawn of Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Photographs: Chris Wattie/Reuters

Canada

Conventional: 4 trillion cubic metres

Tight: 6 trillion cubic metres

Shale: 18 trillion cubic metres

Coal-bed methane: 22 trillion cubic metres

Global rank: 10

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Image: Poeple walk next to the statue of national hero Simon Bolivar at central Plaza Bolivar square in Caracas.
Photographs: Jorge Silva/Reuters

Venezuela

Conventional: 8 trillion cubic metres

Tight: 20 trillion cubic metres

Shale: N/A

Coal-bed methane: N/A

Global rank: 11

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Venezuela

Image: Women walk past a shop selling luxury shoes and bags at a shopping mall in Jakarta.
Photographs: Enny Nuraheni/Reuters

Indonesia

Conventional: 8 trillion cubic metres

Tight: 10 trillion cubic metres

Shale: 15 trillion cubic metres

Coal-bed methane: 17 trillion cubic metres

Global rank: 12

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Indonesia

Image: A view of the aurora borealis near the city of Tromsoe in Norway.
Photographs: Norsk Telegrambyra/Reuters

Norway

Conventional: 11 trillion cubic metres

Tight: 13 trillion cubic metres

Shale: 15 trillion cubic metres

Coal-bed methane: N/A

Global rank: 13

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Image: A vendor stands behind her vegetables on sale at the market in Calabar Delta region in Nigeria.
Photographs: Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters

Nigeria

Conventional: 5 trillion cubic metres

Tight: 13 trillion cubic metres

Shale: N/A

Coal-bed methane: N/A

Global rank: 14

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Nigeria