11.2 million – If all of the existing gold in the world was pulled into a 5 micron thick wire, it could wrap around the world 11.2 million times.
2808 degrees centigrade - The boiling point of gold is 2808 degrees centigrade.
31.103 grams– There are just over 31 grams in a troy ounce of gold.
1oz - It is rarer to find a one ounce nugget of gold than a five carat diamond.
37 degrees – The temperature of the human body is 37 degrees centigrade. Gold’s conductivity of heat means that it rapidly reaches body temperature – one of the reasons it has become valued for jewellery.
1064 degrees centigrade – Gold melts at 1064 degrees centigrade.
187,200 tonnes – Around 187,200 tonnes of gold has been mined since the beginning of civilisation.
1885 – While digging up stones to build a house, Australian miner George Harrison found gold ore near Johannesburg in 1885, beginning the South African gold rush.
21 metres cubed – All of the gold ever mined would fit into a crate of 21 metres cubed.
49% - Around half of all gold mined today is made into jewellery, which remains the single largest use for gold.
49ers – The 40,000 miners who joined the California Gold Rush in 1849 were called “49ers”. Only a very small number of them ever got rich.
200 – Julius Caesar gave 200 gold coins to each of his soldiers from the spoils of war in defeating Gaul.
90% - Over 90 per cent of the world’s gold has been mined since the California Gold Rush.
750 parts per 1,000 – Gold is often alloyed with other metals to change its colour and strength. Eighteen karat gold is composed of 750 parts of pure gold per 1,000.
80 cm – The largest gold coin ever created was cast by the Perth Mint in 2012. Weighing one tonne and measuring 80 cm in diameter, it surpassed the previous record, a 2007, C$1 million coin which was just 53 cm across.
50 miles – One ounce of gold can be stretched to a length of 50 miles; the resulting wire would be just five microns wide.
2316 troy ounces – The largest ever true gold nugget weighed 2316 troy ounces when found at Moliagul in Australia in 1869. It was called the “Welcome Stranger”.
79 – The atomic number of gold is 79, which means there are 79 protons in the nucleus of every atom.
400 troy ounces – A “London Good Delivery Bar”, the standard unit of traded gold, is made from 400 troy ounces of gold.
530,000 bars – The US Federal Reserve holds 6,700 tonnes of gold, in 530,000 gold bars. At its peak in 1973, the Fed stored more than 12,000 tonnes of monetary gold.
4,600 tonnes – There are 147.3 million ounces – around 4,600 tonnes – of gold stored in the US Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.
15,000 tonnes – Even at only 10 parts of gold per quadrillion, the world’s oceans are estimated to hold up to 15,000 tonnes of gold.
9 metres square – One ounce of pure gold can be hammered into a single sheet nine metres square.
One ounce of gold can be beaten into a translucent sheet 0.000018 cm thick and covering 9 square metres; or pulled into a wire 80 km (50 miles) long
11.2 million – If all of the existing gold in the world was pulled into a 5 micron thick wire, it could wrap around the world 11.2 million times.
2808 degrees centigrade - The boiling point of gold is 2808 degrees centigrade.
31.103 grams– There are just over 31 grams in a troy ounce of gold.
1oz - It is rarer to find a one ounce nugget of gold than a five carat diamond.
37 degrees – The temperature of the human body is 37 degrees centigrade. Gold’s conductivity of heat means that it rapidly reaches body temperature – one of the reasons it has become valued for jewellery.
1064 degrees centigrade – Gold melts at 1064 degrees centigrade.
187,200 tonnes – Around 187,200 tonnes of gold has been mined since the beginning of civilisation.
1885 – While digging up stones to build a house, Australian miner George Harrison found gold ore near Johannesburg in 1885, beginning the South African gold rush.
21 metres cubed – All of the gold ever mined would fit into a crate of 21 metres cubed.
49% - Around half of all gold mined today is made into jewellery, which remains the single largest use for gold.
49ers – The 40,000 miners who joined the California Gold Rush in 1849 were called “49ers”. Only a very small number of them ever got rich.
200 – Julius Caesar gave 200 gold coins to each of his soldiers from the spoils of war in defeating Gaul.
90% - Over 90 per cent of the world’s gold has been mined since the California Gold Rush.
750 parts per 1,000 – Gold is often alloyed with other metals to change its colour and strength. Eighteen karat gold is composed of 750 parts of pure gold per 1,000.
80 cm – The largest gold coin ever created was cast by the Perth Mint in 2012. Weighing one tonne and measuring 80 cm in diameter, it surpassed the previous record, a 2007, C$1 million coin which was just 53 cm across.
50 miles – One ounce of gold can be stretched to a length of 50 miles; the resulting wire would be just five microns wide.
2316 troy ounces – The largest ever true gold nugget weighed 2316 troy ounces when found at Moliagul in Australia in 1869. It was called the “Welcome Stranger”.
79 – The atomic number of gold is 79, which means there are 79 protons in the nucleus of every atom.
400 troy ounces – A “London Good Delivery Bar”, the standard unit of traded gold, is made from 400 troy ounces of gold.
530,000 bars – The US Federal Reserve holds 6,700 tonnes of gold, in 530,000 gold bars. At its peak in 1973, the Fed stored more than 12,000 tonnes of monetary gold.
4,600 tonnes – There are 147.3 million ounces – around 4,600 tonnes – of gold stored in the US Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.
15,000 tonnes – Even at only 10 parts of gold per quadrillion, the world’s oceans are estimated to hold up to 15,000 tonnes of gold.
9 metres square – One ounce of pure gold can be hammered into a single sheet nine metres square.
One ounce of gold can be beaten into a translucent sheet 0.000018 cm thick and covering 9 square metres; or pulled into a wire 80 km (50 miles) long