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Gold reserves
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 The GOLD reserves of the bank of France are to date estimated | 2007 | at 2.700,54 tons.
The safe deposit was built in the Twenties, in order to protect the French richnesses from a possible invasion, hidden with more than 28 meters of depth some share in Paris.
During the second world war, stocks were partly evacuated in Germany. The remainder had been charged in the warships de bound for the Antilles, Africa or Canada.
Banque de France had 2.719 tons of gold, for a value of 42,21 billion euros. An amount in increase of 2,7 billion euros over one year while at the same time the reserves decreased by 105 tons.
It is the rise of the courses of the noble metal into 2006 which explains this appreciation. The price of the ounce having further increased of more than 55% since the beginning of the year 2007, and the gold reserves of the bank of France having slightly decreased since, one can today estimate the value of the reserves held by Banque de France at approximately 70 billion euros.
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The gold ingots do not do all the same size nor the same weight.
Actually, “ingot” is not always an adapted term. The true gold ingot of purse must weigh between 995 and 1.005 grams, whereas Banque de France primarily accumulate the noble metal in the form of “bars”, long of approximately 26,5 centimetres and doors of 12,5 kilos.
Used between banks at the time where the market of gold was flourishing, the gold bars of purse are not useful practically today any more, according to the General Company of Stock Exchange.
The French ingots have the brick shape, are irregular and carry traces of the mould. Their degree of purity and their weight also vary in the legal fork.
On the other hand, the ingots made in South Africa and Switzerland much are looked after, weigh all exactly 1.000 grams and rigorously post the same degree of purity, that is to say 995 grams of gold on the 1.000 which the ingot weighs. They resemble small perfectly smooth plates.
The gold ingot of purse must obligatorily carry several inscriptions to be recognized on the market: number of recording, which is that of the approved tester (professional charged to check the authenticity and the quality of the ingot), title of fine gold, at least equal to 995/1000 (i.e. on 1.000 grams, the ingot contains at least 995 grams of pure gold), the seal of a recognized founder and finally the punch of the tester.
The private individuals can completely offer a gold ingot. In France, the operations of purchase and gold sale profit even from anonymity if they are lower than 15.000 euros.
On the other hand, an identity paper is claimed for any payment by cheque and the purchases in cash are limited to 3.000 euros. The ingots of a degree of purity higher than 995/1000ème are exonerated from VAT but the private individuals are subjected to a contractual taking away of 8% of the gross value of the transaction or of 27% on the appreciation carried out with abatements under condition.
The importation of gold ingots is more difficult than their purchase and the majority of the professionals strongly disadvise it.
The legal importation of ingots is quite simply subjected to the VAT with the importation. A tax for which it is necessary to add expenses of file. That is to say on the whole a taxation which can reach 26% of the value of imported gold
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 GOLD in Switzerland: from its bank secrecy, this country always asserted to be one of the largest gold recuperators in the world, intox or information!!!
In Europe, the central banks of the Member States of Eurosystème as well as the Swiss national bank and Sveriges Riksbank decided since 2004 to limit their gold sales.
In all, the establishments began not to sell more than 500 tons per annum during five years.
Principal official gold reserves
Central banks Tons
The United States 8.133,5
Germany 3.417,5
International currency (the IMF) Fund 3.217,3
France 2.658,4
Italy 2.451,8
Switzerland 1.242,1
Japan 765,2
Netherlands 640,9
European central bank (ECB) 604,7
China 600
Taiwan 423,3
Russia 407,5
Portugal 382,6
India 357,7
Venezuela 356,8
The United Kingdom 310,3
Source: Worl Gold Council/September 2007
Fifty years ago, the central banks of the whole world had half of gold stocks of planet.
Today, they have some less than 20%. If stocks naturally increased, passing 76.000 tons in 1966 to 157.000 in 2007, this variation is primarily explained by the massive sale their reserves by the central banks.
Side private individuals, the World council of gold proves to be unable to identify the big landowners.
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 Gold in Africa: Gold played a determining role in the history of Africa the west in general, and Guinea in particular. It is the gold which made the size and the prosperity of the great Ouest-Africains empires.
Niani, the capital of the Empire of Mali in XIIIe century, is in current Préfecture of Siguiri, which is the first gold-field of Guinea
The use of Cyanide
It is obvious with the process Heap Leach which the SAG uses of cyanide. This toxic product and nonacid is since 1998, date of the first overflow of cyanide, object of contention between the SAG and the populations of Siguiri in general, Kintinia and Bouré in particular. Since this date, specific measures were taken by the SAG and continue to be improved.
According to the authorities of this mining company, two million dollars was invested in the security of cyanide.
The SAG installed peroxide tanks along the pipeline which leads the solution cyanided to the stopping of rejection located at 7 kilometers of the factory. Cyanided water is led in very large rubber pipes of the factory of production towards artificial basins whose capacities vary from 600 to 800 cubic meters.
From there, this cyanided water is pumped in channels where it undergoes a mixture with hydrogen peroxide. Recovered out of drinking water, it is again sent to the factory.
Young people of the surrounding villages are recruited by the SAG to monitor the pipeline in order to alert with the least cyanide overflow. Also, a specialized environmental team (Loss Control) there takes care daily through her mechanism of sampling and analyses.
environmental protection
The SAG (Company Ashanti Gold Field), undertaken having the market of exploitation of the gold of Siguiri, finally decided to apply protection measures of the environment. It would be, in this moment even building an impermeable tank to collect the cyanide residues, coming from the factories of production, which pollute the surrounding rivers and the ground water.
The liquid collected should undergo a suitable treatment before being rejected in nature. The site of treatment would be protected by barbed wires and is supervised by security agents.
Even if the SAG had never accepted its responsibilities in the health issues which touched the neighbouring populations, it admits implicitly, by the catch of these measurements, which it has an effective risk for the environment, pubic health, and the breeding of the bovine one.
These measurements associated with the treatment with smoke with factories and the fight against the turning into a desert, by the plantation of trees, could preserve the good being of the local populations.
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Gold reserves
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