According to the Australian government, gold production in mid-1800s Australia was responsible for 40 percent of all the global gold production. Gold mining centers were the Mount Morgan area in Queensland and the mining towns of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie in Western Australia.
South America has rich historical gold mining sites such as the Minas Gerais, Brazil, area veins and small mining towns along the gold deposit-rich Colombian Andes. These sites were found, expanded and exploited by Christopher Columbus during 16th century explorations.
The gold deposit-rich North American Mountain West, encompassing western frontier states of Colorado, Idaho, Arizona, Nevada and California, experienced a historical gold rush in the 19th century. Gold rushes occurred soon after in Canada's Fraser Valley in British Columbia and Yukon Territories.
Ancient gold mining production can be traced back as far as 4,000 BC in areas of Africa such as the Nubian region in Sudan. Europeans would learn metallurgy and mining processes from the Egyptians.
Old-World European countries such as Spain and France during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance era mined and traded gold. Mesopotamian river mines of the Middle East and Caucasus Valley and in the ancient quarry mines of Asia and the former United Soviet Socialist Republic were active even earlier.