| Iron Ore is the ore of Iron =) and is also known as haematite. It is red and turns everything around it red. Usually large deposits of Iron Ore are denoted by huge red patches of the earth or large patches or rust on your old bike =p. Iron Ore is converted into Iron using a blast furnace to reduce it with carbon according to the following equations:
C(s) + O2(g) -> CO2(g)
CO2(g) + C(s) -> 2CO(g)
Fe2O3(s) + 3CO(g) -> 3CO2 + 2Fe(l)
The iron is a liquid because of the fact that it is extremely hot. The iron is usually piped out the bottom of the furnace and refined some more to get steel and other alloys. Iron Ore is also slightly magnetic.
According to my chemistry book the world iron ore requirements are about 1000 million tonnes a year and Australia produces about 10% of that.
Iron Ore can also be found as 2Fe2O3.3H2O which is a yellow-brown ore. | 
