Cotton is the world's oldest natural fibre, dating back some 8,000 years. With a long history, and an industry including over 300 million farming families there are plenty of interesting facts about cotton that you may not know.
- The word ‘cotton’ is derived from ‘qutun’ or ‘kutun’, an Arabic word used to describe any fine textile
- In an average year, Australia’s cotton growers produce enough cotton to clothe 500 million people
- Cotton and its by-products are used in the production of a huge range of products including bank notes, margarine, rubber and medical supplies
- There are 43 species of cotton in the world and some cotton grows on trees
- Cotton can absorb up to 27 times its own weight in water
- Cotton is a unique crop in that it is both a food and a fibre
- Cotton dates from at least 7,000 years ago making it one of the world’s oldest known fibres
- Naturally coloured cotton varieties in South America have come in shades of red, yellow, beige, chocolate, pink, purple, green, striped like a tiger and even spotted like a leopard
- The first light bulb manufactured by Thomas Edison in the late 1800s used a cotton thread filament
- American ‘paper’ money is a blend of 75% cotton and 25% linen
